School children often forget their school supplies, lunch boxes, or water bottles. And in such situations, there is nothing to do but to buy them new ones. But buying more than one lunch box, water bottle, or school stationary in one school year is not a solution. Many mums experience this, and they absolutely dread it. First of all, that is normal. Kids can still need training on looking after school supplies. Especially during the first years of school. To make things easier, here are some tips to help them in looking after school supplies.
How to help my kid looking after school supplies?
Those five tips below will help you achieve this goal. Following these tips will guarantee to teach your child to look after his or her school supplies. So, follow these tips and say goodbye to buying multiple supplies or lunch boxes during one school year.
1| Repetition is key.
There are no shortcuts when it comes to raising children. In fact, teaching them any good habits requires patience, demonstration, and lots and lots of repetition. It is extremely important to establish a repeated routine for kids. As it helps them greatly in learning how to be organized and well-planned. Therefore, help your kids pack and arrange their school supplies, lunch box, and other items within their school bag. Make this a part of your morning routine and do it with them on a daily basis. And explain to them how they should follow the same routine when school is out and it is time to pack and go home.
2| Use lists as reminders.
Checklists come in really handy for both kids and adults. They help us stay organized and remind us of anything we might forget. Write down a checklist including everything your child has to remind him or her of packing them in their school bag before heading home. Keep this checklist in their school bag or stationary case. You can also laminate it to keep it from getting lost or torn. Here are some ideas for what this checklist should include:
- – Water bottle.
- – Lunch box.
- – Pencil case.
- – School stationery.
- – Jacket, or gym wear.
Make sure to daily remind your child to check the list before leaving school.
3| Keep up a reward system.
If your children come back home without forgetting anything, don’t let that go unnoticed. Reward your child with little rewards, like a sticker on their chores bored, or extra 10 minutes of screen time. Reinforce this positive behavior through words such as “great job” or “I am so proud of you!”. And make sure to hug them and express how good their behavior is. Such interactions will encourage them to always make sure they have all their school stuff and not forget anything.
4| Teach them to be tidy inside the house.
All good habits and behaviors are at home. Being polite, learning to be organized, and doing chores. Us mums teach our children these things before they even start going to school. So, no matter how young your children are, always urge them and help to organize their rooms or toys. Toy organizers are great for helping your child stay tidy and organized. You need organizers that are easy to reach, open, and close. And again, ask your little ones to put away their toys repeatedly until it sticks. This will help you accomplish raising an organized and tidy young adult.
5| Try personalizing their school supplies.
Personalizing items is also a great way to help your kids looking after school supplies. When you label their school stuff, you help prevent your kids from losing them. You also help them avoid mixing them up with their classmates’ stuff.
But what if my child already forgot or lost an item?
Sometimes, that might happen and it is ok. All you have to do is to assign them the task of finding what they lost or forgot. If what they lost is not essential for school, try not to buy it back immediately. That will teach them to keep an eye on their stuff and never lose or forget them.