Organization of homework and schoolwork is a common difficulty for children. The demands from school become increasingly problematic as they get older, and some kids simply can’t keep up – often not because they don’t want to, but because their skills don’t match the demands. Unlike a video game where one can’t move up to the next level until an earlier level has been completed, the skills to be organized and to apply these capacities to the demands of the classroom often do not follow a steady progression.

In my work as a child clinical psychologist, I see many kids for the first time when they are entering middle school, simply because their organizational skills are not adequate to keep up with homework and assignments from six different teachers. It is common for them to forget to do homework, not have the materials necessary to study for a test, or not understand an assignment. Most of these kids have always been motivated and “smart” enough to keep up with the demands of elementary school, where knowledge and following directions were adequate to get good grades.

If your child is having difficulty in these areas, he or she would benefit from involvement in our LearningWorks LIVE program. To prepare yourself for this, we suggest you read a couple of articles to learn more about this topic:

Improving a Child’s Organizational Skills By Child Mind Institute: This directory houses may different types of resources for parents on children’s organizational skills. They have articles that are specific to children struggling with other psychological and learning disabilities and how to best help them with organizational skills among many other relevant resources.

Teaching Child Organizational Skills By Understood.org: Specific to teaching organizational skills, this resource gives us a variety of tips and tricks on how to best help our children with organizational struggles succeed in school and in their daily lives.

Tips for Developing Organizational Skills in Children By Coordinated Campaign for Learning Disabilities: This article compiles many relevant tips on how to develop your child’s organizational skills. Utilizing routines and preparation, following these tips are a sure way to boost your kiddos organizational skills.

What are Organization Skills? By LearningWorks for Kids: Many parents can understand why organizational skills are important, but few understand the neurological benefits to staying organized in daily life. This resource outlines why organization skills are important, and how we can help our children develop their own skills.

Organization Skills By Kid Sense: Originating for Australia, this website houses many helpful resources and not only limited to children’s organization skills! Regarding organization they provide useful information and tricks on how to keep your kiddos organized.