Most kids get a student planner or have a calendar on their phone. Teach them how to use it through example. Parent and student, pull out your planners or calendars and put in important dates such as:

• Fall/spring breaks.
• Holiday schedules.
• Parent/teacher conferences.
• Major project due dates.
• Finals.
• End of term.
• Extracurricular activities.

Help kids develop the habit of writing all assignments into their planner and of breaking down big projects into smaller tasks that they schedule in their planner. Encourage them to refer to their planner every day so they stay caught up and learn to plan ahead. This helps to develop confidence when they start to get on top of their own schedules instead of always having to be reminded by a parent, and less stress when things aren’t slipping through the cracks.

Don’t overschedule

It’s important to have varied interests and social outlets; however, be careful not to overschedule your kids. Allow time for homework and downtime. No one functions at their best when they are tired and overwhelmed.

Focus on the process rather than just the end result

Kids are naturally curious and intrinsically focused on learning and growing. However, as parents, we can become overly focused on grades. We might praise them and label them “smart” if they get good grades or become overly upset with a bad grade. The problem with this is that kids lose this natural intrinsic motivation and feel defined by their grades. They can fall into constantly having to prove themselves. To maintain good grades, they might shy away from subjects or activities they are interested in but not necessarily good at yet. If they get a bad grade, they might feel labeled as a failure and give up instead of learning how to improve and do better next time. Foster a love of learning. Consider praising your kid’s hard work and effort rather than obsessing about the end result.

Set up regular routines

It can be helpful to have a regular time and place to do homework. Doing homework every day helps kids establish good work habits and focus on the process. They can experience less stress when they stay caught up and when they aren’t putting off big projects to the last minute.

Having a regular sleep routine is also important. It’s easier for kids to focus when there’s a regular time to go to bed and when they get enough sleep. If your child has a phone, consider charging the phone in the parent’s bedroom so they aren’t tempted to stay up too late on their phone.

With school in full swing, there’s no time like the present to establish some good life habits. Let’s take down the stress and increase your student’s chance of success by getting into the habit of using a planner or calendar, not overscheduling them, focusing on the process rather than just the end result, and setting up regular routines around study and sleep. Help your kids rediscover the love of learning and how to manage themselves through positive daily routines. Take a breath. You’ve got this.

Pamela Henrie is the owner of The Success Choice LLC and the creator of The Success Choice System and Planner, as well as the Choosing Joy in the Journey Journals. To learn more, you can go to www.TheSuccessChoice.com.