Training your kids to have a good working habit early on will help him cope better later in life, studies have shown. A proper work habit instills structure and discipline, which they may very well carry on as they grow older. These kids tend to get better grades at school or perform better at work. The routine is actually very basic, but so much more important to the child’s development.

In order to do this, a parent must cultivate an environment that allows for this structure to be properly observed.

For instance, setting a designated place for your child to study, read or do their homework and projects, is a start. This place should have desk and it must be free of clutter and distractions. This place must not be moved or changed, as that defeats the purpose of a routine.

The designated area must also be filled with handy supplies of pencils, paper and crayons. These must be organized and the child must also be taught to keep his things organized. It must also never have any of his toys there, so that the child will understand early on that the work area is different from the play area.

In the beginning, a parent would have to take time assisting the child. Just like weaning with food, the child must also be weaned, in a way, to use the work area properly. As the times pass, assisting would have to shift to just regular monitoring.

The child will eventually pick up the habit and do work in his special area from them on.

Image by brocknessmonsta via Flickr

There is a time in my daughter’s life that I am absolutely dreading.  It’s a part of life that is both unavoidable and frightening to me.  While, like many others I pride myself on what I know and my abilities there is one thing I simply cannot grasp.  That one thing that is so elusively out of my reach?  Math.  What I used to know is rusty, and the things I’ve somehow managed to retain are painfully ‘so yesterday’ (as a cousin of mine tells me).

Scientific theory, metaphysical conundrums, and in depth coding I know.  Yet put a page full of algebra in front of me?  I go blank.

While one could be thankful that they aren’t alone, a study by the Intel Corporation shows that most parents would rather talk to their kids about sex and drugs than science.  While this is surprising, as soon as I can manage a smile, I start thinking about my daughter’s future mathematics homework.

Nearly a quarter of parents (23 percent) who admit to being less involved in their child’s math and science education than they would like say their own lack of knowledge in these subjects is a key barrier.

(From the study linked above)

This study is a surprising one, and not only for those parents lacking in mathematical skills.  It shows that parents are hesitant to help when they are out of their own comfort zone.  Perhaps instead of the panic, we should be learning the same things?  Considering that a parent’s interest in their child’s learning does help the child out in the long run.

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