organization skills

[CorsoMom]

hello, my 10 yo son has moved on to a new school for 5th grade and it’s a HUGE change for him. He has a locker and changes rooms/classes with a need for different materials. This is very challenging for him. Has anyone had experience with this and if so, do you have any tips for us? Thank you.

[Onthemove1971]

Yes it is a challenge. Our son used one binder with dividers labeled.

We also had one textbook at school and one at home becuase he continued to forget his.

We also went through his backpack every week.

Something we just changed and didn't fight.

It gets better if they are motivated.

Good luck

[CorsoMom in reply to Onthemove1971]

Great idea on the binder and books. He does have color coded folders with the class written on them but if they are all together he can’t forget any!! Not sure I can do the book dups. And I absolutely go thru the backpack-always have!! Thank you!

[Onthemove1971 in reply to CorsoMom]

I would also look into if his school.has a study skills class. This is often at high school, but they may have it in middle school It is where a teacher teaches them how to study. They also helps with completing assignments and tests. It is considered an elective so instead of a class they take study skills. It helped our son a lot.

High school is so hard but if they gain all the skills in middle school to be successful it is much easier to be successful.

Good luck!

[Mamamichl]

Going from one class each day to multiple was hard on my stepkid. For them it was 6th grade and that was Covid. They had trouble in 7th grade too because it was still new. Eighth grade last year went well though because they found their groove and group of supportive friends. Give it time, and advocate (or have kiddo advocate) on needs to do better.

[despi]

I kept everything in trapper keepers. For example. English Notebook, pen folder and sometimes book in the keeper. That way he was ready to go as soon as he sat down. Same for other subjects.

[CorsoMom in reply to despi]

Thanks! Great idea!

[Knitting20projects]

Yes. For our son this changed in 6th and suddenly now in 7th he is very overwhelmed by the workload. If you need to begin the 504 process, take notes on the behavior you see caused by the stress. Our son looks fine at school & is crying or having meltdowns at home after expending energy trying to make it through the school day. The school staff may say he doesn’t need support because he looks like he’s handling things well. Be sure they know if there’s a discrepancy there between settings (common in ADHD, autism, etc—-“masking” to avoid looking different). We are starting the 504 process and possibly hiring an ADHD/executive function skills coach if not too expensive.

[HoldingonLou]

I found this to be helpful.

reddit.com/r/Divorce/commen...

[STEM_Dad]

My youngest two kids started going to public school for the first time this year. They we're home schooled from kindergarten until now, my daughter is in 3rd grade and my son is in 5th grade.

There's school is large, they both have to use lockers, and they also change classes occasionally for PE, music, and art.

I was concerned about how they would adjust, especially my son who was feeling very anxious about going to public school. I was also worried that it would take them sometime to learn their way around the school.

I don't think that they have had any problems yet, both of them have been able to make at least a few friends already, and my son had a glowing report from his teacher and how well he is doing.

(My kids are not diagnosed with ADHD, at least not yet. They seem to me to have mild ADHD, while I have it more moderate. So far, they seem to be doing fine.)

~~~~~

I know that some kids struggle with change. I both struggled sometimes and liked the change at other times in school (long before my ADHD diagnosis).

I didn't get a Trapper Keeper until Junior High, with very little instruction from my parents or teachers about organization. My parents probably should have checked on my homework status regularly, because I forgot to do it almost every day, then did it in a panic on the bus to school in the morning. They had do ideas about my struggles, because I was quiet about it, and my teachers gave a good report about my classwork and test performance. (My parents thought that I had figured things out on my own, but my interest in playing and watching TV distracted me from even thinking about my homework.)

So, all of you parents who are checking on your kids and teaching them how to manage their schoolwork... keep doing it.

[breezebay]

Yes! This was the same with my son in 4th grade. He went from 1 class to 4 every day. This is when we first got him tested. He was constantly missing assignments, his desk, locker and book bag were a mess and his grades began to drop.

1-I bought him an organizer for executive function challenged brains. We went through it together every night so he could begin to anticipate what was coming up and review what needed to be turned in, etc.

2-I got him an 8 pocket poly organizer notebook ($5). I labeled each pocket with his different subjects. First pocket was homework that needed to be turned in and labeled “homework to turn in”. This reduced the number of notebooks to keep up with and reduced the possibilities of where his assignments could be.

3-He was set up with a 504 plan and given accommodations such as extra time for testing.

These all together helped him a great deal. 5th grade he began medication and the teachers saw a big improvement.

Now he’s back to struggling in 7th grade. It’s been a tough go so far so I completely understand. He begins tutoring next week for the first time and also the Coachbit app where they check in with your kid for 15 minutes every day after school.

I hope things begin to turn around for your son very soon!