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What can you do about your child’s chronic forgetfulness
of school items?
Remember that a successful morning begins the night before. One of the best ways to make certain that all homework and needed items get to school is to start with a simple cardboard box or special designated place where your child is responsible to place all school belongings. Have your child choose a place for the box. Every afternoon his first task is to place all school belongings in the box. When homework is finished, it goes in the box. Lunch money, permission slips and so forth go in the box the night before. In the morning, the box is the last stop before heading out the door.
More Ideas on Overcoming Chronic Forgetfulness
- Before your child leaves the house, have him stop for a moment. Teach him to ask, “Do I have everything I need today?”
- Use tricks like a head-to-toe checklist. Before your child goes anywhere, heave her run through a checklist—“My hat’s on my head, my coat’s on my body, my gloves are on my hands, my boots are on my feet, and my backpack’s on my back.”
- Write it down! Write a checklist of everything your child takes to school on a typical day. Post it by the front door.
- Don’t make it easy to forget. If you child has forgotten to bring homework home or to school, don’t drive to school to retrieve it or drop it off.
- Try a “black hole” to keep toys and other belongings picked up. All you need is a closet or cabinet that is “off limits” to the kids—the “black hole.” When something is left out that should be put away, it disappears into the “black hole” for 24 hours. Once a favorite toy or something your child needs is locked up for 24 hours, there is greater incentive to keep it where it belongs. This works best when the whole family participates.
