Academic Skills Center California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo, California

ASC Study Skills Library Kennedy Library 112 ~ 805-756-1256 http://sas.calpoly.edu/asc/ssl.html

BALANCING SCHOOL WITH KIDS
Returning to school may be overwhelming when you have children and many other obligations. You may ask yourself “How do I balance my kids with schoolwork? How do I navigate the school and classes after being absent from the regular school schedule?” With some time management and scheduling, simplifying, and strategizing you can do it all. You can still be a wonderful parent and an excellent student. Things you can do at home:  Time Management/Scheduling: With your busy life, time management and formulating schedules of your day, week, and quarter can help you plan and manage your daily life which will help you gain time and to reduce stress. As important and effective these schedules can be they are only as useful as you make them, so remember to not only make these schedules realistic, but you also need to put an adequate amount of effort into following them. o Making a quarterly schedule with all of your midterms, projects, and finals listed can help when your family is planning on going on trips and weekend vacations. You can refer to this calendar to plan accordingly with your studies. o Weekly schedules and daily to-do lists are useful in scheduling doctor appointments, writing in when your kids may have basketball practice, when your classes are, when your kids classes are and when you need to eat and tend to your family’s needs such as breakfast, lunch and dinner. Remember to pace yourself and to plan your day according to your personal abilities. o It is very beneficial to think outside the box when planning your schedules. Do so in a time conserving manner such as packing lunches the night before so you are not rushed in the morning, start prepping for dinner in the morning so when the time comes most of the elements are already assembled, and if you are already out and about finish all the errands on your to-do list for the day. These simple actions will actually give you more time throughout the day to do or complete other tasks and they can even give you some time to relax.  Simplify: Now that you have taken on another responsibility, try to simplify what you are already doing at home to include your new obligation to school. o In addition to your usual study hour, perhaps you can join your children at the kitchen table and make it a family activity. This way you are able to spend time with your family and be a positive influence in your children’s lives as everyone is making scholastic effort.

Academic Skills Center California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo, California

ASC Study Skills Library Kennedy Library 112 ~ 805-756-1256 http://sas.calpoly.edu/asc/ssl.html

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o Dropping extraneous obligations can free up your time. You don’t have to do everything. Just because parents are socializing at your child’s karate practice doesn’t mean you have to be involved; instead you can better utilize your time with studying flash cards, reading or re-writing class notes. Strategize: There are many simple things you can do to make studying easier without having to take away extra attention from your family and home life. o While you are in class it is a good idea to tape the lecture, that way you can pay attention to the most important ideas to jot down for additional notes. Listen to lectures you taped in class while at soccer practice, baseball games, or even when doing household chores. Whenever you are doing a more visual activity and you can handle the auditory information, get out your tape recorder and study. o Making flashcards can be a very effective study tool and are portable! You can keep them with you almost everywhere you go and if you have a couple of spare minutes on the bus, waiting in line at the grocery store, or waiting in the car to pick up your kids you can