Helping your child use their school agenda

First, encourage your child to use their agenda throughout the day. For example, you can remind them to do the following:

• Bring their agenda to and from school
• Consult their agenda several times a day
• Write information in the correct boxes
• Etc.

Not only is a school agenda handy for noting down reminders and organizing schedules, it’s also a medium for parent-teacher communication. What’s more, it allows you to check your child’s upcoming activities and keep an eye on their academic progress. For these reasons, your child should always note the following information in their agenda:

• Homework and lesson reviews
• Assignments
• Tests and exams
• Meetings with specialists
• Extracurricular activities
• Sports practices
• Detentions and remedial classes
• Activities
• Etc.

Your child’s agenda should have a certain logic that suits their specific needs. By creating their own visual cues and legend, your child can use their agenda more efficiently. For example, you can make the following suggestions:

• Highlight important dates (exam days, assignment due dates)
• Use a different colour for each class
• Use abbreviations and symbols
• Check off a task once it’s complete so nothing is forgotten
• Use a paperclip to mark the current date
• Etc.

You may want to check your child’s agenda occasionally to make sure they’re using it correctly. While you’re at it, you can see if it’s still in good condition (e.g., clean, no torn pages). After all, you want your child to have this wonderful tool until the end of the school year!