Getting Ready for School: How to Support Your Child with ADHD in Organisational Skills, Planning, and Time Management

The start of a new school year can be both exciting and daunting, especially for children with ADHD. As parents, you're already well aware that school demands a lot of executive functions—skills like organisation, planning, and time management—that don’t always come easily for children with ADHD. At REACH ADHD Coaching, we understand these challenges and are committed to supporting your child in thriving through practical strategies and personalised guidance.

Supporting your child in thriving through practical strategies and personalised guidance.

What are Executive Functions? 

Executive functions are the mental skills that help us plan, organise, remember things, prioritise, and manage time effectively. These are the skills that allow children to follow through on tasks, stay organised, and navigate school life without feeling overwhelmed.

For children with ADHD, these executive functions often don’t work as efficiently as they do for their peers. ADHD can make it more difficult to focus on tasks, stay organised, and manage time effectively. These challenges can lead to missed assignments, forgotten deadlines, and a general sense of disorganisation, which can impact their academic success and emotional well-being.

In this blog, we’ll dive into how ADHD affects organisation, planning, and time management, and provide six actionable tips for each skill to help your child start the school year strong.

1. Organisation: The Ability to Keep Things in Order

Children with ADHD often struggle with organisation because they may find it difficult to sort through information, materials, and tasks in an efficient way. This can lead to messy desks, misplaced assignments, and general chaos in their study environment.

How ADHD Affects Organisation:

• Difficulty keeping track of school supplies and personal items.

• A tendency to misplace things or forget where they’ve put them.

• Challenges in sorting tasks or schoolwork in a logical order.

Tips to Improve Organisation for School:

1. Colour-Coded Timetables: Use a colour-coded schedule to help your child visually separate their subjects and tasks. You can use digital sticky notes (e.g., on Google Calendar or a digital planner) or a physical planner with coloured pens or stickers. This makes it easier for them to visually separate different activities.

2. Colour-Coded Magazine Files: In your child’s locker or at home, organise their schoolwork with colour-coded magazine files. Assign a colour for each subject, so they know exactly where each folder or binder goes.

3. Label Everything: Encourage labelling supplies, folders, and even your child's school uniform. Clear labels make it easier to find things, especially when they’re rushing out the door.

4. Create a Homework Station: Set up a designated homework station at home with all the necessary materials (pens, notebooks, ruler, etc.). Keep this space tidy and clutter-free to help your child stay focused and organised.

5. Use a Routine for Packing School Bags: Establish a routine for packing school bags each evening. Have your child check their timetable and pack accordingly. You can make this easier by having a checklist they can follow.

6. Create a "Lost and Found" Basket: Place a basket near the door where your child can throw any misplaced items, such as forgotten books or shoes. Encourage them to check it daily to avoid losing things.

   

   
   

2. Planning: The Ability to Set and Achieve Goals

Planning is essential for managing school tasks and homework, but for children with ADHD, planning ahead can feel overwhelming. They may struggle to break tasks down into manageable steps or have difficulty anticipating how long something will take.

How ADHD Affects Planning:

• Challenges in setting realistic goals or breaking tasks into smaller steps.

• Difficulty estimating how long assignments or tasks will take.

• Tendency to procrastinate or become overwhelmed by large tasks.

Tips to Improve Planning for School:

1. Use Visual Timelines: Create a visual timeline or chart for big assignments, projects, or school events. Help your child break down the task into smaller, manageable steps and set deadlines for each step.

2. Set Weekly Goals: At the start of each week, sit down with your child and set simple, achievable goals. These could include finishing a specific amount of homework, studying for a test, or tidying up their desk. Reviewing their goals each week will help them stay focused.

3. Break Tasks into Smaller Steps: When faced with a big project or assignment, work with your child to break it down into smaller, more manageable tasks. This will prevent them from feeling overwhelmed and make it easier to plan for completion.

4. Use a Planner or Agenda: Encourage your child to use a planner or digital agenda to record their assignments, projects, and events. Colour coding different subjects or activities can help them visualise their day and prioritise tasks.

5. Create a “What’s Next” Reminder: Have a list of tasks that need to be completed, with the most immediate items marked as “what’s next.” This helps your child stay focused on what needs to be done immediately and can prevent them from jumping between tasks.

6. Incorporate Breaks: When planning their day, make sure to schedule regular breaks. This helps children with ADHD stay on track and maintain focus throughout the day.

   
   

3. Time Management: The Ability to Manage and Allocate Time Effectively

Time management is often a significant challenge for children with ADHD. They may lose track of time, get caught up in tasks, or underestimate how long something will take, resulting in missed deadlines and rushing.

How ADHD Affects Time Management:

• Difficulty estimating how long a task will take.

• Tendency to become distracted or lose track of time.

• Struggling with time-related pressure, such as deadlines.

Tips to Improve Time Management for School:

1. Use a Timer: Set a timer for specific tasks. This will help your child stay on track and encourage them to complete tasks within a set time frame. A visual timer (like a countdown clock) can be particularly effective for keeping track of time.

2. Time Blocking: Break the day into blocks of time for specific tasks, such as “Math homework from 4-5 pm” or “30 minutes of reading before dinner.” This helps your child know exactly when to start and finish each task.

3. Prioritise Tasks by Deadline: Help your child learn how to prioritise tasks based on due dates and importance. Using a colour-coded to-do list can make this process more visual and manageable.

4. Use Digital Tools: Digital apps like Google Calendar or To-Do lists with reminders can help your child keep track of assignments, projects, and deadlines. The reminder alerts can help them stay on top of tasks and transitions.

5. Prepare for Transitions: Transitions from one task to another can be difficult for children with ADHD. Give your child a 5-minute warning before transitions (e.g., moving from homework to dinner) to help them adjust and stay on time.

6. Encourage Time Estimates: Help your child estimate how long a task will take before they start. This can be done by having them guess first and then track the actual time. Over time, this can help them improve their time estimation skills.

 

At REACH ADHD Coaching and Consultancy, we understand the unique challenges that ADHD presents, and we are here to guide you and your child with practical strategies like these. Whether it’s supporting your child with executive function skills, boosting their confidence, or creating a personalised plan to help them thrive in school, we are committed to helping families navigate ADHD with compassion and expertise.