Is being late for school becoming an every day thing for your child? May be somewhere along the line he never learnt the importance of punctuality. It is up to the parents to inculcate this value in their child right from the beginning. After all, this is something that will have a major impact on his life and career.
But how does one go about it? Just reminding the child to hurry up is not enough. You as parent will have to take positive action if you want results.
Set An Example
Remember children learn by example. If you want your child to be punctual you have to learn to be punctual yourself too. Make it a point to reach on time yourself. Show them the benefits of reaching early; maybe you can get a coveted seat or you get time to settle down comfortably. Being on time should be a rule rather than an exception.
Explain its Significance
Tell him what others think about him when he is late. Make him understand that being late shows disrespect towards the person who is waiting for him. It makes the waiting person feel that you do not consider him important enough to be punctual and feels insulted. Better still if someone is late for him, point out that others must be feeling the same hurt when he is late.
Elucidate its Consequences
Explain the consequences of being late to your child. If the child misses the instructions being given in the beginning of the class he will find it difficult to follow the whole lesson. Make the child understand that whatever he does has a consequence. If he is late to class he will suffer as the teacher is not going to repeat the instructions for one child, she has a whole class to take care of.
Show the benefits of Being On Time
There are some real time benefits of being punctual. If the child reaches school before the bell goes, he is able to chat and play with his friends or sort out a query with a teacher. He will not be the odd one out who is singled for being late. Always remember that positive reinforcement has a better impact than negative punishment.
Chalk out a Plan
Don’t just lecture him on tardiness, help him figure out why he is late and what can he do to deal with it. May be he gets distracted by TV or something else in the morning. The best option is not to get into any other activity in the morning. Work out how much time is needed to have a bath and get dressed and allot an extra 10 minutes for it. Similarly put aside some time for breakfast as well as transportation time.
Make Preparations the Night Before
Time seems to fly in the morning and if the child has made preparations the night before it will not be a mad rush. He can pack his bag according to the timetable the night before and lay out his dress in readiness, thereby saving precious time in the morning. This will also ensure that he does not forget any book or important assignment at home.
Get up Early
Of course there is no alternative to getting up early. Trying to get ready fast will not work, it will just stress him out. So encourage him to work out how much time is needed to get ready and wake up accordingly with at least an extra 15 minutes more to provision for unexpected delays. Being early will also keep him relaxed. If he finds it difficult to get up early in the morning then make sure that he goes early to bed at night so that he is fully rested.
Make him responsible
Make him responsible for his own actions. Do not take on the responsibility to wake him up. If he is late then he will lay the blame on you instead of taking responsibility for his actions. Encourage him to set an alarm clock for the morning and wake up by himself. He may get late to school the first few mornings but resist the urge to interfere as this will benefit him in the long run.
Allow Natural Consequences
Don’t rush in to help if he is late. If he misses the school bus don’t rush in to drive him to school as this will then become a regular habit for him. He will be laid back the next time for he knows you will cover up for him. Let him walk to school or take public transport.