Got students going back to school?  The most important organizing rule for students is to be able to find what they need when they need it (from NAPO In the Schools), whether it’s their backpack or a box of crayons, a scientific calculator or laptop.  That’s why students need a dedicated space for doing homework.  And setting up a workspace at home reinforces to you and your student that learning is important.  We all just want the best for our students.

My friend Lisa asked “how do we make everything accessible to the kids at their workstation? We have half of my dining room available for the boys to use and we want to make it functional and of course, organized” (the question about study habits will wait for another day!  Today is for setting up your student space).

When you are determining the best place for your student to study, ask for their input, so that your solution is one you all can live with.  Think about:

• Have one specific place for unpacking homework, leaving fewer places to lose things.  We store backpacks by the back door, but unpack them where we work.  All completed work goes back in the bag!
• Whether the workspace is in a home office, a bedroom or at the kitchen table, remember the basics: comfortable seat and temperature; well-lit; room to spread out; well-stocked with supplies; quiet, or with quiet music on earphones, preferably instrumental.
• Consistency:  Use the same place every day, and try to use the same times, too.
• Family logistics:  are little hands (younger siblings) in the way?  Is it noisy or disruptive?
• Portability:  Does your student stay at more than one home, or do homework in the car while commuting?
• How much guidance / interaction does your student require with his homework?  If it is a lot, the homework place needs to be closer to you.
• Learning styles:
  • Recognize there are 3 different learning styles:  visual, auditory and kinesthetic.  Some people (kids and adults alike) learn best by seeing, some by hearing and / or speaking, and some by doing.
  • Recognize we all have one strongest style, but we are a mix of the three.  Therefore, having options for different locations or postures to get through study blocks is a great idea.  So the next time I am tempted to tell my 8-year old to “sit down and do (his) homework”, maybe he would do it better standing up or walking around!  Or, when my middle son is listening to music on his IPod, it just might be helping him concentrate.  The oldest son loved the look of a standing work station online the other day.  He’s also likes to do his homework at the dining room table, but reads sitting up at the foot of his bed.  Variety works.
• Stock with the right stuff:
  • Supplies:  My favorite suggestion for supplies is the homework basket.  Our basket contains pencils and pens, erasers, markers and crayons, 3×5 cards, flash cards, glue, scissors and a ruler.  The basket sits on the kitchen desk when it is not time to do homework (it’s attractive enough to sit on the counter, and not very big), and then we move it to the dining room table (or wherever your student works) after school.
  • On the kitchen desk, there is also a stash of loose leaf paper and a couple of empty folders, for just in case.
  • Computer / internet safety:  Computers in well-monitored family space and not in bedrooms.
  • If you are like us, and use your dining table for homework, have your students spread out on a poster board, and pick up all the work at once and move it to another flat surface when it comes time to eat dinner.
• For us, homework is done at the dining room table, though you can establish your study space wherever you have space.  I have been strategizing about expanding our study spaces this year, since one son heads to high school and one to junior high.  Both will be spending more time studying, and will need more computer and internet access, too.  We have three computers, but the challenge will be keeping the computers available to the students (as I sit working on my computer at 5:20 on a Monday in my work space!).

If you have a student returning to school, or would just like better workspace for yourself, give some thought this week about establishing good work spaces in your home.  Make sure everyone can find What They Need When They Need It.  We all just want the best for our students!