Relying on memory is risky business

Encourage your student not to hold in their mind what paper or an electronic device can hold for them. With so much information coming at students every day, it’s risky business for them to rely solely on memory to keep track of everything they need to remember. Instead, urge your student to create checklists and to-do lists, set reminders in their online calendar or phone, jot down ideas or make an outline before writing, write out the steps for solving math equations, and write down homework assignments in an agenda book or input them into an app. Using paper or a device to hold important information helps ensure your child won’t lose track of anything, and frees their mind to fully attend to whatever it is they are doing in the moment.