When your child has a hobby they enjoy pursuing, it’s often a relief to a parent because it means that the child has a healthy way to expend their energy, and they will likely stay out of trouble. You may worry about keeping their hobby balanced with their school work because they need to excel in both. Use the tips below to help balance their hobbies and schoolwork to get the best out of both worlds.

Remind Them to Avoid Procrastinating

For a child with a lot on their plate, it’s important to practice proper time management so they can do everything they need to do and have time to rest at the end of it all. With 5.8 million students enrolled in private schools as of 2019, this number has likely gone up, and if yours is one of them, they have access to many resources and opportunities. Help them make the most of it by spending their time well to do everything they need to do well and early.

Teaching them this will help them live a healthy life and balance their time well, both now and in the future. They will also be less stressed and will enjoy what they do more because a growing mind needs a combination of good rest and enjoyable activities. Please don’t be harsh and overly strict, as this will likely push them into a cocoon due to feeling like you don’t care for what makes them happy.

Minimize Distractions

It’s all too easy for a child to get distracted and not do things they were planning on doing because they’re eager and excited to try out new things. One major distraction could come in games like Minecraft, which had sold more than 200 million copies as of May 2020. While it’s great to take a break and blow off some steam now and then, it should not be done during a time when something else should be getting done.

Giving in to distractions will take away the time that your child has to do other more important things, and they will end up getting burnt out. They won’t be able to perform their best when they’re drained, and it’s your duty as a parent to help them understand this and gently remind them whenever they start o drift away.

Help Them Set Schedules

The third tip also has to do with time management, and it’s to help them set schedules and come up with workable routines. Write down timetables, and don’t hesitate to change one that doesn’t work. Do this until you get to one that both of you can live with comfortably and stick to that one, adjusting as necessary whenever something changes.

Make sure to include some time for physical activity, especially if your child’s chosen hobby is a sedentary one like crafting, writing, or drawing. This is important because running for just 15 minutes each day can reduce the risk of depression for you by 26%. If possible, share in the activity, so your child doesn’t feel like they’re being pushed into something no one else wants to do. When it feels less like a punishment and more like fun but necessary activity, they will get used to doing it without resistance a lot more easily.

With the three tips above, you can make it possible for your child to balance their schoolwork and hobbies, improving in both. This will set them up for great mental development, helping them succeed in their future endeavors as they will have the discipline necessary.