Time is one of the most precious resources. We should make our children aware of this fact early on so that they can develop good habits in various aspects of life and learn how to make good use of their time. Of course, this is also very important for adults, so I am confident that the process of explaining it to my child will be of great help to myself as well. In this post, I will introduce quotes and proverbs about the importance of time, suggest ways to explain them to children, and provide practical steps they can take.
The Importance of Time
There are quotes and proverbs that talk about the importance of time. Here are a few of them:
"Time is the most valuable asset we have." - Theodore Pascal
"Time is money." - Benjamin Franklin
"Don't wait for time to pass, use time." - Paul Polius
"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times." - Charles Dickens
"Time is the best physician." - Hippocrates
"It is not life that is short, but time." - Seneca
"If you package time, it becomes gold; if you waste time, it becomes dirt." - Western proverb
"Time is the most just judge." - Edmund Coke
These quotes show how precious a resource time is, and what value can be created by making good use of it. Most of them express the value of time. While these expressions are good, what I want to explain to my child about time is that it is up to them to decide how to use it. I wanted to explain the importance of deciding what to fill their own time with through their own choices, and of doing their best in those decisions.
Explanation of Time (feat. ChatGPT)
Answer received after asking ChatGPT 4.0
"Hello, friend! As you know, there are 24 hours in a day. Depending on how you use that time, the things you can learn and do will change. Time is like a magic bag. You can use the time in the bag to get what you want. For example, imagine you study for 1 hour a day. After a month, you will have studied for a total of 30 hours, and after a year, you will have studied for 365 hours. Through this time, you can learn a lot and become smarter. On the other hand, if you spend your time only playing games or watching TV, that time will not come back. So, to use your time well, it's important to find a balance between important things and fun things. And, spending time with friends is also precious. You can make good memories with them and help each other. So, make good use of your time to gain knowledge and create fun memories with your friends!"
I was able to see a tremendous advancement in technology. It truly seemed like it was written in a way that children could understand. I tried explaining it to my child using this, and they seemed to understand it well. However, I was saddened that it portrayed the use of time for studying and spending time with friends in a positive light, while depicting playing games or watching television as negative. (Isn't gaming necessarily bad...? T_T...)
Action Items
Explaining the importance of time shouldn't be the end of it. Here are a few ways that you, mom and dad, can put it into practice with your child so they can make good use of their time in their daily lives.
(1) Schedule Management: Share everyone's schedules in the family and use a calendar or scheduler to write down the child's school, club activities, and family events.
▶ We are using Google Calendar to create and use a total of 4 calendars, one for dad, mom, child, and a shared one.
(2) Goal Setting: Set short-term and specific goals with your child. For example, decide on a book to read this week or the number of new words to learn.
▶ We are also setting these using Google's Task feature and working on them.
(3) Setting a Certain Time: Set regular times for studying, hobbies or sports activities, and time spent with family.
Daily Review: At the end of the day, talk with your child about their day's activities, what they learned, and what they can improve together.
▶ Daily reviews are still difficult for my child, so we are planning and implementing a weekly review schedule. We discuss and decide what the past week was like, if there were any points of reflection, and how they would like to spend the following week. We are careful not to criticize or judge, but it's still quite challenging. We need to continue to pay attention to building sufficient empathy and understanding without being hasty.
(4) Time Management Games: Introduce time management related games to your child. For example, games that involve tidying things up within a given time or solving problems quickly.
▶ This is a methodology we use frequently. It's strange, but when the timer starts, children's concentration increases and they become faster. I have had many experiences where this is the case. For example, if my child refuses to shower and asks to do it later, and we have a standoff, but as soon as I start a 10-second timer for them to take off their clothes, they start taking them off immediately! Or the negotiation topic will change to extending the time. Even if it takes 20 seconds, the end result is that they take off their clothes and shower, leading to a happy outcome for everyone.
(5) Encouragement and Support: Praise your child when they succeed in making good use of their time, and offer help when they face difficulties. Encourage them to learn and practice time management on their own.
▶ We are making an effort not to miss this. Looking back, it seems like I didn't receive much praise when I was a child. (Although I wasn't scolded either...) I know that praise already makes whales dance, so using it actively with my child is a great help to me. Of course, it's not just about praising the child. It is also very important for the child to see their mom and dad praising each other. Criticism is easy, but it closes the door to the heart, while praise is difficult, but it opens the door to the heart.
Through these measures, parents can help their children lay the foundation for making good use of time and develop good habits.
Conclusion
Teaching children the importance of time helps them build a good foundation throughout their lives. No, describing it as a good foundation is insufficient. It is a method that they must recognize, accept, and utilize in order to become the master of their own lives. Through the quotes, explanation methods, and practical steps introduced above, children can make good use of their time and improve the quality of their lives. Parents can set a good example for their children and spend quality time with them, helping them learn and practice time management. Through this, children will grow, set their own goals, and use their time efficiently to create a better future.
Now you also know how to teach your children the importance of time and how to put it into practice with them. Thank you for visiting the blog, and I hope your family cherishes time and enjoys it happily.
Thank you. See you in the next post!
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