1. Set up routines
Set up simple routines in the house that make things more efficient. For example, you can teach children that the first thing they do when they come in the door is empty their bag of food and notes or newsletters. Perhaps when these are brought to the kitchen, they can then get a snack.

In relation to your own handing of notes from home, organised parents know that it is a good rule of thumb to never double handle paperwork, this means that when you get a note for a school excursion for example, you sign it straight away and send it back, pay the money and put the date on the family calendar or organiser.

2. Managing time
Helping children plan how they use their time can help them to focus on the activities that need to be done and help them relax and enjoy their free time. Older children can begin to understand time if they have a watch they can read, and an alarm clock in their room.

A family organiser is a calendar that has a column for each member of the family to write in what they will be doing each day. When families make use of this simple tool planning, communication and organisation is a breeze. They are usually sold alongside regular calendars or you can download one for free.

Providing whiteboards, pin boards or chalk boards in children's rooms can help them to remember things and keep notes handy.

3. Beat the buzzer game
There is a fun alternative to being stressed, nagging and running late every morning - it is a game called Beat the Buzzer, developed by researchers at RMIT University, Victoria and it could help your child get ready on time because there is some positive reward involved.

4. Get your child started on a weekly schedule

• download a cool weekly planner for your child
• help your child list all of their activities that need to happen in the week
• fill in the planner with the times that are set, such as time spent at school, sleeping, travelling to and from school and any regular out of school activities
• get your child to allocate a regular homework time that suits them
• your child can suggest how they would like to spend some of their free time
• encourage your child to keep a balance in life with time for homework and special interests, time for friends and family and time for exercise and rest. This works best when the whole family follows this advice.

5. Five minute focus
This exercise can help to stop your child staring into space and hit the homework. Encourage your child to focus on what homework needs to be done and to make a list of tasks.

For example:
Maths mentals sheet
Study spelling words
Practice piano
Read

Each task can be ticked or crossed out when completed. Seeing things being achieved is rewarding and motivating.

6. Managing a home study area
Children can waste time looking for what they need. Having materials on hand makes being organised much easier, store the following on the desk or in a drawer:

• lots of blank and recycled paper
• pens, pencils and rubber
• ruler
• dictionary

In homes where there is only one study area or computer and more than one person vying for this space, allocate time to each person as needed. You could make use of timers in the house for this or other purposes, such as setting the timer on the oven to signal the end of a period of time of playing computer games, for example. This can also help keep the peace as everyone gets the same amount of time.

7. Colour coding can help
Colour coding books can help your child to find things quickly, take the right books to school and bring the right ones home. This is especially good for children when they start high school and suddenly have many subjects and things to organise.

A good start is for your child to select one colour for each subject. Cover your child's books for each subject in the same colour paper, for example, maths in green and English in blue. You can keep all information your child needs for that subject in the same colour box at home. Your child can write each subject's name in their timetable using the same colour pen that you used for covering each subject's books. The colour coding possibilities are endless.

8. Praise good organisation
Praise all attempts by your child to improve their organisation. Praise them for getting out the door on time, taking their lunch box out of their bag and finishing homework and assignments on time. It may appear to them that they are often criticised, so praising positive behaviour will encourage more of it.

Messy desk, morning panic, late assignments, yesterday's half-eaten lunch left in the schoolbag - sound familiar? This year it can be different. Now is the time to work with your child to set up new routines and strategies to help them stay on track.

Just like adults, children get their work done and cope much better if they can manage their time and their environment, such as their study area. We’ve got eight great tips from experts and families to help you and your children get organised.