Teachers always plan down to the minute what their students will be doing. This is good for kids, because it teaches them to stay on task and follow a schedule. But most homes aren’t run this way. If parents do plan their children’s lives minute by minute, what happens when that child grows up and goes to college? At some point, kids need to learn to manage their own time. This can be one of the valuable skills you help your kids develop outside of school. But it generally won’t happen all by itself, because there’s a big transition that happens when kids leave the structured school environment and come home. If you have kid stay alone at home, think hard about trying to find an adult who can be there and provide the support your child needs. If a supportive adult isn’t available, an expert named Martin recommends you find an after-school program led by experienced professionals who will engage them in creative activities, nourish them with healthy snacks, and assist them with their schoolwork. If you are at home on the contrary, to take some break after the guys get started on diversions, because it’s hard to stop and do something like homework.“If that little bit of downtime is television, good luck ... getting them to do their homework.” says a professor of child development at California State University, “TV is addictive.” A better way to help your child unwind is with a healthy snack. “Wait until dinner, make a plate full of energizing food. You could even dish up part of the dinner you’re preparing a little early for the kids,”she says. While you’re sharing a snack, you can make a list of what your kids will get to do during their study breaks. The types of breaks recommended include shooting baskets, getting a drink, using the bathroom, or even playing a quick card game with parents. Your kids can be the ones to decide which breaks they’d like to take. But, as Freimuth says, your children will have to be honest about what kind of break will energize them and not upset their momentum.

The main purpose of this passage is ____.