Compartmentalize papers, books and other equipment. Your child's desk should have drawers to hold these necessities. If you are not using a desk, implement file cabinets, baskets or plastic containers, each labeled and organized with file folders.

Your child's workstation does not have to be in his or her room. Like adults, your child may appreciate having a desk in another area of the house.

If your children are young, sit with them each day to review what is coming up and help them to understand the importance of writing down important dates. As your children get older, put the responsibility more and more on them to write in their own agendas each day.

Teach your child to work backward from a project's due date by thinking about what needs to be considered. Is your first-grader responsible for a report on mice, complete with a drawing? Help them think through the steps they will need to finish, how long each step will take, what they need for each step, etc. Then count back that many days from the due date to see when your child needs to get started on the project in order to finish on time.

Choose a set time for homework. Will your child tackle assignments directly after school, after a snack, after soccer practice or piano lessons? Keep this schedule so that your child expects to keep his routine.

While teaching your toddlers and preschoolers good study and work habits is no guarantee that they will be organized once they hit high school, the chances are that they will adopt the skills you teach them more readily if you start when they are young.

Doreen Nagle is author of "But I Don't Feel Too Old To Be A Mommy" (HCI).