Time Management for Teens: Budgeting My Time
This session includes time management activities for teens, helping older students budget their time as responsibilities and independence grow. They explore what makes budgeting time hard, then watch a short video on practical strategies for planning ahead. A discussion digs into how to prioritize when a big project, nightly homework, and free time all compete for attention. In a quick game, students weigh two ways to handle a busy schedule and decide which task deserves their focus first.
Extension activity
- Skill
- Self-Regulation
- Goal
- Executive Functioning
- Grade level
- Middle & High School
Get everything you need to teach the skill
These materials are part of a no-prep session designed by our clinical team, with all the structure, scaffolding, and support you need to teach included.
Engaging materials
Video modeling lessonBudgeting My Time
In this video, learners will be taught time management skills to ensure their success as they gain more independence and acquire more responsibilities.
- Extension activity
Executive Functioning
Through the creation and delivery of pizzas, students will race against the clock and work together to apply their executive functioning skills and knowledge.
Plus everything you need to teach them
Warm-up
- Video: 4-7-8 Breathing2:13
- Video: Obstacles into Opportunities Visualization1:19
- Video: Yoga Pose Library
Session Opener
Guiding Question: What could make budgeting time hard for someone?
Practice
- Discussion Question
- Role-Play Activity
- Mini Game
How to use it with your students
- 1Watch Play the video modeling lesson so students see the skill in action.
- 2Practice Try the skill together with a discussion prompt, role-play, or mini game.
- 3Extend Use the extension activity to help students carry the skill further.
What's Covered
In this lesson, students learned how to manage their time by breaking larger responsibilities into smaller steps and estimating how long each one takes. They practiced planning out their tasks and setting realistic timelines so that nothing got left until the last minute. This skill helps them stay on top of growing responsibilities as they gain more independence.
Key Terms
- Time Management
- Planning how you'll use your available time so important tasks actually get done. You decide what to work on and for how long, instead of letting time slip away.
- Budgeting Time
- Treating your time like a limited resource you plan out across your tasks ahead of time, instead of reacting to deadlines as they hit. You decide how much time each thing gets so the important tasks get done.
Sample IEP Goal This Session Supports
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Executive Functioning
Given a multi-step task, learner will use at least one self-selected organizational strategy (e.g., visual planner, breaking the task into steps, visual timer) to initiate and work through the task with decreasing adult support in 4 out of 5 opportunities independently/given X prompt(s).
Send this tip home to support generalization
At home or in the classroom, when a student has a bigger task ahead, try asking how long they think each part will take and writing those estimates down together. Comparing the guess to the real time afterward helps them plan better next time.
Ready to teach Budgeting My Time?
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More Self-Regulation Activities
Frequently asked questions
Is this intervention free?
Yes, this ready-to-teach session on Budgeting My Time is free. You can access this intervention free for 14 days through the Everyday Speech Session Library. Every user gets three free sessions, but you can get more or extend your access by sharing the Session Library with friends and colleagues.
What ages is this for?
These materials are designed for middle and high school students.
What's included?
You'll get access to your choice of warm-up videos, a session opener, a core material on Budgeting My Time, three practice prompts, and an extension activity, Executive Functioning.
What skill does this intervention teach?
This ready-to-teach session is on self-regulation - more specifically, executive functioning.
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