-
-
For some kids and teens, homework is virtually a four-letter word. Many parents have to struggle with their children virtually every night in order to get them to do their school work at home. If you feel as though you've tried everything and your child or children still won't study at home, this guide will offer some tips on how to get kids to do homework.
-
-
Getting Kids to Do Homework
This video provides an overview of dealing with kids and homework. It offers a variety of different situations and issues parents may be faced with while trying to get their children to do their homework, and offers some solutions. Some points that are examined include distractions, and the importance of creating a distraction-free zone for children to do their homework in. This means no internet, television or telephones. Also touched upon is motivation, and how to motivate kids without using bribery. The best way to do this would be to praise your children, pointing out to them will you are especially pleased with the way have completed a certain assignment.
motivation?
incentives.....not bribery. praise them.
-
Introduction
- There are very few children who enjoy doing homework and many refuse to do it on their own accord. However, in order to get good grades and glean the most from an education, homework is usually a necessary evil. Part of the challenge of getting kids to do their homework is making them do it on their own, without parents having to nag them and look over their shoulders to make sure that they are, in fact, working. Try some of the tips listed below and see if they don't help motivate your children to study.
Step 1: Create a Homework Station
- Part of the reason that some children struggle with homework is because they're hopelessly disorganized. As you may have learned yourself, it's much harder to get started on a task if you feel as though you don't have the right materials or are so overwhelmed that you don't know where to start. Not having the proper materials may also become an easy excuse that your child will bring up in order to avoid doing homework.
- Set up a homework station that your child can use every day when study time rolls around. The station should:
- Be in an area that is quiet and away from any potentially distractions, such as the TV or video game console
- Have a work surface, chair, and, depending on the age of the child, a computer
- Be equipped with all the supplies a child may need to do homework. At the beginning of the school year, take your child shopping and get them all the paper, pens, binders and any other school supplies they may need. Keep these supplies in a storage bin
- Be kept clean and tidy
Step 2: Create a Schedule
- Making homework an every day occasion will help it become a habit and may reduce the need for you to ask your child whether he or she has done her homework every day. Set aside an appropriate block of time every day during which your child must work at their homework station, but allow the child to pick the timing of the study period. Your child may try to get out of homework time by saying that he or she does not have any homework that day. For this reason, make this time a "study period," during which the child can study, read, or do another education-based activity each and every day. If need be, gently remind your child about ten minutes before the scheduled time that it is time to do homework—after a few weeks or months, your child will hopefully be sitting down to study on his or her own accord.
Step 3: Get Organized
- Help your child to get organized by getting him or her a day planner or a calendar. Encourage your child to make note of assignment due dates and upcoming tests in their calendar. Help your children make their homework schedules and show them how organizing their time can make studying and homework less overwhelming. You may need to remind them gently in the beginning, but once your children get into the habit of using a calendar and scheduling their time, they will likely see the benefits and do it on their own.
Step 4: Set an Example
- Many children may resent doing homework and may resent their parents for "making" them do it. Children also become easily distracted when it comes time for study period. For these reasons, try to minimize distractions during your child's study period by turning off the television and radio. Use the time to catch up on your housework, bill payments and other tasks around the house. By doing so, you are not only reducing distractions, but are also showing your child that you too have to do "work" outside of your daily job.
Conclusion
- Doing homework can be a chore, both for the child who has to do it and for the parent who has to make his or her child study. Empower your children to do homework by allowing them to create a study period every day and showing them how to schedule their time using a calendar. Ensure that your children have all the tools they will need to effectively do their homework, as well as a convenient and comfortable study area. It may take some reminding at first, but once your children get used to the pattern of doing their homework at the same time every day, it should become a habit that will last them throughout their school days.
About this page
-
Page Views151