Does your child toil with his or her homework all evening? If it is taking the child extremely long to get through the homework and robbing him of precious energy in the process, here is help. With these handy hacks, homework for kids will not be a struggle anymore.
Table of Contents
1. Stick to a Routine
If homework time is nagging time in your household, you need to ensure that you stick to a routine. In finalizing homework time, though do ensure that the child is rested and has had a healthy meal. Getting straight to tacking school homework and assignments after a tiring day, isn’t likely to be too fruitful. If anything it will drain the child further. Having fixed a suitable time, ensure that you stick to it. That way, expectations are already set and there are fewer arguments.
2. Make a List
Ensure that when it comes to finishing the school homework, the child does not jump into doing what comes to mind first. It is advisable to make a list and estimate how long each item on the list will take. With a handy list the child will know exactly what needs to be done instead of spending time figuring out what should be done next. The fact that the child will also be able to cross out every item on the to-do list as he completes the work, will be extremely gratifying, to say the least.
3. Make Sure All the Books are Laid Out
In the middle of doing the math homework, the child realizes that she needs a graph paper and then spends the next ten minutes looking for that elusive graph book! It will work far better if all the books and supplies are laid out in the beginning itself. That way the child saves precious time not to mention the fact that she does not get distracted.
4. Have a Dedicated Workstation
Speaking of distractions, they can be kept to the minimum if the child has a dedicated workstation that is in a quiet area. It stands to reason that if the child sits to do his work in a room where everyone is chatting or there is a TV blaring, the work will take that much longer. Keeping distractions at bay also means keeping the phone on the off mode, if we are talking about older children. Not only do those notifications make the child lose precious time, importantly it breaks their focus.
5. The Power of Music
We did say that distractions need to be kept at bay, right? Music however, may not count as a distraction. In fact with soulful instrumental music playing in the background, the child’s power to concentrate only increases. This hack, however, may work differently for different people, so choose what works best for your child.
6. Short Breaks
While it may seem prudent to finish the entire homework in one go, it may actually turn out to be counterproductive. Instead, it will work better if a short break is taken between tasks. As a thumb rule, working for 25 minutes followed by a 5-minute break works well.
7. Celebrate Wins
Rewarding the child with small rewards such as playing a game once they hit a certain milestone, works well. Whether it is a long holiday homework or work that the child gets every day, the concept of celebrating small wins is key. In fact, this is one habit that will stand the child in good stead as they take on the many challenges of life.
8. Empathize
Every so often homework time for students can turn out to be one of power struggles. The child could be intimidated with the amount of work ahead of him. The fact that you lose your temper can only add to the chaos. Empathizing with the child (“that’s a lot of work”) can make your child feel understood. This can go a long way in the child accepting your suggestions & getting to work!
Here’s to smooth sailing and to homework time being less of a war cry!
