3 tips to help motivate and encourage your children to do their homework without the struggle.
If you have school age children, then you most likely have felt the struggles of homework time.
It doesn’t have to be this way, it can be a very fun and exciting time for your children.
Yes, I did say fun!
First you pick the children up from school, everyone is smiles. You may even go straight home to eat. Then it’s suddenly that time, the one we all dread, opening your child’s folder to find homework.
You start getting flash backs of the other night. “No mom, I’m too tired! Or “I don’t want to do my homework”! The pain and struggle has begun. That simple 10-minute homework sheet suddenly turns into a 2-hour nightmare, filled with many tears and pouting.
Here are 3 tips to help turn homework time into a bonding time with your child and have a lot of fun.
Tip 1: Transition – Transitioning from fun to homework is usually the start to the homework break down. When your child is playing with friends, building Legos or playing video games and you tell them “Homework time”. The tears may start, or the Yelling, “not yet!!” Or I can’t. etc. Then us as parents start to get frustrated and the battle begins.
Can you blame them? Who wants to stop having fun to do more school work?
To make it easier, for them and yourself. Help them transition. Give them a 15-minute warning. Then a 5-minute warning and at the 5-minute mark, say “it’s time to save your game or put the Legos away. Maybe even suggested we find a place to display their creation. Another great thing I do, tell them lets find a stuffed animal to sit with us during homework, who will you pick today?
Tip 2: *Give choices– Help them feel like they have a choice in their homework. Let them decide if they want to do it before or after dinner. You can also let them decide where they would like to do their homework today. Pick 3 quiet places, example: Outside on the patio, kitchen table or maybe even a closet or tent. Let them pick where they would like to do it. If you make this a habit with them. It will become easier and more exciting. When homework is done, you can always ask them to think about another quiet place they would like to do their homework next time.
Tip 3: *Make it FUN!! Yes Fun! Turn homework time into game time.
Example: One night my 6-year-old son was struggling to keep his focus. He had missed a lot of school and had a lot of work to catch up on. He started to get overwhelmed and frustrated. He then started with the whining and the “I don’t want to do my homework”. So, before I lost him for good, I agreed with him. I said, I don’t’ want to do homework either’! Let’s face it, their homework is like us having homework too. He then looked at me puzzled and He said” I don’t have to do my homework”? I said Nope, lets play a game. So, I grabbed all the cushions off the sofa and some throw pillows and made an obstacle course and at the end of it we had a stuffed animal and a bucket. Every time he answered a problem on the work sheet he could jump to the next cushion, if he missed or fell off, he had to start over. At the end he would try and throw the stuffed animal into the bucket. If he missed he had to answer another question. We ended up getting all his homework done so fast. He didn’t want to stop, so we made a new game and did flash cards for fun. There are always ways to come up with games to make it fun for them. Be creative, even have them help make up games. It’s a great way to bond with your kids and have fun.
Lori Piwok
CK SKILLZ