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Get Your Children to Do Their Homework Without Drama
By Colleen Palat
Do you spend your afternoons and evenings struggling trying to get your kids to do their homework? Let’s face it; by the time kids get home from a long day at school, the last thing they want to do is sit at the table to do more scholastic work. They’d rather watch TV, play in the backyard with their friends, or just about any other menial task OTHER than their homework.
While homework is not the first thing on their list of things to do when they get home, it is important as parents to help our children develop a healthy attitude towards homework, responsibility, and their education.
But how do you do this? With such hectic days as us parents experience, the last thing we want to do is to fight with our kids into the evening about their homework when we’d rather spend quality time with them.
Below are some tips and ideas that may come in handy when motivating your kids to do their homework.
1. First, really try to find out why your child is ignoring their homework. Are they well rested and feeling well? Does your child have all the materials they need to complete their homework? Are they having difficulty understanding the material? Is there some other conflict going on that you don’t know about? Try to find out if there is an underlying cause why they’re not completing their homework, then try the tips below.
2. Create a schedule. Depending on their age, you may want to do this together so they feel a sense of ownership and control over the situation. My mother did this for me, and even to this day I think of it fondly. Gather some colorful paper, stickers, and whatever else will capture the attention of your child and make a schedule. Allow some time for your child to unwind after school, and then schedule in their homework time. Write it down on the schedule. I suggest making sure homework is scheduled during the day rather than after dinner when sleepy time begins to hit.
3. Stick to the schedule. Need I say more?
4. Does your child continually “forget” their homework assignments at school or claim there is none when there is? If so, this may be the time to start communicating closely with your child’s teacher. Try sending your child to school with a “communication log” where the teacher can write down daily homework assignments. If your child comes home without the log, apply an appropriate consequence.
5. Don’t do their homework for them. Homework is usually a review of what your child learned earlier in the day. Unless they were goofing off in class, your child should have some idea what they’re supposed to be doing. Sometimes, kids will pretend they don’t know how to complete their homework with the hopes that us parents will do it for them. Help your child, just don’t do it for them. And if your child wasn’t paying attention in class? What a better way to teach them the consequence of not behaving by having an incomplete homework assignment!
6. Have your child complete his or her homework in a rather boring place. Trying to do homework in a room full of toys and other distractions really makes it hard! Completing homework in a place with fewer distractions not only gets the homework done, but also aids in concentration and learning.
7. Reward your child with privileges when they’ve completed their homework. Have an activity they like to participate in scheduled directly after their homework time; ex. play ball, watch TV, read a book, eat a good snack, etc. anything that will keep them motivated.
These are just a few things you can try to help your children complete their homework. Motivating your child to complete homework assignments can be a difficult task, but one that has lasting effects on their education and their sense of responsibility.
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