Most parents are worried about their kid’s approach towards homework. Children generally do not like spending hours beavering away, trying to finish their homework. There are also the kids who lose interest while doing their homework due to the distractions around them or due to the overwhelming and demanding schedule.
Don’t worry! Here are the things you can do to help your kids with their homework.
· Make a Homework Schedule:
First of all, you need to work on constructing a healthy homework schedule for your child.
A homework routine is really crucial to set the tone and motivate your children to complete their homework. However, it does not mean you instruct them to finish their homework right after they have spent almost half the day being studious and diligent at school. Instead, keep the schedule flexible enough for them to feel convenient, instead of creating a fast-paced panic-driven hectic atmosphere.
Allowing them to take a break for an hour or so to unwind and relax will help them to re-energise themselves before study sessions at home. It is best to avoid late evening study sessions because children would start to feel exhausted and restless. Get your children to start the revision with the subjects that they find the most challenging and leave the easiest or the more interesting tasks to the end. This tactic is to keep children engaged and in fact it teaches children to conquer what they fear first, then and there and once that is over, what follows would be easier and rewarding.
(Tip: Kids of different age groups have different attention spans. To be more specific, children of 6 to 8 years old can be attentive for 3o minutes at one go at the very most. For children of 8 to 10 years old they can hold on for an hour and for high school kids, 2 hours at its best. )
· Choose a Distraction Free Environment:
A better study space will encourage your kids to do their homework. With the right tools, some planning, organization and a personal touch, you can create a conducive environment for them to study in.
· Keep an electronic devices like TV, video games, and phones away from their study rooms as these things cause distractions.
· The room should be quiet and calm.
· Make sure they have all the supplies like pen, pencils and dictionaries at their study desk.
· Find a good desk or table with a top that rests somewhere between their waist and ribcage when they sit. This way they can rest their elbows properly without having to hunch their shoulders forward. The feet should be flat on the ground. The chair should fit the height of the desk or table.
· Ensure adequate lighting is present at all times, as darkness can make them nod off or aggravate eye strain. Harsh lighting, on the other hand, is not good for their eyes either. So use a desk lamp so that they can focus on their workspace. The natural light coming from the window is also a good option.
· Keep things organised. If you don’t have enough drawers, use small crates or boxes to keep the supplies organised.
· Get Them to Take a Break:
It is not easy to continue working with an exhausted mind. Besides, they will lose interest. A break for a few minutes will ease their minds and help them re-energise. This will help them to refocus on their work and give their 100%.
· Provide Guidance:
Kids feel encouraged when their parents are involved in their study matters. Be there for them at all times. Find out what troubles them most and help them out when necessary. However, they should not feel like you are adopting a ‘helicopter parenting’ approach, over-supervising them or being unnecessarily over-vigilant; all this creates stress and anxiety.
It is important to establish here that by helping your kids, it does not mean that you molly-coddle them, do their homework for them or solve all their problems by taking everything into your hands. Instead, you have to guide them, advise them on what’s right and what isn’t, and most importantly be their strength and key source of motivation.
And Offer Them Rewards…
Rewards will motivate children to do their homework. But there is a thin line between a reward and a bribe and this is essential for parents to understand. It is a bribe if you offer them chocolate or a toy every time for doing homework. They are doing for the sake of material gain, instead of getting the concept right.
Instead, you can take them for dinner, family walk or allow them extra TV hours if they show good performance for a week. Make them understand why doing homework is important and why education is essential.
Opt for a Tuition Centre:
Tuition Centre helps your kids with their homework in many ways. Tuition is more important if your kid has opted for a difficult stream like IB.
So these are the methods you can implement to encourage your kids to do their homework. Do you have other ideas? Or you have doubts about the points listed here? Please let us know by commenting