Homework time is your child’s nightmare? Doing homework has been leading to a lot of conflict between you and your child? You have tried bribing, threatening, punishing, and nothing worked? Don’t panic! We all know that doing homework isn’t a child’s favorite activity. In fact, after having spent a long day at school, sitting and studying can’t really be a pleasure! However, doing homework has a lot of advantages for kids:
It helps the kids review and practice what they covered in class.
It is a great tool for kids to practice self-discipline skills such as learning how to manage their time and accomplishing lengthy projects.
It teaches kids how to work by themselves.
It lets the parents get involved in the learning process of their child.
So, knowing the benefits of doing homework, just be patient and follow the tips below to motivate your kids to do it:
Replace the word “homework” with the word “study” which eliminated the problem of your child saying “I don’t have homework today”. Let your child know that study time is about studying even if he doesn’t have any homework.
Establish a study routine; let your child study at the same time everyday and let it be after he has some time for lunch and relax after school. It may take several weeks for the routine to become a habit, but you have to persist on having this regular study time.
Never do assignments for your kids! You can help them only if they really need it. When your kid says “I don’t know how to do it”, tell him to act as if he can, then leave him for a while to see if it works. If he keeps saying that he doesn’t know how to do it, you can help him by asking questions letting him discover the answer of the assignment himself.
Never use monetary rewards or going on a special trip for having homework done! Instead, make positive verbal comments to encourage your kid.