Every night it’s the same problem. Is there any way to get your child to do homework without it being overly dramatic? Here are a few efficient tricks that will help reduce the drama!
A well deserved break!
Upon returning home from school, after a long day of having been sitting and concentrating, it is important to let them relax a little bit. Letting them take the time to have a snack, to watch a little bit of television or play on the computer will allow them to take their minds of school and will be beneficial for them. In fact, since this relaxation period will allow them to disconnect in order to better apply themselves, there is no point in imposing homework as soon as they arrive home.
Creating a homework time-schedule and environment favorable to schoolwork eliminates distractions!
If there is a time for rest, there is also a time for work! Make things clear and establish a specific time for doing homework while respecting the start and end time of the homework period every evening. This way, you will be able to establish a daily routine. In the long run, it could become a reflex and you will not have to fight them on it constantly! As we know, distractions are abundant at home: television, game consoles, chats, text messages… you don’t need to look far for ways of loosing their attention! We have to eliminate these sources of distraction because peace and quiet while doing homework is essential to a child’s concentration. It is important to remember that an appropriate study space must be quiet and well lit in order to allow them to read easily.
Having fun while learning, learning while having fun: giving new meaning to learning “by heart”!
Since homework time is inevitable, why not make it a pleasant experience? First of all, you must approach the situation with enthusiasm and most importantly with sincerity; avoid being forceful, invest yourself fully, and follow your heart! As with your child, give yourself a break when arriving home. In a more relaxed state of mind, you will not get as easily discouraged in the face of resistance. Also, your good humor will likely be contagious!
Remember that learning can be done in other ways than through memorizing the subject matter systematically. In this case, don’t be afraid to explore outside the conventional ways by incorporating a bit of fantasy in the work. We can use our imagination in order to make the experience more pleasant and positive. Here are a few simple tricks:
- Spark their interest by giving them problems to solve;
- Make them recite notes using a fun and catchy rhythm, in order and in disorder (try using their favorite song!);
- Make them do readings out loud and then ask them questions about what they just read in order to get them to interact;
- Recreate a television quiz where you are the animator and they are the participant;
- Give them a dictation of the recipe for supper and get them to help with supper in order for them to practice additions, subtractions, and divisions
Find a method that suits them
Whether it is conscious or not, every child develops their own tricks that help them remember subject matter and this is often through association: making links between elements is the best method that the brain has to store information and memorize it. Also, the student will, for example, create shortcuts in order not to have to learn entire multiplication tables. Obviously, with this type of technique, we save a lot of time and we simplify what we find complex. However, it is not a way of being lazy in order to save time and avoid the workload, but it is instead a personal strategy that gives them certain aptitudes for other concepts in order subjects. Therefore, we have to take the time to figure out what methods suits them the best and to encourage them to apply it properly. Targeting and encouraging that personal strategy for learning and for doing homework will give them more confidence in themselves generally and in their methods specifically.
Knowing how to recognize and harness their strengths
Following the same idea as above, instead of targeting what doesn’t work, it is always preferable to highlight the good points in order to encourage and gratify your child. Also, by identify the concepts that are already well established, the magnitude of the tasks will seem reduced: go over what is already understood and congratulate them for it, go step-by-step, and most importantly, do not see it as a hurdle to overcome, but instead as small successes that have been achieved. A mountain is, after all, but a series of pillars we climb one at a time. Looking at is this way, it is much more satisfying once at the summit to see the road that has been traveled!