Take The Hassle Out Of Homework
Does your child struggle with completing schoolwork or have difficulty starting assignments at home? Here are some tips to keep your child motivated and on task during homework!
To Keep Your Child Motivated and On Task:
- Establish a consistent routine
- Stay Calm, despite your child’s frustrations
- Limit Distractions
- Keep a list of “homework strategies.” This is a list of “frequently asked” homework questions and reminders of what to do when they get stuck
- Break tasks and assignments into smaller parts and allow your child to check them off at completion
- Incorporate physical movement (toss a ball while reviewing information)
- Write study materials on index cards and turn them into study games
- Work in bursts with frequent short breaks
- Explore what works best for your child in terms of “workload intensity”: Is it best to start with the easiest or hardest assignments? The longest or shortest tasks? Or to mix it up?
- Focus on what motivates your child (think in terms of novelty, competition, urgency, interest and/or humor)
- Include your child in solving his or her homework struggles
- Collaborate with the teacher or homework coach. If your child is working diligently but is unable to complete the work, consider meeting with the teacher to modify the workload or with a professional to determine if there is a learning disability or executive functioning deficit present.
