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Today I am sharing 5 ways to get your kids excited about homework. Why? Because now that the excitement of the first day of school has passed and the harsh reality of the daily routine has taken effect, sometimes it can be tough for kids to be motivated to tackle homework. Sure, it gets done, but sometimes it’s accompanied by whining, tears or irritability. That’s no fun for anyone in the house.
Thankfully, there are ways to end those homework hassles and make it easier for your child (and easier on you too). The right strategies and motivation can make homework an easier task to tackle.
Here are five ways to get your child, whether she’s in kindergarten or 12th grade, excited about homework again.
1. Schedule a Time and Stick to It
If you want to make sure that homework gets done, you’ll need to schedule a time for it, and stick to that schedule every day. Find a time that best works for your child, whether right after school or right after dinner, and make sure you are home during those times. If you’re not, do it as soon as you get home. Eventually, this will become routine and an important part of your child’s day.
2. Pick a Place
You should designate and appealing place for your child’s daily homework routine. Ideally, this should be in a public place, such as the kitchen table, and not in his or her room. You’ll want to make sure work is getting done and your child is not goofing off. Also, make sure there’s no distractions like TV, radio or smartphones to get in the way of his work.
Make sure you have all the supplies on hand that your child needs, like pencils, paper and other necessary items. Corral everything in one space so there’s never any need to go hunting for anything.
3. Use Incentives
Be sure to harness the power of incentives. They are a great way to motivate a reluctant child to put forth her best effort and get that homework done. For example, you could plan a fun weekend activity if your child completes her homework every night that week without any drama or tears. Tailor your incentive to your child’s age and needs, and things should run a bit more smoothly.
Daily incentives also work. Tell your child he can do whatever he most wants with his free time, whether it’s playing a video game or playing with friends, only after he completes his assignments. Then, stick to your guns. You are teaching your child time management and the rule of work before play.
4. Make it Fun
Who says homework has to be all work and no play? If you make it fun, your child may look forward to it more. Make her favorite snacks and drinks, use funny voices to read spelling words, have a dance party with spelling words or math facts, challenge your child to get done within a set period of time. (Just make sure his work is neat and accurate.) If you make it an enjoyable time, and not a stressful one, your child will enjoy it more and may even look forward to it.
5. Get Some Help
If your child is stuck and does not understand something, offer to help find a solution. If you don’t understand it either, then there are many places you can turn to for aid and information. Log onto the Internet to find a wide variety of homework help websites that can help your child with his problems and even make learning fun. The Web is full of great resources, so be sure to take advantage of them.
Also, don’t forget your public library. There you can find lots of study aides that can help with homework hang-ups. Pull those incentives into play and allow her to pick out a fun book after finding one that will help with her homework dilemma.
These five tips will make homework less daunting for your child and end those daily battles, setting your child up for a successful school year.
Image by Chris Yarzab