Are you a parent of a child who often turns his back to homework and comes running to you at the eleventh hour with a pile of undone sheets? You are not alone. Many parents are going through it. And experts say that it is indeed an alarming situation for every parent. You see, whether kids like it or not, homework is a crucial part of a child’s academic life.
And making a habit of avoiding it consistently can land your child in soup. It can impact their annual scores and even test preparations adversely. So, is there anything you can do, as a parent, to encourage your child to complete his homework? Thankfully yes.
In this post, we will try to identify the major roadblocks children face while doing their homework. Thereafter, we will outline some practical ideas to motivate your child to do his homework happily every day.
What Demotivates Kids to do their Homework?
- It’s boring
- Instructions are difficult to understand
- It is not challenging their skills, or it’s too easy for them
- There is no place to complete homework
- Over 17% of the students miss homework due to slow internet speed.
- The content of the homework is irrelevant
- The child is more interested in other activities
Tips to Encourage your Child to do Homework
Stay Positive
First of all, please work towards maintaining a positive, respectful, and open relationship with your child. You two should be in the same team and should share mutual academic goals. Punishing, threatening, and preaching will take you nowhere.
Instead, it can detriment your relationship and further disappoint the child. The crux is that your motive here should be to inspire your child, develop his skills and improve his academic ranking. Moreover, you can also consider these 7 ways to make student life easier and productive for your child.
Make Rules
Make some homework rules in consultation with your child. It is a great way to keep him interested in homework. Here are some tips:
- Fix time for homework.
- Add some perks and rewards to make it more interesting.
- Similarly, add some penalties as well.
- Experts recommend doing homework before evening playtime. The child will finish it quickly to reach his playground on time.
- No video games until the homework is finished.
- Lastly, keep all the homework material ready on the table so that your child will not have a single reason to procrastinate it.
Be Firm with the Homework Rules
Only making homework rules will not solve the purpose. You should be consistent with these rules and ask your child to follow them seriously. Also, explain the repercussions of breaking the rules and how it can impact his overall academic performance.
Discussion is the Key!
Is your child shy to ask questions? Here’s what parents can do. Sit with your child and try to understand why he is not interested in going the homework. Is there anything that you, as a parent, should know and is still unaware of? Overlooking the gravity of the situation can cost you dearly in the long run.
Experts recommend discussing these things openly with the child. Make him understand that you are there for him no matter what. Make a note of all the problems he faces while completing the homework and try to find solutions for them.
Involve the Teachers
If your kid’s work habits and grades are not up to par, you should consider taking the matter to the teachers and school authorities. Discuss your child’s involvement, engagement, and performance in the classroom. Also, share the problems your child is facing while completing the homework. Teachers here should:
- Conduct a one-on-one discussion with the child
- Invite students’ suggestions on the current homework pattern
- Teach coping strategies to the students
- Dropping the concept of grading homework
- Incorporate positive reinforcement
Break Assignment into Doable Portions
Another interesting way to make your child finish homework on time is by dividing a complex assignment into smaller parts. It will make the task easier for the child. You can further make it doable by granting homework breaks and rewards in between. You can also mark daily tasks on the calendar and ask your child to complete them accordingly.
Make a Study Spot
You see, kids need silence and peace for concentration. So, if you have a large family, you must identify a study spot for your child. This location should be away from distractions and loud noise. Apart from this, ensure you also stay close to the child in case of help.
Moreover, avoid spoon-feeding the child in every step of his homework. Let him attempt the assignment independently, and you can check its effectiveness afterwards. In case your child is facing issues with his maths, here’s how to help your child with maths assignments.
Know your Child’s Anxiety Level
Do you know that in 2020, over 5.6 million children were diagnosed with anxiety issues? Anxiety in children is a serious matter that can trigger during pressurising times. Overlooking this problem can lead to severe consequences in the future. The child might develop aggression and indecisiveness and can even slip into depression. Here are some prominent symptoms of anxiety to look for in your child:
- Difficulty concentrating
- Lack of appetite
- Getting irritable quickly
- Emotional outbursts
- Having negative thoughts
- Feeling fidgety and tense
Ensure you keep a tap on this and avoid pressurising the child beyond a point. You can instead resort to positive and happy ways to motivate him to finish his pending tasks.
Let them Figure Out Things!
Now, since you have given a spot to study, advanced tools and resources, and a schedule, give your child some time to figure out things. It will imbibe accountability and develop a sense of responsibility in them. Most importantly, he will be self-motivated to complete his tasks independently.
Never Give Up!
Lastly, no matter what, never give up on your child. Every child is special and unique in his own way. As a parent, you should keep finding new and innovative ways to motivate him to complete his academic assignments and homework on time.
Bottomline
So, these are some crucial tips to motivate your child to finish his homework on time without overwhelming him. Parents, during this process, should remain calm and composed. They should become more of a friend than a strict parent to their children. It is natural for the children not to like this change initially. But over time, they will understand the relevance of completing homework on time.