Homework!
It's one of those words that make most children shudder.
It also greatly affects busy parents who simply don't have the time to sit with their children and help them solve tough questions, equations and conundrums.
Whilst most children hate doing their homework, the fact remains that it is an essential part of their learning progression. Research shows that children who engage with their school or academic work on a daily basis significantly improve their grades.
So how do you motivate your child to do their homework?
Here are a few tips to help parents like yourself.
Schedule it.
It is so important to embed the mindset that homework is a daily activity (that should always be done) into the mind of your child. The more they become accustomed to doing work at an already scheduled time, the more likely they are to do it and they'll be more used to doing it. Growing up my parents for instance made it clear that homework was to be done for an hour after school every single week day. The only exceptions were the weekends or holiday periods when we'd be expected to do at least three hours of homework or studying per day. To motivate your child to do their homework, schedule a fixed time for them to complete it every single day. Stick to that time and get them into the habit of doing the work. For instance, 4pm-5pm could be 'homework hour.'
Give incentives.
Your child is human and like most humans they sometimes need a little incentive to motivate them to do things.
Whilst I'm not a fan of over-pampering children, bribing them or throwing incentives at them, I do however recommend giving them a good incentive for consistently great behaviour. For instance, you could set up a reward chart and whenever they complete 10 pieces of high-standard homework (without being told by you to do it), they receive a prize or gift. This method is brilliant for encouraging children to consistently work at a high standard. If they forget to do their homework or don't do it to a high standard then they simply don't move up the reward chart which means that they're one step further away from getting the incentive.
Be direct.
Communication is absolutely essential when it comes to handling children of all ages. It's therefore crucial that you make it clear to them that you have high expectations for them. For instance, let them know that they are expected to complete all of their homework and there are no excuses for missing it. The better you are at communicating with your child, the more likely you are to have a better relationship with them overall.
Are there any other homework tips that you'd like to share? If so, leave a comment below.
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