Every parent wants to help his or her kid in any way possible. However, when your kids get frustrated with homework, it can be hard to understand how exactly you can step in and assist them. Following are some useful tips for you to help your kid get engaged with his homework, and not feel it too much like a chore.
- Show an active interest
When you show an interest in the homework of your kids and all that they are learning at school, you show them that their assignments are very important. This will make a nice impression on kids and they will feel more supported and encouraged in battling with homework.
- Read with your kid
This can go a long way to make your kids confident about their learning and studies. When you read out a little of study material to your child, he will understand that you are there to help him learn. He will not get bored.
You can introduce new books related to his studies and syllabus, which would make him discover new concepts and ideas and understand them more easily.
- Help them with tough subjects
Subjects such as mathematics have a stigma of being difficult associated with them, and kids end up hating them. You should talk about mathematics problems patiently with your child and help him to solve the problem. You can guide them in a proper direction once they make any mistake.
- Find a serene spot
You should try to find a calm spot at home where your kid can finish his homework. Keep away distractions that can take away attention from his work, such as:
- Computers
- Smartphones
- TV
- Music players
- Siblings
Having these near the work zone will make kids frustrated, distracted and depressed that they are missing out on the fun. However, you can keep some calm music playing in the backdrop to keep your child relaxed. This can benefit him in finishing his homework assignments.
- Assist, but let him work out the problem
Although it might be tempting to help out your kid and save him all the troubles, do not answer the question and make him finish the assignment quickly. You have to make him develop resilience and get proactive.
Explain to him how he should approach the problem but let him solve it on his own, so that he feels more capable and confident of doing it single-handedly from the next time onwards.
- Set small, achievable goals
If your child finds homework to be extremely tough and frustrating, you can divide the assignments into small goals which are achievable. This will help your child to get a better focus, and find it easier to solve the homework part by part. He will feel more positivity, as he will find something easily achievable and workable. He will be more encouraged to finish the rest.
- Set up a routine
While doing homework, it can be a good idea to set up a routine. As a responsible parent, you can set up a specific time when your kids can focus better on their assignments and become freer from all types of distractions.
Once your child gets accustomed to attending to homework at a specific time every night, he will develop a habit of finishing extra assignments on his own. This will benefit him a lot in learning lessons at school.
- Consult his teacher
You can consult your kid’s teachers and know about the areas where they should get more assistance and practice. This will help you to know how to tackle the assignments and which areas to concentrate in. It will assist your kid in improving his skills and get more comfortable in solving school problems. He can maximize the benefits from whatever time he gets to spend with his school teachers.
- Let him finish his assignments early
Talk to your kid and make him understand why it is important to start finishing the assignments within an hour of coming back home from school. He can have the rest of the day to himself and get free to do whatever he wants.
- Provide him with a nutritional break
Do not make your child sit immediately to finish his assignments after he comes back home. Give him sufficient time to have a snack of complex carbohydrates and protein, and allow 15 more minutes for initial digestion.
The brain has to work harder when the body has to digest foods. Let him do something active, such as taking a walk around the home. It will aid in digestion and send oxygen and blood to his brain. Once the food is eaten and digested, your kid will get the energy to handle his tasks.
- Set a timer
It is a good habit to use timers for specific periods of time, such as 45-minute intervals, and have your kid first work on the hardest subject. In case you feel that your kid does not have a proper sense of time, you would like to use an actual clock that also shows how time is passing. It will motivate your child to be more conscious of every minute that is passing and the amount of time still left.
- Keep all the supplies easily accessible
You should also keep all his supplies, such as notebooks, pencils, pens, erasers, books etc in one place, so that your kid can get all of them easily in his place of study. A lot of time can be wasted in gathering the required items and sitting for homework. Create a study table for your child and keep all the supplies neatly arranged on the table for easy access.
- Allow him to take frequent breaks
If your child has been working continuously for 45 minutes, you should allow him to take a break for 10 – 15 minutes. It will refresh his mind, but not give him enough time to get engaged and interested in some other activity.
- Allow him some ‘downtime’
The problem with kids of modern age is that they get little time to play and socialize, which makes them prone to:
- Selfishness
- Excessive competitiveness
- Narcissism
You should not keep your kid’s schedule chock-a-bloc with one activity after another. He is a kid after all, and needs enough time for relaxation. Make sure that his schedule has enough time for family and friends as for homework and studies.
- Use a weekly calendar
It is important to keep your kids updated about the activities for the coming week and the weekend. Write down all the commitments for him in the calendar, and discuss whether it is okay for him. Incorporate his suggestions, so that he is more encouraged to see through the plan and ensure the success of the schedule.
- Make him develop work habits
It is important to make your kid gradually more responsible. Even before the first grade, he should be dedicated and focused enough with his studies.
Discuss homework and encourage him to develop his own schedules, and follow them regularly. Make him schedule his work at a specific time every day, so that he develops a habit. It is better to start earlier so that your child does not feel burdened with studies as he continues to grow up.