Do you find it difficult to get your children to complete their homework assignments on time?
Excuses such as “My teacher didn’t give me any homework”, “My teacher doesn’t mark my homework anyway” and “My teacher said it isn’t compulsory for us to complete this assignment” are common lies and excuses that your children may have given you.
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Getting your children to do their homework is an extremely difficult challenge faced by most parents.
It is a Test of Patience and Tact.
In order to get your children to complete their homework, you need to understand why they neglect their assignments.
A lack of motivation is the most common underlying reason for this, especially for primary school students who simply do not recognise the importance of completing their homework.
Below are two mandatory steps and four useful tips which can be applied in different contexts to motivate your children so that they will do their work.
#Step 1: Communicate With Your Child
Your children may very well have legitimate reasons for not doing their homework.
It is essential for you as a parent to understand the obstacles that they are facing before giving proper advice and support.
Hence, it is vital to communicate with your children and get them to tell you what they are experiencing so that you can help.
#Step 2: Bond With Your Child
Your children may be experiencing problems, such as relationship problems, which they do not feel comfortable to share.
Hence, you have to remind your children of your unconditional love and support for them so that they can trust and respect you.
The key here is to be understanding when dealing with them. Only then will they tell you their heartfelt troubles and listen to your advice.
After identifying issues that are bothering your children and gaining their trust, you will find it easier to help your children tackle them and do things your way. Therefore, this step is mandatory.
#Tip 1: Help your child overcome his or her lethargy
Sometimes your children do not have legitimate reasons for not doing their work. They may just be lazy or have been carried away with their hobbies like playing computer games.
To deal with this, place all their homework in front of them on their study desk and tell them to complete their work. This will remind your children that there is work to be done.
#Tip 2: Schedule Daily Homework Time
If your children have little discipline or have poor organisation skills, you should schedule a mandatory homework time every day after school for subjects in which they are doing poorer in.
It will be most effective if you are able to arrange the same time every day. If your children claim that they do not have any homework for these subjects, they should spend this time making up for missed work or studying ahead of time or revising for tests and examinations.
Ultimately, you should allocate this time for your children to study the subject in which they are doing poorly in.
By making your children study subjects that they are weaker in regardless of whether homework is issued, they will stop giving excuses to escape homework because they know that they will still have to study that subject. This will ensure that they allocate a specific amount of time on their homework.
#Tip 3: Daily Incentives
This tip is a supplement to tip 2.
By rewarding your children with incentives such as being able to play computer games once they have completed their homework, they will have something to look forward to and be more compelled to execute Tip 2.
However, be mindful that your children do not rush through and complete their work just for the sake of claiming the reward. Check through their work to ensure that they have given their best effort.
#Tip 4: Help Your Child with His/ Her Homework Only When Necessary
Learning cannot take place if your children are frustrated with their assignments.
If the assignments that your children are facing are too difficult, you should explain the concept of the questions to guide them through.
If your children have too much school work, you should offer to write a note to their teacher and explain the situation requesting an extension in the deadline. Most importantly, the quality of the homework should not be compromised.
These tips can help ease your children’s frustration and ensure that they are more motivated to complete their homework.
One last note…
Steps 1 and 2 are ways to strengthen your relationship with your children.
They ensure that the four tips can be executed more easily.
By adhering to the four tips during appropriate scenarios, you will be to able improve your children’s homework skills and reduce your frustration!
