Dr. Luisa Bryce

Sep 22, 20172 min

The homework battle: Stop fighting and start writing

STRUCTURE IT UP

Most kids need a break when they get home from school or extracurriculars. Instead of insisting your child get down to business and start homework right away, give him or her 15-30 minutes to eat a snack and have some free time before homework starts.

  1. During the designated 15-30 minutes of free time, stay away from electronics. Encourage your child to play outside or engage in a short, creative activity. Allowing screen time before homework creates unnecessary opportunities for conflict.

  2. Creating a visual schedule can help to orient your child to his or her after school routine. Create this schedule with your child so he or she develops a sense of control and responsibility in this task. This will make it more likely your kiddo will actually follow the schedule in the future.

  3. Have a specific start time for homework each day. This can vary depending on extracurricular activities, but it should be the same each week (For example, homework starts at 4 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays and 5 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays after soccer).

  4.  Homework should be completed in a designated place in the house, preferably not in your child’s bedroom. Common areas with a desk or a table are a good choice, as long as the environment isn’t too noisy and doesn’t have too many distractions (think: no electronics).

BALANCE IT OUT

Taking too much control over your child’s homework will likely lead to rebellion on everyone’s part. What’s more, being a control freak doesn’t help your child learn valuable skills- like responsibility and time management. With a daily after school schedule in place, your child has the structure to be successful and the ability to make independent choices. He or she can choose to do homework, with effort or not. The natural consequences will come from the choices your child makes. If grades begin to drop, schedule a phone call or in-person conference with your child’s teacher in order to troubleshoot.

FIND OUT WHAT’S UNDERNEATH

Homework refusal can be the result of many different underlying issues. Don’t automatically assume your child is being lazy or defiant. Is it anxiety, fear of failure, depression, peer relationship issues, learning difficulties, or boredom that’s keeping your child from success? Talk with your kiddo using validation and open-ended questions (For example, say to your child, “I can tell you’re really having a hard time with schoolwork right now… what do you think is going on?” rather than, “You’re failing math. This is inexcusable and will not be tolerated”).  Share your concerns with your child’s teacher and see what he or she observes about your child’s mood and behavior at school. Getting to the bottom of why your child is refusing homework is extremely important for understanding and creating a plan to change the behavior and avoid consequences that may cause your child to feel shamed.

TRY IT OUT

Follow the above tips and let us know how it works. If your child’s homework habits don’t improve, contact Dr. Luisa at Harmony At Home to gain further individualized strategies for homework success.

#school #homeworkhelp #homeworkrefusal #visualschedule #afterschoolschedule #homework #validation

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