“Time goes by fast when you’re avoiding homework.”
Is homework a dreaded couple of hours in your home? Are you constantly battling with your child to finish homework? Are you receiving emails from teachers about missing and late assignments? Follow these steps and together let’s make homework easier!
1. Plan for the Short Term
Not everyone benefits from monthly calendars or the beautiful planners we so quickly run to Target! Some students need their planning condensed and very focused. Planning for a single day can be difficult enough when managing and balancing multiple subjects and assignments. Start small, like having students track daily or weekly assignments on a single sheet of paper.
2. Plan for the Long Term
Once your child has a good grasp on short term planning, start to expose them to long term planning. As adults, we are planning for the long term all the time. Adults are managing work schedules, sports schedules, doctors appointments, weddings, outings with friends, the list goes on. Adults understand the importance of long term planning, but kids have a more difficult time seeing the big picture. As you encourage your child to create monthly plans or calendars, start by incorporating extra curricular activities or events meaningful to them and then build onto homework assignments, quizzes and tests.
3. Create a Routine
I know we are constantly preaching, “practice makes perfect!”, but it cannot be emphasized enough. It may take time to turn daily, weekly or monthly planning into a habit. It takes repetition, follow through and all hands on deck. Find a designated time each day or week to review your child’s planner. This will help hold your child accountable as well as develop a habit/routine when planning.
4. Open Communication
Often times, kids get away with not doing homework because parents do not have a way of knowing assignments given by teachers. Parents will check in after school and can hear responses like, “I did it!”, “we don’t have any homework tonight”, or “I completed it in study hall!”. All of these sound like (and can be!) completely accurate responses, but sometimes it’s not the case. How can you help while still promoting independence? Here are some ways:
Check the school or teacher’s online portal
Email teachers with questions
Request a syllabus for home
Teach your child how to plan
Check in with your child daily or weekly