Your child may get homework every day. So, having a plan that makes doing homework fun and quick is essential. Providing your child with the right environment, tools, and routine are 3 simple ways to help conquer homework stress. You can start using these tips today.
- Set-up a dedicated work area for your child.
This will become the zone where your child associates with doing homework. This area should be free of distraction, or have as little distraction as possible, so your child can focus and work faster. It shouldn’t be your child’s bedroom (the brain associates that area with rest and relaxation, not intense mental work); or the kitchen table, or the dining room. A home office is ideal if, the phone is muted while your child does their homework. The goal is to have an area where your child can focus and work faster; instead of taking all evening to complete his work.
- Organize and stock the homework area with school supplies and a filing bin.
Another habit that will set your child up for homework success is an organized environment. Stock your child’s learning area with all the supplies he needs to work quickly and efficiently. If your child has to expend mental energy finding pencils and erasers, rulers, paper, or other materials he needs to do his work, homework will take longer. An extra set of supplies like: pencils, sharpeners, erasers, a ruler, colored pencils, notebooks, or loose-leaf paper, and a timer (not a phone app) are necessities. Additional supplies depending on the grade of your child may include: highlighters, thesaurus, and a dictionary (not a phone app).
- Have a set schedule for doing homework.
Doing homework around the same time during the school week, and on weekends (if your child gets homework on Fridays) is another key to success. I recommend a short break after school, and then jumping right into doing homework. It’s much easier to get into the “zone”, since the brain is still primed for thinking and learning. Thinking easily flows, and it will take less time to complete the work (hopefully, your child understands the concept). Also, our brains respond very well to routines.
Bonus Tip
To get “rewarded” (having their work graded) for the hard work your child put into doing his/her homework, he/she must take the next step, and submit the work.
I always teach students that their homework is “complete” only when it has been placed in their homework folder, and then in their backpack, and then submitted to the teacher the next school day.
This new routine/habit will take some time to adopt and master, so keep working on it until it becomes second nature for your child. Additionally, by all means, adjust some ideas to fit your child’s unique needs.
Also, if your child splits their time between two homes, apply these strategies at both homes, and try to keep a consistency in how they are applied in both homes. If you diligently apply the strategies you and your child choose to use, homework time will become less stressful, quick, and more enjoyable for both of you.
Below is a PDF link
3 Incredibly Simple Ways to Conquer Homework Stress
You can do this! I would love to hear which strategies you loved and had success using with your child. Leave a comment.
