Motivating your child to do homework can be one gargantuan task: countless reminders from you coupled with stomping of feet, smashing tables, and a vexed look from your child. Sound familiar? It’s a daily battle – hopefully not a never-ending one – but it doesn’t have to be a battle. Motivating your kids to do homework can be simple and hassle-free with these 5 simple tips.
Decorate – Your Child’s Workspace
Workspace makeovers can do wonders for a person’s mood. Changing up the color or the curtains or adding an interesting piece of decor on your child’s desk can pique their interest and motivate your child to work more efficiently. You can also enlist your child’s help in choosing the design up based on his or her personal taste. Involving your child creates a collaborative atmosphere for you to work together. A healthy relationship developed through creative cooperation reduces resentment and frustration on both ends, making way for a more peaceful approach to tackle any task ahead.
Rewards and Praises
Rewards are often a useful tool to encourage a behavior. You can promise to serve children their favorite snack once they finish their homework for the day. You can reward them with a visit to the playground if they finish the task on time. Small things can go a long way to motivate your child. These rewards don’t have to be big. Use them sparingly however, and only give rewards to reinforce desired behavior .
While rewards can take the form of various resources, praise on the other hand costs nothing. This helps boost your child’s self esteem, making him or her more confident in their abilities. Just remember that praise should be directed at the effort and not in your child’s innate characteristics. You want to raise children who are motivated for their hard work, while not encouraging children to act conceited. Build Routines
Lift the burden off your shoulders by building routines and structure around homework time. Once they are able to master the routine independently doing homework won’t feel like such a big deal for your child anymore. Kids work better with structure You can help establish a positive mindset by serving snacks when your child gets home, By letting him or her take a shower, or allow 30 minutes of TV time before starting homework. Whichever works, make sure you stick to it and your child will follow suit.
Another strategy that also works for kids and adults alike is establishing a rule long the lines of ”The weekend doesn’t start until work is done.” This instills discipline and responsibility even at a young age.
Let Your Child Choose a Schedule for Homework
When it comes to motivating kids, it’s always best to take the path of least resistance. That means letting them have a say within the boundaries you’ve set as a parent. Letting children decide when they want to do homework helps them have a sense of control over this task in some way, while instilling commitment and responsibility in them. This also takes the responsibility of your child’s homework off your plate, allowing you to focus on being a parent. Remember that completion of homework is an agreement between your child and the teacher. Never do their homework for them.
Along with setting a schedule and letting your child make choices, it’s also important to educate your child about natural consequences. Children are free to choose whether they’ll do homework or not. The results will come from the choices they make, so make sure that they are also aware of what will happen if they choose to not do it.
Motivate them to motivate themselves by involving yourself only as a guide and an accountability partner, and not as a dictator pushing them to do what you want.
Make Use of Technology
Technology can both be both beneficial and detrimental . It’s a great resource for research and learning, but it can also cause distraction and lead to decreased productivity. Motivate your child to do homework by allowing the use of the internet with an agreement that the time you’ve set for homework should only involve activities related to the assignment During down-time, encourage your child to learn new things and expand on their knowledge through apps and fun learning games.
With the proper approach and enough patience, you can contribute significantly to helping your child unravel his or her full potential.
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