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It’s been a rollercoaster of a year for parents and children alike. They’ve been back and forth from school and had their learning patterns change significantly. Motivating your kids to do homework can be challenging at the best of times, but now it’s more important than ever to find a healthy routine. There could be underlying reasons why your child is feeling less motivated. The best thing to do is to be there for them and create a positive environment. Here are five ways to encourage kids to do homework.

Take a genuine interest

Get involved. Encourage your children to explain to you what they’re studying and take a genuine interest. This may even mean doing a little homework yourself if you aren’t familiar with the topic. You could even get involved at school. Find out if there are any ways you can help out. There are several benefits of getting involved at your kid’s school. It will show your children that you’re taking an interest and have more of an understanding of their school life.

Create a comfortable study space

One of the first pieces of advice for working from home is usually to create a comfortable workspace. There’s no reason this should be any different for doing homework. Set up an ergonomic homework station with a comfortable desk and chair, and plenty of light. The difference is with kids you might want to mix it up a bit for fun or creative projects but set aside space where they can concentrate on written work. Reward them with regular breaks after short intense periods of studying, as you would yourself working.

Look for reasons for lack of motivation

If your child seems less enthusiastic than normal try to get to the root of the problem. Perhaps there are reasons they’re finding it difficult to pay attention such as temporary hearing loss from an ear infection, fatigue, or stress. Speak to your child’s teacher and see if they’ve noticed any triggers that cause differences in behavior. You could also ask your child how they’re doing and if anything’s wrong.

Reward effort over grades

Kids tend to respond well to positive reinforcement. Timing is very important here, especially with smaller children. It’s up to you how you decide to set up a reward system, but the main thing is to reward effort over grades. Not every child has the same academic abilities in each subject, and even if they put the work in they may not get a high grade. Congratulate them on their effort overall and this will teach them perseverance. 

Get help and support

Share tips and ideas with other parents and the teachers at school. There are also plenty of online resources for homework help. It’s not an easy job motivating kids to study, even if you got a little homeschooling experience last year. Be patient and lead by example. By maintaining a positive and nurturing environment, you will be able to change your kid’s attitude towards learning.

Category: School

Tags: morning four podcast