Homework Solutions

Has homework become a nightmare at your house? Here are a few ideas that I have used successfully in our home.

1) For the child who comes home begging to play video games, watch TV, play with friends, etc.:

Make a list of items that need to be done BEFORE doing the desired activity. For my son, the list includes a. Do homework, b. Practice piano, c. Complete chores, d. Play a math game called Math Blaster, e. Record chores for the day. Place the list in a prominent place and ask your child to check it and then report to you when finished. You may need to ask specific questions the first few times to make sure everything was completed.

Once he finishes all these tasks, he is free to do what he wants until dinner. He usually gets in about 30 minutes of play-time. Sometimes a bit more, sometimes less. Since we started this system with my son, the homework nightmare has turned into bliss. He is almost always done with homework before dinner, leaving the rest of the evening free.

(As a side note, we use the BEFORE/AFTER technique for a lot of things. "Mom, can I go outside?" "Yes, after you've taken out the garbage." We also have a list of BEFORE items that we use in the morning routine. Once they finish getting ready, they can play a video game or watch TV. This worked so well that the child who used to lay in bed all morning complaining about getting up began to get up early to get ready for school. Too early. We had to make a new rule that no one could start any media before 7 am. Now, the kids get up and get ready, then spend some time on media before school. Some people might object to this method, but I say that 30 minutes of TV is better than an hour of arguing and pushing to get ready. Plus, it teaches that once you get the important things done, then you can have fun.)

2) For the child who can't seem to sit still long enough to get anything done:

Use a timer or two. There are 3 simple ways to do this.

a. Decide how long it should take your child to finish his or her homework. Add 5 or 10 minutes to that total. Set the timer for this amount of time and explain to your child that if he/she finishes before the timer buzzes, he will receive a reward of some kind. This could be a tiny treat, a shared book with mom, an extra few minutes of time together at bedtime, a sticker, 10 minutes extra computer time, etc. Choose something that will motivate your child. This is effective for the child who just can't seem to get started, but can work well after that.

b. Choose a specific amount of time you think your child can sit and work easily. Set the timer for that amount of time and explain to your child that if he/she sits and works that whole time, he/she will get a break. I like to do 10 minutes on, 10 minutes off, as that works for my daughter. 2 sessions are enough for her to finish. Don't be afraid to reverse this and give your child the break first! For some, knowing that play-time comes first is helpful in motivating the child to work later. But if your child abuses this privilege, revoke it. This method is very helpful for children who can sit for short periods of time.

c. Do a or b, but add an egg timer. Tell your child to turn the egg timer and try to finish one problem before all the little sands reach the bottom. Then flip it again to do the next problem. For word problems, I tell my daughter she can turn it over up to 3 times. That is usually enough time to finish. You can also just use the egg timer or get another type of timer. The important thing is to make sure your child can operate it because otherwise you'll be coming over to help every minute. This method is the best for the child who gets distracted very easily.

There are other methods used to motivate children to do their homework. I've tried using charts with no success (because we never remember to fill it out), consequences with little success (because it makes it so negative), and prizes for completing before a certain time with not much success (because I couldn't find cheap enough prizes that my kids actually wanted to earn). All of these required too much participation from me. But for some parents, they might work well.

What I like about the methods I outlined is that they are positive, they are immediate, and they don't require too much intervention. They are just a push to get your child motivated and working on his/her own. If they need my help, of course I give it to them. These methods have taken the homework nightmare and turned it into a manageable part of our day.

Good luck!