5 Tips to Beating the "Homework Battle"

If you have or had a school aged child, you've obviously had the "homework battle" once or twice. My 7 year old boy's homework routine has been challenging for both of us this year. The constant battle to get started, finished has really had me thinking. I have come up with a few strategies to help the busy mom conquer the homework feud.

1. Designate a work station

The workstation should be the one and only spot your child does homework. Choose somewhere with no distractions. The dining room table, desk in the hallway or at the breakfast nook. Somewhere where your child can really concentrate and not be distracted by other family members or television. Have all supplies available. These supplies should be used only for homework, this way they will always be there when you need them. Extra things to add to the work station could be a dry erase board, extra paper, pencils cases with extra supplies, good lighting and maybe gentle music.

2. Start with an itinerary

Sit down with your child at the beginning of their homework session. Go through what needs to be done. This way the child's brain will be organized and they will know what is expected. If he has 3 separate activities to complete put them in order and go over the directions with him.

3. The timer

The timer, this is a new technique I am trying. I am doing this to teach my son that he does not have all the time in the world to stare up into space. There is a task at hand, and he has a certain amount of time to do it. I don't make it race by any means, but I do stress the fact that work needs to be done in a timely manner. How long to set the timer? That is up to you. You may even want to discuss this with your child's teacher. I go for 20 minutes. Once we go over the itinerary, and he understands what needs to be done, the timer is set and I walk away. At this point he knows what needs to be done.

4. Let the child focus on their own

As much as we'd all like to hover over our child and give them every answer, it is not helping them at all. The child needs to focus and use their own thought process. School work won't always be easy but the challenge will help them excel.

5. Review and discuss

After the timer has gone off, this is a good time to take any questions he has. Discuss what he did today. Go over all the work. Don't forget to encourage and be involved. Give compliments "This paragraph has lots of details", "Your sentence is great". Constructive criticism is good too "Tomorrow lets see you add more to this", "Lets remember 5 more words tomorrow". Make it a positive experience, because remember, they will come home tomorrow with homework again. (and for years after that :) )

These simple steps will create a nice routine for your child. It will also show your child that you care about what he does at school and that you are always there to help. Most importantly it teaches your child how to be independent and finish his work effectively. I'd love to hear more tips and tricks. Please share if you have any.

-Michelle