Adventures in Parenting

It’s about that time of year when children begin to lose focus at school. It’s mid semester, the work is getting harder. Tests are coming up and projects are due before the holidays. Our minds would rather be thinking about Thanksgiving and Christmas than schoolwork.

How do you help your children stay on task with their schoolwork?

Here are some Do’s and Don’ts:

1. DON’T nag your child to do homework. It is part of the maturing process to have your child learn to be responsible for completing his own work for school. If he depends on you to keep reminding him to do his work, he will not own up to his own responsibility.

2. DO help your child get organized. Does he have a place where he keeps his school work? Is there a clean table surface that he can work on? Does he have a daily calendar where he lists all his homework and projects, including due dates?

3. DON’T allow your child to do homework at the last minute. Schoolwork is not your child’s favorite activity, I am sure. It will be put off and put off as long as possible. Some parents believe that it doesn’t matter when the homework is done, just as long as it’s done. But I think children need to learn discipline and learn to do their work first.

4. DO set specific times when your child is expected sit down and do homework. After school, a 1/2 hour to 1 hour break to eat a snack and play is reasonable. Then your child should know that homework time begins. Keep a consistent schedule every day so that a habit is formed. This also eliminates arguments if the expectation is clear and consistent.

5. DON’T let your children do homework while watching TV. TV producers spend billions of dollars to get your attention. It is impossible for  TV  not be a distraction. Music in the background may be ok because it’s a consistent background noise. Even so, when difficult homework requires concentration, it’s better to keep things quiet.

6. DO have your children do homework in the family area. Designate an area such as the dining room table for homework  rather than in the bedroom. Not only can you keep an eye on their progress, you can also see what they are learning so you can reinforce their lessons.  Knowing what they are studying also gives you conversation starters to connect with your children. However, it is your responsibility to keep the noise level down. That means you can’t be talking loudly on the phone or have the TV on.