How do you encourage your child to learn? How to motivate them to sit down eagerly for lessons? What to do?
Sometimes we think our children don't like or want to do homework. Well, when they have the choice of spending time with their peers, playing on their smartphone or any other favourite activity, homework falls by the wayside. Therefore, it is worth providing your child with a daily work schedule so that they can plan their free time for themselves.
So how do you reconcile all this?
A daily routine is best if the activity becomes habitual, natural and unforced. This is why it is a good idea to start implementing it from the beginning of school.
So where should we start?
1️⃣ You are going home
2️⃣ We eat lunch or afternoon tea
3️⃣ 30 minutes of rest preferably in the fresh air
4️⃣ Homework
5️⃣ Free time
An important point is for the child to eat something nutritious on his/her return from school. A hungry child will find it difficult to concentrate. A short rest before lessons, will also be advisable. Walking the dog or going for a walk with parents to the local grocery store will also be a great alternative. It is important to give the head a rest after the mental effort done at school.
Back home and it begins:
-Julek, to the lesson!
-Now.
-Not soon, but now!
-Five minutes more.
-Well, sit down now!
-Now....
and so on and so forth
Familiar? Getting your child to do homework every day can be exhausting. And doing homework at night "because he was reminded of something" can be a nightmare for many parents. To avoid such situations, a few rules should be implemented and made permanent.
1. Take everything out and check.
On returning from school, it is a good idea to take out all books, notebooks and exercises and ask the child to check if there is anything to complete from the lesson and if there is anything homework to be done. (It is also worth checking the diary for any relevant information, and it is also worth checking the e-journal for any homework)
Checking books, exercises and workbooks causes the child to remember what happened in today's lessons and what needs to be done at home. Comments such as "I don't know what was in the lesson, I don't remember what was assigned" are then forgotten. The check-up takes 10 minutes and guarantees that nothing is forgotten and nothing is missed.
So if we check our homework on Monday and there was English on that day, it automatically gets done. That way on Thursday night we are not sitting with our noses in our books because page 34 had to be done for Friday. We do our homework on the fly and we don't fall behind, that's a very important rule.
2. Time planning.
Planning time in life is extremely important. By doing so, we learn to be well organised and systematic, which is extremely important in learning. When parents say to their child: "get on with your lessons or you'll be up at night", "sit down to your lessons or you won't have time for stories" the child sits down to his lessons with the pessimistic prospect of working late into the night. The child understands this as if learning is going to take an eternity and rest is something unreal and so distant. A negative attitude is the beginning of failure. This is why time planning will be so important in homework. If, after taking everything out and leaving a pile of material to be worked on at home, we estimate the child's work time and rest time, it will be easier for them to cope with their homework. It is a good idea to choose the most difficult tasks to start with and those that are less difficult for the child to complete.
For example
-Homework with a break should take you 2.5h, in an hour you will calmly write a description of your favourite cartoon character, then go to fencing class and the paper shop, when you come back 1.5h of work - complete exercises in maths and make a poster about ecology. You should finish by 6pm, maybe a little longer, maybe a little shorter.
It is worth giving your child a little more time than he actually needs to do his homework. In this way, he or she will feel the power of his or her dexterity and will see that quick work pays off. Efficient homework, will contribute to more time for rest and play and the child will be happy that he or she managed to finish the chores ahead of time. Praise your child, "You did a great job with your homework, you finished faster than planned, you now have 20 minutes more fun".
What if homework is not done by 6pm?
Ask your child if he/she wants to do another short task or finish the one he/she has started. If he answers that he doesn't, give him time to rest. If he is no longer able to focus that day, postpone the task until the next day. Your word and keeping it is very important. One unfinished task will not change anything. The teacher also sometimes misses material and has to wait until the next lesson....
What about children who don't pay attention?
Ensure frequent but short breaks e.g. every 10/15 minutes. Ask for something e.g. what he is having for dinner. Ask them to hold a bowl while you prepare something in the kitchen. Ask them to sharpen a pencil or close a door. This is better than moaning and whining for two hours, and a little physical activity should help give your child a breather. Dividing the work into smaller stages and keeping an eye on the time, will be key here.
Important!
🔹 Remember that your child needs rest. Plan work time but also breaks if there is a lot of homework to do, determine at what point to take a break. Give your child time to rest for a while. Prepare a snack or something to drink for him during this time.
🔹If your child cannot cope with something - help him/her. Homework should be done on their own, but sometimes adult support is necessary. A parent's help and explanation will clear up any doubts and confusion. Don't give him/her assignments, results or solutions. Give him/her time and show patience, especially in those difficult moments of doubt and incomprehension.
