6 Tips for Getting Your Child to Do Homework and Making the Process Stress-Free

Kids and Homework

Many parents find homework to be a challenging subject throughout their children's educational life. Of course, it is not easy for everyone to love doing homework in childhood. At their most active ages, children may prefer going out to play with their friends or spending time on technological devices over homework, which is a difficult and demanding process.

For parents whose children don't want to do homework, this can be worrisome. Parents who are not sure what to do in this process preoccupy their minds with such questions as "Should I remind my child about his homework?", "Should I stay with him and check his homework while he is doing homework?", "Why does my child not do homework?" or "How can I get my child to get used to doing homework?".

Paying attention to a few points so that both students and their parents can get through this process stress-free while establishing good homework habits will be very beneficial, especially for children who do not want to do homework, and it will relieve them by taking the burden off their parents.

6 Suggestions for Your Child to Establish Good Homework Habits:

Organizing Homework

Incorporating homework into students' everyday schedules is an excellent place to start when it comes to homework. However, not putting pressure on the student about when homework will be due and setting this time mutually and cooperatively means giving the student a say in their responsibility. This step will both motivate the student to complete their assignments and educate them how to fulfill their future responsibilities in an organized manner.

Specifying a Space for Homework

For homework, a place must be created where the child will not be distracted by other stimuli, such as toys, tablets or television. This order should be provided by the parents based on the conditions of the house, and it should not be a place where all family members chat. This space can be the student's own room, or it can be created by placing a desk in another room in the house.

It is important to have all the course materials needed in this place arranged for the student to do homework. The student should not change the space or room in order to get the materials they need and should not be distracted.

Not Being a Perfectionist

As parents, from time to time, we can expect our children to do all of their homework and do it correctly. However, homework is a study and learning tool that students can use to learn by making mistakes.

Giving the student the right to make mistakes, giving them the opportunity to learn from their mistakes, supporting the child without raising our expectations to the level of "perfect" will help them take the responsibility of doing homework more easily. Living with parents who expect them to do excellent homework and be excellent students is very challenging and demotivating for all children.

Appreciating and Motivating Their Efforts

In addition to being perfectionists as mentioned above, as parents, we tend to appreciate our children when they do their homework correctly. The most important aspect of doing homework, correctly or incorrectly, is that the child makes an effort to do it. As parents, the point we should appreciate and motivate our child's effort is primarily their effort.

It is the teacher who should comment on whether the student did their homework correctly or wrongly. With sentences such as "You worked hard to do your homework today. I am very happy for you, because you put so much effort into it," it can be emphasized by showing that their effort is seen from the outside. This way, rewarding sentences that focus on the process rather than the homework being correct or wrong motivate the student directly in the long-term.

Collaborating with the Teacher

Collaborating with the teacher about the student's homework is the basic step when establishing homework habits. The person who supervises the responsibility for doing or not doing the homework should be the teacher.

It would be healthy for the parents to inform the teacher about the subject (according to the grade level of the student) and direct the student to the teacher when an undesirable result (when the student refuses to do the homework or leaves it unfinished) is discovered after simply checking at home. In this case, for example, if the student has a problem with the difficulty of the homework, the student will be able to solve it with the teacher.

In addition, parents must stay at home as parents. Parents who become educators, teachers, or decision-makers about homework face difficulties and deterioration in their relations with their children over time. The role of parents at home regarding homework should remain parenting and emotional support, and parents should not take on the role of the teacher.

Thus, if a student who is not confused by various roles has an emotional problem with homework, they will be able to express it with family members and discuss the educational aspect of the subject with their teacher.

Finally, in relation to the education level of the student, in primary school classes, it is very important that the teacher and the family speak the same language about homework responsibilities and are unanimous. Both parties should be aware that they are working together, that the homework will be graded by the teacher, and that the teacher should explain whether or not the homework has been completed.

Being Ready to Help

When cooperating with the teacher, knowing that there is support for the student at home without putting the responsibility on the teacher, will positively affect how the child perceives the homework. It is important that parents are ready to provide support, depending on the level of education the student is at, but this support should not include the parents doing the homework.

A student who gets more help with their homework at home will stop making an effort and taking responsibility for their homework after a while. When the homework, which is a responsibility of the student, is done by their parents, their self-confidence will also be negatively affected.