Homework is the most common challenge I see families struggle with. It can disrupt the entire family dynamic while creating a state of overwhelm, constant stress, and high emotions. The good news is that parents can turn around that dynamic with these 4 steps.

Structure an Evening Family Routine

Sit down with both your own and your children’s calendars to schedule the best times for homework time. Stay as consistent as possible, but keep a flexible mindset for handling life’s ups and downs. Post the schedule in the kitchen and other high-traffic areas in your home where school work will be done.

Sample Schedule for Success

Monday through Thursday

5:30 – 6:00 is dinnertime

6:00 – 7:30 is homework/study time  — one parent is supervising closely to assist

7:30 – 8:00 is wind-down time for the family

8:00 – 9:00 is for bathing, reading a story, making sure the backpack is ready for the next day, etc.

9:00 is bedtime

Teach Them a Homework Process

1. At the beginning of homework time, connect with your child and establish what needs to be accomplished.
2. Establish what “homework” looks like, i.e. study guide and pencil out on the table; no distractions.
3. Identify assignments they might need help with.
4. Ask your child to estimate how much time each assignment might take and give them a timer.
5. After their homework is done, have a discussion with them about how it went. With this deliberately collaborative approach, you’ll learn what you can improve each time.

Accept Homework Resistance

If your daughter refuses to study for her upcoming science test, despite your constant prodding, let go of control and let her do it her way. Your time is better spent after the test, celebrating wins, and finding effective studying techniques for the weak spots.

Sometimes children just want to vent about ‘how hard all this work is’ and the feeling that ‘it’s too much’ (You remember how you felt at their age, right?)  Allow for some venting time (5 minutes max) — it may be the key to their getting work done for the following 20-30 minutes.

Reward Homework Well Done

It might be helpful to offer a simple, inexpensive reward for quality work during the week. For example, you might agree to set a date for the weekend when you and your son walk to the ice cream store for a treat.

Lastly, Make It Safe to Fail

Failure is a matter of perspective. It is not a dirty word. It is a part of learning. Don’t be afraid to let your children fail, especially when you’re right there to help them rise up and try again.

Learn my simple technique to help children transition smoothly between tasks. The secret? Thinking about your thinking. 

Now that you have learned a new approach to thinking, I challenge you to try my technique with your children.

Develop a realistic sense of time by strengthening time awareness throughout the day. This is especially helpful for children with learning challenges.

Strategies to Strengthen Sense of Time

• Make a visual schedule (even adults like visual schedules, like the bullet journal). Visual schedules use a series of pictures to communicate a series of activities or the steps of a specific activity.  Post them around the house. 

• Set start and end times on activities with your child. 

• Practice estimating time with your child. Try “Beat the Timer.” Choose any task, such as getting dressed or doing a homework worksheet, and estimate how long you think it will take you to complete. Then, set the timer and try to beat it. 

• Use sand “hourglass” timers and “visual clocks” help children get a more visual and tactile sense of time. Plus, using these timers literally keeps time front and center. 

A strong sense of time, and timing, helps your child become more independent and successful. If a person can manage their time, they will have more choices, more options for activities, and more opportunities for successful social interactions. Wishing you success!

This weekend I’m tackling two activities I’ve put off for several months now.  

First, my husband and I are returning to the task of organizing our garage.  We started about 8 months ago, but got distracted.  The ultimate goal is to organize everything and place the items in cabinets mounted to the wall.  We’ve sorted about a third of the garage storage so far.

Time-Block a Task

On Saturday, we’ll tackle the biggest challenge: a wall-length organizer that holds a wide variety of small boxes. Each box has many odds and ends.  We’ve put this off for a long time, because it’s challenging to decide what to keep, give away or throw away. 

Our strategy is to focus entirely on that organizer and stop at four hours. If we don’t complete it, we’ll schedule additional time for another day.  We hope, however, that a time limit will encourage us to finish. I’ll let you know how it goes.

Patience, Communication … and a Little Blind Faith

As if that task wasn’t daunting enough, on Sunday, my husband and I will attempt to color my hair.  It’s been a long time since I’ve colored my own hair, but since this pandemic hit, it’s become a necessity.  I’m not yet comfortable sitting in my stylist’s chair for two hours, so we’ll be at home in our bathroom putting dye on my hair.

The biggest issue for me will be staying patient while my husband works to get the color on my hair, especially in the back where I can’t see or reach.  It’s a great opportunity to practice giving directions in a calm tone and staying level headed during a new task. 

We have both agreed to give it our best shot.  Let’s hope for the best.  You can see the results in my future Facebook Lives! (Watch them live on the Learning Link Facebook Page)

I’d love to hear about the challenging tasks you’re tackling this week.

Parents are really frustrated with their children’s homework.  I’m hearing lots of complaints about how much family time it consumes and the lack of value they see in the work completed.  So in an effort to eliminate frustration and to help minimize the amount of time spent on homework, I put together a video with some suggestions.  Watch the video below to get these tips.

Choose a routine time in your day that is set aside only for homework.

The trick is to make sure that everyone knows about it & sticks to the routine! If there is a rare day without homework, keep this time set for learning something new. You can read together, play a new card game, or even watch a short documentary.

Use a physical timer to track the hours set aside for these tasks.

You can use a device like a phone or tablet, an “egg” timer, or even an hourglass.

Getting stuck on reading comprehension? Start at the end!

There’s nothing wrong with reading the questions you’ll need to answer before you start to read the material! It can help students keep an eye out for what they’ll need to know, and it can even help with the knowledge they already have! (Tip: use sticky notes along the way when you find an answer so you can easily find your spot when it comes time for the questions!)

If you notice your child is struggling, let their teacher know.

This can be the first step to helping your student get the support that they need to succeed.

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