Avoid These 4 Mistakes With Your Child’s Homework 

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Avoid These 4 Mistakes With Your Child’s Homework 

These days it’s not just kids that hate homework. Even their parents are not really happy about the amount of homework that teachers are handing out. Since there tends to be so much of it, parents find themselves taking a lot of time out of their day to help kids with their homework.   

Because the workload is so big and parents are trying to help, there are inevitable mistakes that end up getting made. The idea is good but the execution is what ends up being the problem. There is nothing wrong with helping your child do homework as long as it is actually helping. In this article, we will go over several of the most common mistakes that you should avoid when it comes to your child’s homework. 

1 – Not having a dedicated area 

The conditions for learning are somewhat particular. If the child is trying to do homework in front of the TV, or at the kitchen table when people are going in and out, then they are going to have a hard time studying. Even if they successfully complete their homework, they aren’t going to remember much about it.   

It is important to have a dedicated area where they can sit in an atmosphere without distractions so they can focus. It can be a desk in their bedroom or living room, or somewhere else as long as it is quiet and they can concentrate.   

It is also a good idea to get creative with the space. For instance, they don’t even need to have a desk and chair. If they are more comfortable and can concentrate better by sitting in a big bean bag then they should be able to do that. Every child has their own preferences on how to learn which is why many schools are now focused on flexible seating for classrooms.   

Find the area with the least amount of distractions and give your child what they need to be able to dedicate themselves to getting the homework done.   

2 – Complaining about the homework in front of the child 

 

The workload when it comes to homework is what it is. It is reality and has to be accepted unless you plan to get the parents together to deal with it as a group with the school administrators. This means accepting reality and getting on with it.  All too often, parents complain about how much homework the child is getting and usually in front of them. This is going to be a huge demotivating factor for the child. They will feel that things are unfair and will have a hard time being dedicated enough to getting the work done.   

It’s a good life lesson, too, in the sense that sometimes in life you can get overwhelmed with work and you just have to find a way to deal with it.   

3 – Doing the homework for them  

A child whose parent is doing their homework is losing out in two major respects. The first is that they end up learning a very bad lesson. They will feel like they don’t have to exert themselves in life as their parents will be there to do everything for them. This ends up causing them to not put in much effort.   

They could also feel incompetent and not able to handle the work themselves ending up with low self esteem issues. Then there is the fact that they won’t understand the work because they didn’t do the exercises of the homework. The point of homework isn’t to see how much the child knows. It’s to help them understand the subject by getting them to do thought exercises.   When the homework is done for them they will actually struggle when it’s time to take the test which is the most important part.   

4 – Not timing it right  

If a child is hungry or tired then it is going to be difficult to focus and actually do the homework effectively. If you have them sit down before they have a chance to have a snack or dinner then their hunger is going to cause distractions. Having them do it after their sports practice or being outside playing with friends all day will make them too tired to concentrate.   

Find the right time to do homework when they are fresh and able to actually do it. After they eat and before they play is the best time to schedule. They will also be able to finish it more quickly and move on with their lives.