9 Homework Rules for SuccessUse this search feature to quickly find the information you’re looking for. 
9 Homework Rules for Success. The goal: making homework less undesirable in your home.The solution? These 9 ways to conquer your family's understandable aversion - without whining. 1 Same place. designate once spot in the house for each kid's study hall. It should be in a quiet corner far from distractions. Depending on the child, however, that special place might need to be somewhere you can keep an eye on things. Not every kid works intently when shut away in a bedroom full of video games and other distractions. 2 Work area. Ideally, each child should have a desk, but specific furniture is hardly necessary. A friend's daughter likes to study at the kitchen counter while the mom cooks. Another child works at the dining room table. Wherever the child studies, she will need a large, flat surface and good lighting. 3 Tools of the trade. Keep a drawer or basket of school supplies nearby so she doesn't have to jump up and down every time she needs to erase or staple something. She will also need a file drawer or bucket to file papers or ongoing projects. Older kids will need access to a computer, too. 4 Just for reference. Designate a nearby shelf for a dictionary, thesaurus, grammar book and other references. 5 Keep it down. During this time, enforce the code of silence. No TV. No music. Impose an hour of quiet time on younger kids. 6 Help is at hand. Be available to answer questions when your child is studying. Check the work when she finishes. Make sure she didn't just rush through. 7 Divide and conquer. Teach your child how to manage long-term projects by dividing them into smaller units. Get out the calendar and plan times that she will complete these units. Schedule them on the calendar. 8 Time management skills. If your child has many activities during the week, use weekends to best advantage. If he has to do a chapter of spelling each week, for example, he might be able to work a little ahead on a rainy Sunday and get a bit of a cushion. If the child is frenetically busy every day, you need to impose some time management skills on his schedule. 9 Turn off the tube. Establish a TV-free zone during the week. If the kid knows there are no TV or video games to be enjoyed after homework, he may be more inclined to devote a little more time to studies. If the kids know you're serious about homework, they'll get serious, too. Set aside a lot of free time on weekends for them to hang out with their friends and goof off. But keep weekdays tightly structured. 9 Tips for Beating the School Morning Madness
|
