This is an everyday thing, your children come home from school, finish eating, and play for a few minutes and now a “war” begins to get them to do their homework. Given this situation, specialists consider that avoiding conflict is the best strategy and that can only be achieved with a plan. But how to structure it effectively?
The first thing is to understand that there are two parties involved in this process, the children and the adult in charge, be it the father, the mother, the grandparents, etc. The second thing is to understand that when facing this daily situation, both an emotional part and the very part of the dynamics of knowledge intervene.
This is where the question arises, where to start? Viviana Hualca, an educational psychologist, considers that the first step is to establish an action plan, “it is important to create a work routine with an agenda that includes both moments of pause, which can be from 15 to 20 minutes, as well as study times. about an hour.”
Hualca adds that in those moments of rest, it is recommended that the child do activities that do not distract his attention and make it difficult for him to focus again. In this sense, the game is not recommended, but listening to a song, watching a video or talking to someone is.
On the other hand, when it comes to emotions, the specialist recommends that adults be the ones to handle the situation. However, she adds that adults must set limits on how far their help goes.
“Parents should be a guide when the child is not clear about some specific knowledge. However, it is necessary to give them that feeling of independence, that they should be the ones to carry out this activity,” says the educational psychologist.
In this sense, it makes a call to manage emotions, since many times adults can lose patience when accompanying children in this activity. That is when it is important to also generate this work plan that will help us establish an adequate schedule and an appropriate plan to avoid any conflict.
The most important thing is that the child is always accompanied by the guidance of an adult in the process. However, when this is not possible, it is advisable to hire a guided homework service, which is useful either because parents do not have time or because children cannot handle their frustration with mistakes or because they need to consolidate some knowledge.
Different studies show that when parents are involved in their children’s schoolwork, they obtain better results.
Practical tips for children to do their homework
- Establish an appropriate place to do homework. It doesn’t have to be at a desk or in your room, but it should be respected that it is always the same,
- Set a time of day. This contributes to creating study habits and discipline, and also helps to avoid arguments; When the time comes, it’s time to do your homework. The most advisable thing is that it be done early, the later it is done, the more tired the child will be and will have less desire, it will cost more and the results will be worse.
- If rules and schedules are established, be firm in their compliance. It does not mean that you have to be inflexible in a radical way, but it does mean that it is noted that, when a schedule is not met, it is an exception.
- Accompany the child while doing homework. Accompanying them means being close to them, but not on top of them, much less “doing” their homework. Letting them carry out their activities as independently as possible is a way of recognizing their autonomy, their intelligence and their ability to do things for themselves
- Lead by example.It is very positive that the adult, whenever possible, does his own “homework” given to the child, while he does his own: budgets of the home economy, review of bills or other papers, reading a book, etc. It will be an extra motivation for two reasons: on the one hand, because the little ones always try to be like their elders, and on the other. After all, it is an excellent way of showing them that what they learn now will be useful for their lives in the future.
- Be ready to help, especially if the child gets stuck on homework. The way, of course, is not to do the activity for him, but to give him some hints to get him closer to the correct solution. Another possibility, if the little one is stressed due to the difficulty of the homework, is to give him a break: take a break to clear his mind and try again. You can approach https://essay.org/ for help with your children.
- More than teaching, give tools to think. the role of parents is to accompany their children and provide them with ideas, and tools to think and seek alternatives. It is not convenient to scold them for not having solved the doubts in the class but to encourage them so that in the next one they do not forget to do so.
- Review homework is done. This not only supposes the first instance of correction but also a demonstration of interest on the part of the adult towards the child’s activities, which for the child is fundamental due to the motivation it represents. EYE !! You should always start by highlighting the positive, then it will be time to mention the mistakes or failures made, without drama or exaggeration.
- Avoid “rewards” for doing homework. One thing is motivation and another is the promise of a prize in exchange for the child doing her homework. With an offer of this type, there is a risk that the situation will be distorted and the intended prize will become a kind of “bribe”. The most appropriate thing is that the motivations and incentives are of another kind: praise or praise.
- Talk about homework in positive terms. The connotation of the words is fundamental in this sense: if parents refer to homework with expressions that present it as a punishment, something bad or boring, surely the children will experience it that way.
