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It’s probably not an exaggeration to say that almost every parent’s been there. You’re trying to get your beloved child to sit down and do their homework, but it’s like pulling teeth. They’d rather do anything else – watch TV, play video games, go outside, or even just sit in silence and not do it at all. Of course, accepting that isn’t good parenting, and it ultimately hurts them in the long run.
Thankfully, homework doesn’t have to be a battleground. In fact, with a little creativity and the right approach, you might just convince your child that homework can actually be fun. Yes, that’s right. It’s all about how you frame homework and its use in your child’s life. While we might have had trouble with it ourselves, there’s no reason why learning has to be a chore.
In this post, we’ll discuss some ways to achieve exactly that, and provide you more utility as a parent. If it helps decrease your stress levels and a meltdown, well that’s a win:
Make It A Game
Kids love games, in general. It’s how they learn about the world, such as when a little girl simulates social situations in a family home via a dollhouse. So why not turn homework into one? That doesn’t mean creating an elaborate board game for every assignment (though if you’ve got the time and inclination, go for it).
It can be as simple as setting up a points system for completed tasks, with rewards at certain milestones. You might use letter sounds to help consolidate reading and writing. Or you could turn it into a friendly competition – who can finish their math problems first, you or your child (giving them a healthy advantage of course). If you can inject an element of fun and challenge it makes the work feel less like, well, work.
Connect It To Real Life
One of the biggest complaints kids have about homework is that it feels pointless. To be honest, most people haven’t used the algebra homework that we were assigned as teens, but that’s beside the point – at least we think it is.
Regardless, the trick is to help them see how what they’re learning applies to the real world. For example, if they’re studying fractions, you could bake a cake together and let them measure out the ingredients and divide the final product. Learning about plants? Start a little garden and let them track the growth and even use those herbs in your mealtimes. This makes the world real.It shows them they’re not learning for school, but for life.
Create A Cool Homework Space
If you can’t work from a busy desk when you’re remote working, well, you may know how a child feels when trying to work at a busy kitchen table. Often, environment matters more than we often realize. A dedicated, inviting homework space can go a long way towards making the whole process more appealing, even if it’s just a simple private desk space in their bedroom they can think in away from their siblings. To some degree you could let your child help design it – such as by picking out cool stationery, put up inspiring posters, maybe even a small plant or two. The idea is to create a space that feels special and exciting, a place they actually want to be, and that you can sit next to them and help in.
Move Learning Beyond the Basics
It can be really easy to get caught up in the basics of education—the tests, the reading scores, the perceived checkpoints of where you “should be”, not where your child is right now. This can cause a disconnect between you, your child, and their learning, and it most definitely won’t help you help them embrace homework.
However, when learning feels connected to something else, this can deliver a whole other level of curiosity. Connecting learning to kindness, patience, and your child’s natural predisposition to be inquisitive, it suddenly opens up a whole new world. And then, when you add this to something that works with your values as a family, you can create a better relationship with homework and education.
For faith-focused families, choosing a Christian school or a school affiliated with your church or chosen religion can help you move past the focus on grades and more on who they are as a person. And when you focus on your child, not what they’re required to learn, homework becomes less of a battle and more of an extension of their faith and who they are.
With this advice, you’ll be sure to convince a child that homework can be fun.
