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When I was in school, not failing was incentive enough to do my homework. My boys are 8 and 11 and both of them come home with overwhelming amounts of homework.
I'm never sure if they are telling me the truth when they tell me they're done. I have learned now that they are turning in half completed assignments but this is after both of them spend two hours on homework.
I've tried negative consequences (limited computer, no video games, limited time with friends/grounded. Nothing seems to work. They still find some way to get distracted. Is there a postive reinforcement method I can try to get them focused and on task?
Are they really working for 2 hours? If so, and they don't get their work done in that time frame, either they have far too much homework or they're having trouble with the assignment for one reason or another.
There's a difference between homework that takes 2+ hours and homework that should take 30 minutes, but the distractions drag it out.
If it is too much, or too difficult, you need to let the teacher know. If it's just a lack of concentration, I would have them show me the work that needs to be done, break it down into 20 minute intervals, and allow breaks in between. What I wouldn't tolerate is the lies of saying the work is done, when it isn't.
Are they really working for 2 hours? If so, and they don't get their work done in that time frame, either they have far too much homework or they're having trouble with the assignment for one reason or another.
There's a difference between homework that takes 2+ hours and homework that should take 30 minutes, but the distractions drag it out.
If it is too much, or too difficult, you need to let the teacher know. If it's just a lack of concentration, I would have them show me the work that needs to be done, break it down into 20 minute intervals, and allow breaks in between. What I wouldn't tolerate is the lies of saying the work is done, when it isn't.
They struggle with the subject matter and their teacher is also distracting their learning because it's an advanced magnet school. They are learning advanced algebra already.
They struggle with the subject matter and their teacher is also distracting their learning because it's an advanced magnet school.
If they are doing their homework (at home by definition), how is the teacher distracting them? Surely she is not at your house or contacting them at home....
We had an after school snack. They started their homework and were given a break to go play. They finished after dinner. If there was time, they played outside before bed. They fell into bed exhausted, ready for school the next day.
Two hours sounds crazy for that age. Maybe they are in the wrong school setting. How long would it take you to their homework? If it would take you more than twenty minutes to do, it's got to be too much for them. Contact the teachers to investigate.
They struggle with the subject matter and their teacher is also distracting their learning because it's an advanced magnet school. They are learning advanced algebra already.
Empower your kids. Rather than setting the time for homework, have a family meeting to discuss possible times. Let the kids feel they’re somewhat in charge by giving them the choice of when to do their homework—before dinner, after dinner, or half before and half after. The only rider on this is to refuse to allow homework to be left until just before bedtime – set an agreed cut-off point by which time homework must be completed; this can be sweetened by making allowance for fun reading time, or other enjoyable wind-down activity prior to bedtime. And you can help by keeping the evening mealtime as regular as possible.
Find out if there are specific areas of homework they're having difficulties with. Ask them if they would like to consider having more hands-on help with those issues (you, a sibling, or a tutor, for example). Sometimes homework isn't working because they're struggling with it in class, as well as, out of class.
Help your child figure out what is hard homework and what is easy homework. Having your child do the hard work first will mean he is most alert when facing the biggest challenges. The easier material will seem to go faster once fatigue begins to set in.
Agree on homework free times, such as parts of the weekend, or Friday nights, etc., and allow them to plan how they use this free time.
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