In an article for Education Week, Jason Zimba , a Common Core Standards writer, shared that he thinks parents should leave the teaching to the educators. Instead, parents must ensure their kids do their homework. Not every child is motivated to tackle assignments, but you can use these tips to encourage your children to dig into schoolwork:
Set the stage
Everyone has unique requirements for a productive workspace. Some kids like to do Common Core science essays with some music in the background. Others prefer a quiet environment where they can better concentrate. If your home isn't conducive to your children's learning styles, they will be less likely to do their homework. Create a space for each child to use for homework, and you may find they are more productive.
Set rules
If your children don't have any rules surrounding doing their schoolwork, they might not make any effort to get their work done. For example, your daughter may spend her night playing video games instead of doing her math. Your son might prefer a game of tackle football at a friend's house in lieu of completing his biology practice exam. To make sure your kids do their homework before heading off on more entertaining pursuits, make rules.
Maybe your children can have 10 minutes of fun time per every hour of homework they complete. Or so long as they earn a specific grade point average, they can hang out with friends on weeknights. Experiment to find what rules work best for your family. Along with guidelines, you should also implement punishments for when your kids aren't achieving their full potential. Enforce whatever discipline you create, or your kids won't feel the need to follow the rules.
Encourage breaks
Kids spend a long day at school and aren't going to do their best if you immediately shepherd them into their rooms to do homework. Promote a break between the two. Provide a healthy snack like fruit, cheese and crackers and let your kids decompress for a bit before they begin schoolwork. It's also important that they take breaks while they study, as just a five minute walk around the house or quick backyard romp with the dog will refresh their brains and help your kids be more productive. Also, avoid all-nighters, sleep is incredibly important to cognitive reasoning. Make sure your children study for a test for several days or weeks instead of trying to learn everything last minute.
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