Westchester NY Moms
  • About Us
  • Calendar
  • Blog
    • Blog Topics
  • Things To Do
    • Indoor Fun
    • Outdoor Fun
    • Camp
  • Love Local
    • Be Prepared
    • Give Back
    • The Towns of Westchester
  • Resources
    • Education
    • Parenting
    • Music
    • Fitness & Health
    • Shopping
    • Beauty & Fashion
  • Contact Us

Blog

How to Improve Homework Habits in 3 Steps

10/3/2019

 
               
Picture
Ah, homework. *Insert grimace here.* It’s one of the endless chores of being a student. And our kids have to do it. Every day. After a full day of school. On repeat.

And nobody likes it. Right? I am correct in saying that NOBODY likes it?!

But homework lasts from the end of elementary school on through college, so the sooner our kids can develop habits to master it, the better. It ain’t goin’ nowhere!

*More grimacing. Insert eye roll for good measure.*

Most people who give homework argue that not only is it great for reinforcing what kids learned in school that day, but it also gets them practicing life skills like time management, organization, and responsibility. So fair enough!

You can empathize with your kids because you’ve done your fair share of homework too. But I bet you can see just how much harder it is these days with all the distractions available for our kids and teens. Aside from the dinging and pinging of social media and smartphones, so much homework is now computer-based, and ohhhh the tabs they could open and the browsing they could be doing instead! It’s just so tempting to, like, look at a couple of cat memes first…

So you can see how a simple homework assignment could turn into a field day of distraction or get drawn out way longer than it should. But the easiest way to instill good homework habits is to talk to your kids about it so they’re aware of the challenges they face. Then they’ll be able to self-regulate and guide themselves to be more efficient and less distracted… and this is a skill that’s useful forever. Like through high school, college, and even work days in the office. Here’s how to help your child make their homework habits a little healthier or “improve their homework hygiene” if you will.
Picture
1 – Tell them you feel for ’em.
Empathize. You know homework can feel like torture. You know how hard it is to focus after a full day of school. And you’re aware that they’d rather be doing other things and the Internet is just calling their name…

2 – Make it an interesting convo!
This isn’t the time for nagging or judging. Stay calm and keep the subject neutral but interesting.
For instance, you could ask them to guess how long the average student stays focused on homework before switching to a technological distraction. The answer is six minutes, by the way. Yup, bring up this study. It’s true!

Or talk to them about the different types of distractions and which one they think affects them more. Is it usually an external distraction, like the light of an Instagram notification or a vibration from their phone? Or is it more an internal one, like a flash in their brain that says “I should just check Snapchat real quick!”?

3 – Strategize
​
How do they do approach homework as it stands now? Do they make a to-do list? Do they get everything set up on the kitchen counter and put their phone away before diving in? Then throw out some ideas of your own… (or mine, whatever).
  • Get some exercise in before doing homework. The body learns more efficiently this way. (Perfect if your kid has just come home from sports practice anyway!)
  • Start with the task they dread the most. If they can just work on it for ten minutes, that gets over the mental barrier of doing it and makes it more approachable.
  • Try the “Pomodoro Method” – set a timer and work on homework for 25 minutes straight with no distractions. When the timer goes off, take a short break of about five minutes before jumping back in. Repeat this a few times and then take a longer break… or however long you need to finish up all the homework. It helps the brain get over distractions and be more productive.
  • During homework breaks, they can check social media or get on the Internet if they like, but mix it up with things like playing with a pet, chatting with you, or getting a breath of fresh air outside.
  • If all else fails and they’re really having a tough time keeping their technological distractions in check, there are apps for parents to monitor their Internet usage during homework time. But it’s better if they can learn to monitor themselves!

Getting into these healthy homework habits can help your child be more independent, focused, and efficient. They know they have to do it, so why not streamline the process, eliminate distractions, and get homework finished so they can do the stuff they really want to do after school… like hang out with you maybe? Hey, we can dream…


About the Author: 
Laurie Wolk is an Author, Educator & Motivational Speaker focusing on parenting adolescents and social media. A “go to” girl since childhood and a cheerleader at heart, her passion is helping parents and young girls learn how to communicate and connect with themselves, each other and the outside world.

She works directly with companies, schools, organizations and individuals on building confidence, leadership and digital citizenship skills. Her goal: teaching girls how to put down their digital devices and develop “in real life” communication and relationship skills. 

A graduate of Emory University, Laurie received her BA in Psychology and is the Author of the book Girls Just Want to Have Likes: How to Raise Confident Girls in the Face of Social Media Madness due in bookstores nationwide this August. She is the Editor of The Spark Report, a weekly report that helps parents of tweens/teens spark meaningful conversations with their children. Laurie received advanced certification at the Martha Beck and Girls Leadership Institutes and is on the Board of the Westchester Children’s Museum and at Girls Leadership.
​
 An engaged and hands-on mother of three + dog, Laurie understands adolescents and connects with them both as a guide and a friend, teaching them important social and emotional skills that will serve them for a lifetime. She has been called a “modern mentor” by clients and forms natural connections early on with both parent and child.

www.lauriewolk.com


Comments are closed.

    RSS Feed

    Archives

    October 2022
    September 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016

    Categories

    All
    About Us
    Art
    Beauty & Fashion
    Business
    Camp
    Career
    Community
    Creativity
    Education
    Fitness & Health
    Food
    Give Back
    Hea
    Home
    Indo
    Indoor Fun
    Mommy & Me
    Music
    Outdoor Fun
    Pare
    Parenting
    Real Estate
    Shopping
    Things To Do
    Virtual

Connect With Us
Home
About
© 2022-2023  Westchester NY Moms & Strategic Joy Communications LLC. This website includes paid advertising and endorsements.
Photos used under Creative Commons from Clotee Pridgen Allochuku, Kofi_MT, mrsdkrebs, jsax2015, Jeff Sandquist, Israel_photo_gallery, gabrielsaldana, Thanks for over 2 million views!!, Castles, Capes & Clones, Ted Drake, Kurt Magoon, CS_McMahon, chrismetcalfTV, Soren Wolf, Baker County Tourism, The Chapman Cultural Center, John Drake Flickr, photoverulam, 7263255, IQRemix, Art4TheGlryOfGod, Joe Mabel, Mike Miley, ell brown, tedeytan, Rob.Bertholf, flickingerbrad, MoToMo, Larry Lamsa, DieselDemon, Bobolink, Richard Ricciardi, gabrielsaldana, Montgomery County Planning Commission, beaucon, Jorick77, Still Vision, Vironevaeh, RLHyde, wuestenigel, mliu92, jennisweat, Larry1732, Michael Bentley, USDAgov, Tim Evanson, Karolina Kabat, deejayqueue, Strelka Institute photo, JohnSeb, Base Camp Baker, Dance Photographer - Brendan Lally, Fibonacci Blue, Larry1732, daryl_mitchell, Miroslav Vajdić, Peter O'Connor aka anemoneprojectors, susivinh, Larry1732, dancingnomad3, sarahstierch, Base Camp Baker, A J Thackway, hoyasmeg, Salvation Army USA West, quinn.anya, CapCase, Kirt Edblom
  • About Us
  • Calendar
  • Blog
    • Blog Topics
  • Things To Do
    • Indoor Fun
    • Outdoor Fun
    • Camp
  • Love Local
    • Be Prepared
    • Give Back
    • The Towns of Westchester
  • Resources
    • Education
    • Parenting
    • Music
    • Fitness & Health
    • Shopping
    • Beauty & Fashion
  • Contact Us