When your child comes home from school they look forward to a break from schoolwork and the structure of the classroom. Often, they do not want to sit down and do more schoolwork. They want to have fun, do something creative and be physically active.
Here are some tips and ideas to get your child to be engaged in homework assignments, and maybe even enjoy them!
CREATE A SPECIAL SPOT TO DO HOMEWORK
This does not need to be an office or a large space.
- It can be as simple as a festive placemat (which you can buy at the dollar store) that you put on the kitchen table. When the placemat is on the table it is time to do homework.
- Does your child have trouble sitting still? Offer a toy or small fidget spinner that allows your child to fidget while they concentrate.
- You can also pull up a chair to any table in your house and declare it a “homework zone”. Put a special stuffed animal or favorite item on the table as the homework “mascot” and have your child get to work.
- For reading assignments, set up a corner of the sofa or a comfortable chair with pillows and a soft blanket to feel cozy while reading.
- Keep a portable box of school essentials for them to use when they study. Some items you can include could be - lined notebook paper, pencils, a pencil sharpener, an eraser, markers, crayons, scissors, glue sticks, tape, and any other items your child uses regularly for their homework.
GO OUTSIDE AND BE ACTIVE
- Fresh air and sunshine can help a child to focus and remember what they are learning. Starting off a homework session with active learning can also help them settle down later and concentrate on reading and writing projects.
- Take breaks between assignments to go outside for 15 minutes to kick a soccer ball, jump rope or play frisbee.
- Practice math skills by putting your multiplication tables on hopscotch squares, then say them out loud as you jump. Use simple addition for younger children and regular hopscotch numbers 1 to 12 for preschoolers. Watch this video to see ideas for Fun Times Table Multiplication Hopscotch.
- Is your child struggling to learn how to tell time? Go outside and draw a giant clock on the sidewalk or driveway. Practice telling time on that large clock by drawing the hands in different positions.
- Learning shapes? Take your phone camera outside and go on a Shape Hunt! Snap a photo of each circle, square, triangle, rectangle, oval, etc. that your child finds in your neighborhood. A brick on someone’s house is a rectangle and the wheel of a car is a circle. Be creative with older youth and challenge them to find hidden shapes like the circle of a doorknob.
- Let your child be the teacher and you be the student. Create your own walking classroom. Have them teach you the concept that they are learning while taking a walk or bring along a stuffed animal or a toy for them to teach to. This is a great way for students to reinforce what they learn in science and social studies, and get in some steps.
- Act it out. Have your child act out the meaning of a word, or an action happening in the story or statement. Read the story or instructions as a character. Movements may help children remember words or meanings that their minds can forget.
Need a quick homework break? Go outside and take a Me Moment and shake some energy back into your studying. Or try the Mirror Challenge with a sibling or friend.
