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Back-to-school season is officially here in Alamance County! With school inevitably comes homework, and with homework comes the possibility of lots of stress and frustration for not just students, but parents alike. Fortunately, it doesn’t have to be this way! If homework time tends to be a frustrating experience in your household, we’ve got 10 effective ways to prevent homework stress. Implement these tips to help make homework time a breeze!
Lots of studies have been conducted showing the importance of schedules, especially for children, and the positive impact they have on a child’s emotional, cognitive, and social development. Schedules help students, especially younger ones, feel more secure and comfortable, reduce the probability of behavioral problems, enhance productivity and organization, and much more. So, it makes sense to implement a schedule within the home, too.
Help your child create a schedule for when they come home from school. Break out some paper and markers/crayons and help them visually allocate time for rest, chores, homework, outdoor time, sleep, etc. Then, help them stick to this schedule. This will help them know what to expect, be ready, motivated, and focused when homework time rolls around, and eliminate any problematic behavior that may occur beforehand.
According to experts, this single tip can be a gamechanger, especially for younger students! Have your child designate a space where they will do their homework each day. This space should be as quiet as possible and away from the usual distractions of the house, such as the TV or their favorite toys.
Doing so will help eliminate distractions and help them associate that space with focusing and productivity. "Establishing a place where they know there's no fooling around, no games and that this is my work space - that sets the stage for getting to work rather than trying to work in the den with the television or in their room where their toys are," said Carole Perry with the Waco Independent School District. "It's a good idea. It sounds so simplistic but it's so important."
As students get older, this, of course, can change to fit their personal preferences. For example, some students may find that listening to music or some sort of background noise helps them focus.
After a long day at school, it’s never a good idea to have your child jump right into their homework. In your child’s schedule, make sure they designate a time to do something they enjoy, whether it’s playing outside or engaging in an organized extracurricular activity. This provides time for their mind to relax and their focus and motivation to be restored, before getting back to work.
The earlier your child can get started on their homework, the better. The later it gets in the day, the more difficult it’s going to be to focus, as the fatigue sets in. So, try to have your child start their homework before dinnertime. After all, it’s hard to get work done on a full stomach after a delicious dinner!
It’s a real phenomenon that practically all kids are hungry when they get home from school. While it’s not ideal to get work done on a full stomach, eating a healthy snack will provide kids with a boost in energy and focus. Once they’re fed and no longer on the verge of being hangry (hungry and subsequently angry), they’re much more likely to be cooperative and motivated to get their homework done.
If you need some healthy snack ideas for your kids, check out this blog article: 28 Healthy Snacks Your Kids Will Love.
If your child is showing signs of frustration, such as excessive fidgeting or frustrated groans, it might be time to take a quick brain break. Breaks offer countless benefits, such as increased mood, productivity, and motivation; decreased stress; restored focus, attention-span, and creativity, and more. So, never hesitate to encourage your child to take a quick break. This break should be no longer than 5 minutes, and can include activities like going outside for a bit, stretching, or just leaving the room.
We’ve talked about this before, and we’ll mention it once more: helping your child think and speak positively about their homework is incredibly important. Our thoughts and statements have a significant impact on our reality, so those negative thoughts and words can significantly hinder a students’ ability to get their homework done.
If you hear your child say something like “I can’t do this,” help them to think more positively. Encourage them to take some deep breaths and practice re-affirming techniques, like “I may not understand this right now, but I am smart and can figure this out.” Correcting negative thinking, paired with taking a quick break, are incredibly useful tools in preventing meltdowns.
If your child is stuck or getting frustrated, make sure they know that it’s always okay to ask for help. Lend them a helping hand, or call in the reinforcements, if necessary. Remember, our Burlington math tutors are always here and ready to help! It might also be a good idea to email your child’s teacher or send your child to school with a list of questions, so that you can better assist them next time.
Along with providing help, it’s nice to remind your child that you were once in their shoes and even provide them with how you dealt with homework stress when you were a kid. This will help your child feel like they aren’t alone, which could give them a boost of motivation and encouragement.
Homework with friends is always more fun! And, working together in groups is a great way to not only help your child build their collaboration skills, but also help them solidify their understanding of the concepts being learned as they discuss it with their peers. Whether the homework group is in-person or virtual, organizing a homework group a few times a week is a great way to make homework less daunting for your child. So, find a few students in your child’s class(es) and send out a few invites to other moms, or encourage your child to start a homework group of their own!
Sleep is critical to ensuring your child functions optimally each day! In fact, countless studies have concluded that, generally, sleep is associated with academic performance. A lack of sleep not only impairs cognitive abilities and can subsequently harm academic performance, but also causes your child to be particularly moody and uncooperative. So, talk to your child about the importance of sleep and ensure that they are getting more than enough time to recharge at the end of each day. Experts recommend that children ages 6 to 13 should be getting 9 to 11 hours of sleep each night, while teeneagers should get 8 to 10 hours of sleep.
Helping your child with math homework can definitely be tough, especially as they learn increasingly advanced concepts. However, that’s why we’re here, to not only help your child with their math homework, but to eliminate homework stress, and also ensure they excel in math this school year. So, call or text us at [(336) 792-7000](tel: +13367927000) to learn more about our New Mathlete Special and how we can start eliminating math homework stress today!
