The Ultimate Guide to How to Help Children Concentrate On Homework

The Ultimate Guide to How to Help Children Concentrate On Homework

Homework enables students to consolidate what they have learnt at school and to engage in the work in a relaxed and pressure free environment!  Homework encourages children to work without supervision. Homework is definitely better than watching television and playing computer games all night! But how do we get our children to concentrate on homework, when all they want to do is chill out! 

Over 70 percent of students regarded homework as “annoying” and “boring”, while more than half of the parents regarded homework as one of the causes of family conflicts, Headline Daily reports.

Here are 6 tips to Help Children Concentrate On Homework:

1: Provide all necessary stationery equipment and a good place to study. Provide pencils, pens, a dictionary and math equipment such as a compass and protractor. You may want to get a container to hold these items so they are easily accessible when needed.

2: Get them to make a list for each day. If they know what they need to do, it will not seem as insurmountable. They can then plan what to do.  Having numerous homework assignments can be overwhelming for children. Help your child focus on getting things done by making a list together of everything they need to do for the day or week. Then they can just tick it off as they go along.

3: Take a break. During homework time, make sure your child takes a few breaks. After working for 20 or 30 minutes the brain does not take in much information.  Children should take regular breaks. They can get up, walk around, have a glass of water / healthy snack – to refresh the brain- and then go back to work. Try to keep them focused. They should not be watching TV or playing computer games between homework.

4: Talk to their class teacher. If homework is still a struggle or taking longer than you think it should speak to your child and find out what problems they are having. If they cannot do the homework, then write a note for the teacher. Of course,you can help them, but if they have learnt the topic at school and even after your input they are still struggling, then this is something to take up with the teacher.

5: Every child is unique. Help children concentrate on homework by thinking about what works for your child and how you can do that again. Think about a time when they worked well and did their homework with little or no fuss. Why did they do that? What was different? How can you reproduce that environment or situation again!

6: Don’t discount using a computer / internet to get help. Computers/ internet can be a helpful tool to help with homework. They can use the internet to look up words quickly, or research a topic that they are studying. They can see visual representations of words and hear the sound of words on the speaking dictionary.

Don’t make homework a battle. Follow these simple tips and it will be much easier for your child to concentrate on their homework.