Getting your child to concentrate on their homework can be very challenging. It used to drive me nuts. I have an 8-year-old daughter whom I love so much but she drives me crazy when it comes to doing homework.
We created a system to help with math homework with her and she gets a break plus a snack right after school and some outside privileges before starting her assignments. Once on the table, all she accomplishes is an open book and a pen on her hand in the first sessions.
She easily gets distracted every 5 minutes and asks irrelevant questions while pacing around.
When she was 5 years, I thought this was okay and that it would fade away with time, as she grows older. Apparently, this wasn’t the case.
I was pushed to the edge and started looking at options of taking her to be tested for attention deficit disorder (ADD). Along the way, I learned that some elements in the treatment could be applied to children who had problems focusing.
I was desperately looking for a solution and would love her to get things done as I do.
As you had suspected, we tried all of the different methods. Some worked very well while some failed. Below are some of the methods that worked for us.
- Spread the tasks
We decided to break down her homework time into smaller manageable bits and spread them throughout the week. Instead of up to 40-minute work a week, we did 10 minutes a day. Whenever she wandered off her task, I used to guide her back to what needed to be done by pointing out some fun aspect in the work. Just remember to be a little bit patient with your child when you start.
- Set them up for success
Try finding fun and innovative ways to set up your child for success. We adopted a “race the timer” challenge whereby I used to give my daughter a 2-minute task but set the timer 5 minutes. Every time that she won, she was enthusiastic and looked forward to winning even more
- Tire them up
If your child is always pumped up with extra energy during homework time, wearing them out is all you need to do. Learn their rhythm and let them engage in physical activities before starting their homework.
- Be positive
Always give your child positive feedback at the end of each task and encourage them to continue being focused. This helps keep them motivated in tackling more tasks even faster.
- Quit
Wait, did you mean to give up? Yes, I did. When it seems to be taking a while longer working on a smaller task, just call it quits. There is no point to frustrate yourselves when there is no progress.
- Consume fish product
Eating fish has omega 3 and 6 elements that help in brain development and makes your child focus more.
- Support self-management
Based on a self-help book, encouraging and engaging your child in planning and time management activities enables them to adopt the concept. Encourage them to set up timely goals and help them stay on track to achieve them.
To wrap this up, just remember to keep on trying and test different methods and don’t fear to quit whenever things aren’t working. Good luck!