When homework leads to nothing but tears...
“How can I get my kid to do their homework with out tears or an epic battle?
Homework battles are one of the BIGGEST challenges we face as parents of children with learning differences.
Some of us have tried everything in our power to motivate our kids: the promise of ice cream, hiring a tutor, threatening to limit screen time...
But what if none of that works?
What if your child avoids homework, forgets to bring their assignments home, or gets anxious or frustrated when they don’t understand the course content?
What can you do to support them without turning your home into a war zone?
One of the most helpful things when our family worked with Susan Schenk were the following 3 key items to start homework:
Our (husband and I’s) mental attitude changed towards the “dreaded homework”. We started looking at homework differently. When the kids did not to do it – it was not that they were not trying there was a reason they could not do it.
I also stopped requiring them to do it on their own. I did not do it for them but I was close by answering questions, to scribing answers to get them started. I realized by me just simply being “close by” got us over the hurdle of starting the homework.
We also kept the homework time down between 15-20 minutes and then took a break this seemed to make a big difference. We used timers but many times they were so close to finishing they continued through the timer to get the homework done.
Our stress level in our house drastically dropped by just me changing the way I was handling my attitude towards my kids’ homework. They felt understood and we were able to identify some areas where the kids could advocate to their teacher how they wanted to complete the problems.
When we see our children struggling with their school work…
Or hear them say “I can’t” or “I don’t care” when we try to encourage them...
It’s normal to feel frustrated and powerless. After all, we just want to see them succeed...
But if we want to end homework battles for good, what matters is that we show a belief in their abilities and support them doing their work in a way that fits their unique learning style.
Check out our online MASTERCLASS “Stop the Homework Battles” by Susan Schenk, OT.
Sperry Bilyea