Tips for When Your Child’s Not Completing Homework
Tips to Help Your Child Complete Their Homework
Are your child’s grades suffering because of missing homework? Do they perform well on tests, but not complete their homework assignments? We asked our Head Academic Counselor Ann Ahn how parents can fix this problem, and here’s what she said!
1. Ask
Ask yourself and your child the following questions:
- Does your child have enough time to complete homework after school?
- Are there any distraction issues in the classroom? Is your child not aware or not writing down the homework assignment?
- Is your child motivated? Does he or she want to earn good grades?
Asking these questions can help you pinpoint the problem area. If a child is testing well, s/he is not struggling with comprehension or skills. That makes it important to have a conversation and understand why s/he is not completing his or her work.
Time
Many busy students have issues with homework. They are bright students, but they do not have the discipline or experience to organize and manage their days. Do they need to manage their time better? Do they have too many activities lined up after school everyday? Either way, you can step in and help them.
Attention
Is your child writing homework assignments down in an agenda or planner? Does he have a folder where he keeps all his homework assignments for the day? If your child doesn’t know what the assignments are, check to see if there is some distraction in the classroom that keeps him from knowing. Help him come up with a system.
Motivation
If children are unmotivated, then they will not have the discipline to complete daily homework. Check in with your child regarding her motivation level and encourage her accordingly.
Parents cannot be in the classroom with their child, so open communication is always the first step to solving any academic problem.
2. Create A Positive Study Routine
When a student’s grades suffer from missing homework, the solution may seem to be very simple — complete the homework! Problem solved.
However, the root of the problem is not the act of completing the homework. The root of the problem is actually the foundational habit. Often, kids have not developed the skills just yet to follow independent, strong habits.
If a child has a good habit of brushing his teeth every morning and night, it’s because his parent has created and enforced the habit. It’s the same for schoolwork.
Here are some quick tips to helping your child create a strong study routine:
- Check In: Check in daily with your child’s assignments and deadlines. In the beginning, talk to the teacher if necessary, but then make sure your child has a system for writing down homework. assignments.
- Schedule Study Time: Once you’ve reviewed your child’s schedule, map out when she or he is able to complete assignments. Although students often have different activities on different days, try to have daily designated homework time around the same time and duration.
- Eliminate Distractions: Help your child create a distraction-free study area. It might be the kitchen table, a desk in his or her room, or your office, as long as it’s somewhere quiet, well-lit, and close to school supplies. Implement a no-TV, loud music, or phone policy while he or she is completing homework.
- Divide and Conquer: If your child has a larger assignment such as a presentation, paper, or diorama due at the end of the week or month, help her or him handle the more time-consuming project. Teach him or her how to divide the project into smaller sub-tasks over the week.
- Encourage: If your child struggles with completing homework due to lack of motivation, make sure you praise his or her efforts throughout the week.
- Re-Check: While students need to complete assignments on their own, check their completed work afterwards to make sure it’s done and has been given full effort.
3. Build Key Skills and Habits with MEK Learning Circles
MEK Learning Circles is designed to boost student’s academic skills in core areas such as Reading, Writing, and Math.
However, our program helps much more than simply improving skills.
It also teaches students how to manage time and build strong, lifelong study habits that will last them for years to come.
Through MLC, students learn how to independently complete assignments within a given time frame. They learn what they can accomplish in a concentrated amount of time, if they have a powerful combination of discipline, structure, and a routine.
MEK Learning Circles also helps to improve key skills during and throughout the school year and keeps students mentally in shape when it comes to disciplined studying and hands-on learning, positioning them ahead of their classmates in the upcoming year.
Call 855-346-1410 or contact us to get started today.
We can’t wait to hear from you!