Motivation, patience, and pedagogy are not within the reach of all parents when homework time comes. Below tips from Go4Prep will help your child do their exercises or study without stress.
Helping your child with his homework is a real balancing act. To be present but not to impose yourself, to supervise without attending, to show firmness while creating a relaxed atmosphere … The right balance is difficult to find. As long as you have had a bad day at work, or he or she is tired from the school rhythm, a math exercise and learning poetry can quickly become a chore. Here are some keys to making this moment effective, even pleasant.
What’s the right attitude to have as a parent?
If good behavior should come first of all from children, adults too should feel responsible. Concerned about the success of their offspring, parents can develop communicative stress. The first reflex to have is therefore to relax and know (to) say that it does not matter. Indeed, the child in apprenticeship should not feel too much pressure on him to approach his work as well as possible. Mistakes will be experienced with less shame, questions easier to verbalize if he or she is not afraid of failure.
Also, avoid projections – we keep bad memories for ourselves – by not denigrating homework which is supposed to be forbidden, by favoring a playful and positive approach … School and family must unite and go in the same direction so that the child feels confident.
For Catherine, mother of a seven-year-old boy and a nine-year-old girl, the solution is in listening: “I pay close attention to their state of fatigue. I adapt accordingly. If after 15 or 20 minutes of homework, they can’t concentrate, I give up and resume later. ”
Encourage encouragement over admonition. Dare to let go of the ballast if you feel that the moment is not for the necessary concentration. Forcing things can easily cause conflict. And it works for parents too. Learn to hand over or shift homework by half an hour when you’re not up to it.
Gaining autonomy depends a lot on the age of the child. In primary school, the child needs a framework. You must support him to offer him a methodology that is adapted to him. You will probably have to stay by his side as he studies his lessons. From middle school, the teenager should start doing his homework on his own and only ask you in case of misunderstanding. It will nevertheless be necessary to check regularly that the work is well done.
How to create good conditions for doing homework?
The environment plays a major role. If your child feels comfortable, the learning will be all the better. First and foremost, create a “let off steam” break between the end of class and the return home. Give him time to clear his head and stretch his legs so that he can start his homework without frustration. Also remember to ask your child how he is feeling, to know in what emotional state he is: “Are you tired? Okay. So we will be efficient to be able to rest afterward.”
Learning is a different process from child to child. Some need to write down their lesson to retain it by visualization, others need to practice it to remember it. Parents are the ones who know their children best. So it’s up to you to know what corresponds to them. It can be a quiet place, for example with a well-established routine and a fixed time slot, so that the child finds a setting conducive to attention, reflection, and assimilation.
For the little ones, arrange breaks, calm and supervise, to allow their mind to escape. Tell him a story, bathe him, or cook dinner. Avoid activities that excite you.
Father of three children, Charles Caplette suggests being creative. “As a parent, I quickly experienced how children disliked doing homework. Whether it was with my son with dyslexia or with my students, I look for complicity and fun. It works. ! ” They suggest, among other things, dressing up, going out in the garden, or reversing the roles, to show that with a little levity and a lot of second degrees, homework can become a convivial moment that bears fruit.
How to maximize your chances of success?
Test your child to identify which learning method suits him best: visual, auditory, verbal, or gesture.
For example, say the word “chocolate” to him, let him think about it for a few seconds, and ask him what happens when he hears it. Does he see it written? Does he smell chocolate? Is he imagining a bar of chocolate? The answer will direct you to how his brain works. Subsequently, your way of considering learning can adapt: have people write, read or act out poetry.
It is essential not to be afraid of the academic failure of his offspring. You skip some homework if you feel the need. The idea: put things into perspective to favor moments of sharing. If this option seems out of the question, but arguments are frequent, it is important not to push yourself too hard.
The anti-crisis solution may be to alternate between parents to alleviate the task. In the case of a single-parent family, bringing in a classmate for collective work can help release the pressure. If family or friends are there, offer to have him recite his lesson.
If none of these solutions work, help from a professional. In the presence of a person outside the family cocoon, the situation can be unblocked. Find out before bringing in a teacher via a school support organization.
Also, look at the classifieds in businesses near your home or establishment. Older children can take advantage of the Web to find support, but be careful that the answers are not given to them!
Finally, if that doesn’t work out with you and your child at some point, don’t give up hope. Try again a few months later. In the meantime, he will have gained experience. The task will then perhaps be easier.
