Hates Homework!
Ok, so most kids hate homework, but I am having a tough time with Kaleigh. 7 years old and is already grumbling about the homework she has. She has maybe 2 pages a week of homework and reading homeword 3-4 times weekly. It is not that much! I must say, however, that it is more than I ever had. They are giving kids more homework earlier in school these days. Kaleigh gets home and just wants to play with her brother. Usually I give her about an hour and then she needs to do the homework. She grumbles about it then and right before bed when she has to read her reading book. I am thinking I may need to start her right after school, get it done and over with. That way bedtime is more relaxing and enjoyable. I wish there was another way to do this, if anyone has any ideas, please share! I am trying to let her know that doing homeword with a good attitude makes is easier and it goes faster! One of the teachers at school told me to have her write spelling words and do math problems and then let it taper off to less then she will be happy and will not complain so much about what she has to do. Advice welcome on this!!
4 comments:
We've gone the route of homework first, play later. That hasn't worked well for Andrew (we still have problems getting him to do his homework, but it is really up to him now). This has worked well for Bethany and Hayley so far. Bethany is very self-motivated, but Hayley will continue to be a challenge.
Kids are given WAY more homework now than I remember getting. However, they have to deal with it. I guess that balances out some of the "how hard things were back in my day" items.
Good luck! It is a frustrating process if you do it right because you know that you could breeze through it but that is against the whole point for your kid.
I agree with Robert. Mine would get a 15 minute break after school to use the bathroom and eat a snack. Then it's time for homework.
If you leave the snack on the table, you can mete out portions with stuff - like, after you do 1/2 of the spelling words, you can have a cookie. You get another cookie when the page is done.
I know some folks have a problem with "rewarding" kids for stuff they should already be doing, but you start with a lot of rewards, and then start making it more work, less rewards over time. So after a month of this, say they can have both cookies once the page is done. They still get the same amount of reward, but you've stretched it back.
Over time, you fade the cookies out completely.
Diana was bummed because some kids she knows get $20 per A grade at High School. Her last report card had 5 A's and 1 B. She would have been $100 richer...
I'm a mean mom, huh?
:)
Paying a kid for stuff that they should be doing for themselves just sets a wrong precident.
I'll just tell Diana that someday she will own the pizza company that her $20.00 per A friends work at.
The basics of motivation are the rewards and punishment (the proverbial carrot and stick). The trick is to come up with the right rewards (or punishments if that route is taken). Every person is different, so there is no universal answer. While one kid might be motivated by knowing that they will own the pizza company eventually, others need the instant reward of a cookie. It is the wrong precedent if you pick the wrong reward for the person. I understand the theory very well, but the practical application of it is really hard since people are so complex.
I really like the comment that Lee gave to Diana though! From what I know of her, she is smart enough to understand why it is true.
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