Avoiding Homework Hassles
By: Mary Alston Kerllenevich, Ph.D.
The excitement of back to school is dwindling in St. Johns
County, and the reality of homework is setting in. Not only
do children have to give up their afternoons of outdoor
play, but parents also have less time for themselves or
their kids due to the relentless tide of new homework
assignments. What starts out as a simple chore, however, can
easily become a daily battle to get your child to do their
homework at all. Now is the time to set up a good homework
routine to avoid a year of struggling, both with teachers
and with your children at home.
There are many reasons why children avoid homework. After a
long day at school, kids often want and even need a break
before being able to focus well on new learning. Our
children have fewer breaks during the school day, and more
focus on testing and performance. It’s a lot of pressure.
Some kids already have trouble with their schoolwork, and
having that frustration again at home can be intolerable.
Parents may also avoid homework. Many work and find it
annoying to come home to a battle over homework. In some
schools, children are increasingly given more work to do
outside of school. This can also be a lot of pressure on
parents who have to supervise special assignments. With all
of the possible stressors for parents and children, it’s no
wonder that homework becomes a battle in so many homes.
In order to set up your homework routine, you first want to
get to know your child’s teacher and the expectations for
your child’s homework this year. Frequent communication with
the teacher, through notes, email, or homework planners,
allows you to supervise your child’s homework and school
performance more efficiently. Most children can complete
their homework independently, but parents need to provide
supervision to avoid some common homework pitfalls: failing
to complete assignments, failing to turn in homework that
was actually completed, completing homework in a sloppy and
hasty manner, or failing to study for tests far enough in
advance. If you know where your child struggles, you can
supervise only those aspects of the daily homework routine.
Routines can vary in how formal they are. Some families like
to go by the clock, with homework beginning at a certain
time while others go by an order of events, with homework
beginning after snack time or dinnertime. Once you chose a
regular time, find some incentives to reward homework
completion. Simple rewards not only encourage learning, but
help teach children how to avoid procrastination. Everyone,
no matter their age, will naturally put off tasks that are
unpleasant and have no immediate rewards. If homework
completion is followed by special play time with a parent,
video games, television, dessert, or another favorite
activity, your child will have more internal motivation and
you won’t have to force them. Another motivating factor is
to set up a quiet homework space that has all the necessary
supplies for completing projects. During homework time, it
helps if the television is off and everyone in the family is
either working independently or having quiet time. It’s
really hard to work when other people are having fun. Once
homework is done, parents need to check it and let their
children know if they did a good job. Once you have a
regular routine, those daily homework battles should become
more pleasant.
Mary Alston
Kerllenevich earned her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from
Clark University in 2006. She completed her pre-doctoral
internship with Emory School of Medicine at Grady Hospital
in Atlanta prior to joining Psychological Services of St.
Augustine in 2006. She works with both adults and children,
and specializes in treating a variety of child behavior
problems, and problems with depression and anxiety. She
particularly enjoys working with young children and
families, and uses a solution-focused approach in her
treatment of mental health problems.
Psychological Services of St. Augustine,
Inc.
1100-1 South Ponce de Leon Boulevard, St.
Augustine, Florida 32084
Phone (904) 824-7733 Fax (904) 829-9768
info@pssacare.com
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