How to Get School Work Done Without Fighting
We’ve talked a lot about how to prepare preschoolers for school, how to engage younger minds, and how to create a love of learning from the start. However, many of the moms in our Best Mom Ideas community have older children too. So, how can you help motivate your older students to love learning (or at the very least not fight about school work)?
My 2 older children attend a hybrid school where they go to school 2-days a week and have at-home instruction 3-days a week. We have truly enjoyed this learning model for our family, but I will admit that some days it’s like pulling teeth to get school complete. I know I’m not alone in this feeling…especially during these crazy times. So, how do we get through those tough days?
CHOCOLATE…have a secret stash hidden away for yourself! I joke (sort of).
If my children seem to be lacking motivation for completing their school work I try to break it down to understand why they are struggling. Here are a few discoveries I’ve made:
1. The work is too easy or not challenging enough. Most children don’t want to do work that is too easy for them. It just seems pointless to them. When I have found this to be the case, I explain to my children that sometimes we have to do things we don’t want to do but we have to do. I provide them a few examples and continue to explain that if we work fast and get the work done then we will have time for a fun, challenging activity or project.
So, if the work seems too easy for your child reward them with a challenging activity or project. If they enjoy learning about space, let them go to the library to check out books on their favorite planet, create a model of the planet, and present it to the family. If your child likes to design, then have them work on a new invention out of only recycled materials. If they enjoy writing, let them write a book.
2. The work is just boring. This often happens to us when there are a lot of worksheets and not enough hands-on or creative assignments. To break up the boring, we take breaks with hands-on activities or things that allow for creativity.
My pre-K son was learning about money recently. He had a lot of coloring pages (he is not a fan of coloring), so we got out real coins in between all of the coloring. We identified them, made coin towers, sorted them, and played store. This helped him to not become frustrated about doing the worksheets he doesn’t like.
3. Take breaks. When we are working, we have to take a brain break so allow your child to have a brain break too. Give them 5-10 minutes to stretch their legs, go to the bathroom, dance to a silly song, or play for a bit. They will be able to come back to their work refocused and ready to learn.
4. The work might be too hard. Your child might not want to do their work because they don’t understand what is being taught. If you see them struggling to stay focused, especially in one subject, gently ask them if they need your help or if they have a question you can answer. If you discover that they are struggling to understand the concept being taught, try to reteach the concept in a different way—usually a hands-on approach helps.
5. Am I the problem? Sometimes I find that I am the problem. I’m hovering too much and nagging too often. I have found that it’s often better if I tell my children what needs to be completed, place the work in front of them, tell him what time work needs to be complete and walk away. He can do whatever he wants during that time; however, if the work is not complete by the given deadline then he must work through dinner or explain to his teacher why his work is incomplete. This puts the responsibility on his shoulders. My 1st grader enjoys that I’m allowing him to be more independent.
6. Is it hard to stay focused? With a family of 5, we have people everywhere, doing many different things, and going many different directions. This creates the perfect opportunity to lose focus on school work. So, sometimes it’s good to create a quiet space where your child can escape the distractions and be able to focus. Even if you don’t have room in your house to make a separate desk area, allow your child to take a clipboard to a quiet space.
The timer method is also a great way to help keep your child on track when distractions arise. I set a timer after I explain an assignment and then walk away. If the work is complete when the timer goes off—wonderful! If the work is not complete when the timer goes off, but they have stayed focused while the timer was on, then they get extra time to complete their work. However, if the timer goes off and the work is incomplete but they have been goofing off, then they turn the work in as is and must explain to their teacher why it is incomplete.
7. I’m not above bribes. When all other methods have been exhausted, pull out the big guns—bribes! Give your child something to work towards. We often work towards a reward ourselves—paycheck, bonus, new outfit, vacation, etc., so allow your child to work towards a reward too.
We do this in the form of a treasure box that contains little dollar trinkets. They are rewarded a sticker at the end of their at-home school days if they complete their school work without “fighting” about doing it or have to be reminded a million times. When they collect 3 stickers, then they get to go to treasure box. This same concept could be used to work their way up to a new toy they have been eyeing, a special trip to get ice cream, or whatever would interest your child.
We want our children to love learning and be internally motivated to continue learning, but sometimes it’s hard to love learning if it’s not challenging enough, too challenging or just too boring. So try to figure out why your child is struggling to want to learn (I’m sure they will tell you if you ask), and begin to implement ways that make learning fun again with new projects, hands-on activities, independence, or even rewards!
