How Do You Motivate Your Kids To Do Their Homework?

In most families, trying to motivate your kids to do their homework is no easy feat. Many parents want to know what they can do to encourage their children to get their work done.

Today we share some useful strategies you can use. Not only will they help you motivate your kids to do their homework, but they will also get them to include homework time in their daily routines.

The much-dreaded homework

Even the youngest children in school have homework to do. The purpose of that homework (Spanish link) is to let your child reflect on what they learned in school so that they can remember what the teacher learned that day.

Plus, doing homework every day helps your child develop positive habits. While doing their job, they also learn about studying, perseverance, organization, and other skills.

But before we can make homework time a habit, we may have to work through some complications. That’s because most kids don’t like homework; they don’t want to do it, they find it boring, they get distracted, and they can’t concentrate. As a result, trying to motivate your kids to do their homework can be an exhausting and frustrating task for both parents and children.

Winning the war with your kids’ homework

To motivate your children to do their homework, it is important that parents first consider the following:

• Do your kids have a specific homework time schedule? Children should begin to view homework time as a routine and a habit. To that end, it’s best to get them used to doing their homework at the same time every day.

• Do your children have their own place especially for homework? Your children need a suitable space away from noise and other distractions, such as their phone or the TV. This room should also have good lighting.
• Are they getting enough sleep and eating well? Your kids need to be well rested so they can focus on their homework. That’s why it’s important to make sure they eat nutritious food and get a good night’s sleep.
• Do you offer homework help if they need it? Some little ones are more independent than others and can do their tasks more easily on their own. However, there are others who need more help from their parents. They may need help concentrating because they are easily distracted, or they may need help understanding the material.

How to motivate your kids to do their homework

The first thing to do is go through the questions we just asked. Then, once you’ve got those things sorted, you can focus on motivating and encouraging your kids to do their job (Spanish link). Here are some strategies you can use to help motivate your kids to do their jobs:

Use positive reinforcement

It is important that children feel that their efforts, discipline and perseverance are paying off. Homework is not only something that they should do, it should also represent achievement and personal improvement for your children. Therefore, it is important to congratulate them during the week and encourage their good progress. That will make them feel good and increase their self-esteem.

Let them take breaks

If children know that they can enjoy a break after doing their homework for a while, they will be more encouraged to stay focused.

That’s why it’s important that you let them take a 10-15 minute break in the middle of homework time. Plus, you should let them decide for themselves what to do during their break.

Talk to your child while they do their homework

Of course,  it’s important to talk to your kids about the homework they’re doing. But you should also talk to them about personal things. You can motivate your kids to do their homework by asking them about their day at school, their classmates, their teachers, the games they play, etc.

So while your child is working, you can ask him questions like, “How does your friend Peter do this?; Which classmate do you prefer to play and learn with? Why? Do you understand this when your teacher explains? How do you learn best?”

By doing this, parents can take an interest in their children’s stories, as well as gain a better understanding of their child’s learning, progress, and needs.

Explain the importance of homework

The more children understand the importance of doing homework, the more motivated they will be to do it. That is why it is important to make a connection between school, studying and their hopes and dreams for the future.

This will make it much easier to motivate them to do their homework because you will be able to align with their goals. As a result, your children will understand that working on their homework every day brings them one step closer to achieving those goals.

Give them something to drink

For many adults, a cup of tea or a good cup of coffee is the key to motivating ourselves to study or work at the computer. So don’t you think you can also motivate your child by preparing a drink that they like?

You can try bringing them juice, a glass of milk, or a chocolate shake. Their motivation and desire to do their homework will increase without them even noticing.