5 Tips to Help Your Child Develop Good Homework Habits

Establishing good homework habits is one of the single most important things you can do to ensure your child has a successful school year.

As the new school year approaches, we buy them the latest clothing trends, purchase all items in their school list, and take them to get pretty haircuts.

But, are we really equipping them with what they really need to have a successful school year?

Along with other important things such as a good school morning routine and proper nutrition, good homework habits are essential to help your child thrive in school.

Next, we will go over 5 simple homework habit tips you can implement throughout the school year to help your child prosper.

5 Great Homework Habits for Kids

1. Fuel the brain

Before sitting down to do homework have your child eat a healthy snack.

I don’t know about you, but I find is hard to focus when I am hungry.

Include “eating a snack” on your after school routine schedule so that your child knows to grab a bite before doing homework.

If your brain isn’t properly fueled, you’re likely to feel moody and irritable. The same is true for kids. Lack of brain fuel might also lead to trouble sleeping, poor memory, and difficulty problem-solving. (Source)

That is why it is a good idea to encourage your child to start their homework routine with a brain fueling snack.

Brain food for studying include:

Protein: meat, fish, eggs, poultry, legumes, nuts and seeds, and dairy
Antioxidants: fruits (berries) and veggies
Omega-3: oily fish, flax seeds and flax oil, and eggs, chicken and beef
Monounsaturated fats: avocados, nuts, olive oil, canola oil and peanut oil
Water

Easy pre-homework snack ideas include:

Apples and peanut butter
Mixed berry salad and a boiled egg
An avocado toast
Yogurt with a walnut and dried cranberry mix

2. Designate a homework space

Another important aspect developing good homework habits is having a designated homework space.

Routines and organization give children a sense of order, control, and expectancy which combats anxiety and frustration.

Knowing ahead of time where they will do homework and when eliminates frustration and negative anticipation towards doing the tasks at hand.

Great homework places are those that are elevated and allow them to have a good posture while they write, color, and/or read.

A desk makes the best homework area for that reason, since most desk chairs are adjustable to every child’s height.

You can opt for a children’s desk for more precision and convenience, like this height adjustable Mecor Kids Desk and Chair Set with Bookshelf.

Or you can opt for something more versatile that could easily transform into a beautiful furniture piece once your child has finishes his/her home work. Add a vase with flowers and a picture frame and done.

Two beautiful options are:

The Glavan 3-Drawer Writing Desk with Antique Nutmeg and Black, and…

2. The Modern Desk 30”H, White_D-0104.

Another good place is the dining room table. It offers ample space for your child to spread his school supplies and get organized.

Related Article: 10 Clever Ways to Store and Organize Kids Books

3. All Supplies at hand

Taking about homework organization, it is important to make sure our children have all the school supplies they need at hand.

That eliminates distractions and cuts the homework time by half.

Once again, a desk is a great place to keep all the homework supplies in once place.

But if you don’t have a desk, don’t worry.

There are plenty of alternatives to ensure your child has all the supplies at hand to complete his/her assignments.

Here are few great options to help your child keep organized and easily clean up afterwards:

4. Eliminate Distractions

Phones ringing, TV on, the radio playing, the iPad, the dog barking, other sibling… yes, that’s life, but they are also all the things that interfere with your child’s concentration efforts.

One of the best homework habits is to create as much of a homework-friendly environment as possible.

Help your child gain and retain his concentration by doing all (or some) of the following:

Turn the TV off
Lower the radio
Instruct other children to play elsewhere
Put all phones on vibrate
Ensure computers and tablets are ONLY being used for homework purposes

It is also important to mention that not all children learn or concentrate the same way.

Not everyone concentrates best in total silence.

In fact, when I was younger and even today, I enjoy some sort of background noise as I work on articles and other tasks. Jazz music or the faint sound of the TV in the background are examples of things that help set a better work mood for me.

A white noise machine can also be beneficial. While noise is known to help you relax and feel calm.

As you work on these good, daily, homework habits with your child pay attention to his/her cues to see what works best for them and what doesn’t. That will ensure you optimize their homework routine.

5. Use a Timer

Using a timer might sound a bit, well… military.

But is a great homework hack, especially for parents of young children.

Although some more than others, kids get distracted, period.

That is why is important to keep them motivated and engaged with the task at hand.

One of the bests ways to do that is to set timer.

Depending on your child’s age, grade, and homework load setting a timer ensures they are working at a good pace. And if your child is anything like mine, he/she will love to “beat the clock.”

Another benefit of a timer is to help them set a good rhythm for finishing their schoolwork.

While in school they are only given a certain amount of time to complete classwork. If they fail to do so it can result in a lower grade or an “incomplete”.

The timer is not meant in any way to make them feel rushed or anxious. So, make sure you set a realistic time frame according to their workload and age.

A good rule of thumb is 20-30 minutes for younger children and 45 for older kids.

★ RELATED SCHOOL AGE KIDS ARTICLES:

In Summary

Children are not born knowing, and most of all their habits good and bad are acquired by what they learn from us (directly or indirectly).

Along with good before and after school routines, helping our children establish good homework habits from early on will be critical to their life-long school success.

By implementing present parenting, being involved, and assisting them in developing good homework habits your children will be on their way to many happy and healthy school years.

What good homework habits did your parents teach you?

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