Is there a way to help your child with homewrok

gabyjane

Ha ha Ivrytwr3 i did try editing ater id'e posted as realsied id'e done that!
Tonight is the same and i have taken the route of letting her get on with it!

Oldernotwiser

Gingham_Ribbon wrote: »

It doesn't matter whether others have had it harder.

I wasn't actually thinking of "harder" actually, but "better"!

Oldernotwiser

James123 wrote: »

No, of course not. Schools should help to create well-rounded individuals and instill in them a love of learning. However, as a starting point, primary education should be about the 'basics'. Sadly, many children leave primary education with only a flaky understanding of how to read, write and add-up. All this despite the fact that we start our children in primary ed earlier than almost any other country and that we've been throwing a shed-load of ££££ into education in the last 10+ years.

I'm not too bothered about the "well rounded" business as I think that should be more of a parental responsibility.

The majority of children without learning difficulties used to be able to read and write basically after 2 years of primary education, now we have many who can hardly manage this after 6 years! Older people will remember how much more basic maths was covered at this level, compared with today.

Sorry, I've had a grumpy old woman moment!

Aspiring

gabyjane wrote: »

And not get cross when they really can't be bothered? DD is clever and most of the time she does fine BUT we have these odd occasions where she just cannot be bothered and it drives me mad..she sits there in a sulky mood and ignores me, talks over me, thinks she is always right and then finally after i have had enough i send her off saying 'fine do it your way' and it ends in tears. I have sent her upstairs as she has no intention of doing it properly and i tbh don't see why i should help her when she is like it..
The other thing that has annoyed me is it is really easy homwork but because she is not in the right frame of in she 'can't do it' when i know she can..grrr kids!!

Difficult age, 10yo, the emotion hormone is kicking in and they can be soooooo moody. However, compared to the moods of a 14/15yo, trust me, a 10yo is a doddle

Right, 10yo, so she is in year 6? Homework at this age is more of a "practise" to get them into the discipline for when they move up to a new school and Yr 7 through to Yr11. AFter all, any 11+ (if applicable) is behind them now, so are their SATS, so it really is just a discipline.

From your post, it's not so much how you can "help" her with her homework, but reads to me that you are frustrated that her moods and stubborness are creating a barrier to her actually focusing on her homework. So, more a case of "encouraging" her than "helping" her, perhaps?

Timing and reward. Simple

If you expect her to come home from school and get straight on with her homework, it's never going to happen without encouragement.

Does she have a drink and a snack and a brief "unwind" first? At Yr6 the homework demands must be fairly light, so it's not like she has to spend all night doing it.

What worked for us was this: come home from school, get changed, have a drink and a snack and a debrief of their day. Homework time was 6pm - 7pm then a bath and pj's, bit of TV, then bed. Prior to homework they could watch a bit of TV, or, have some chill time by having a friend over. However, having a friend over for chill time was dependant on the previous week's homework efforts (= Reward!)

It's not a question of if they are doing well why should they need to do homework. We're talking Yr6 students who are soon going to change schools. Secondary school homework can be more geared towards researching in addition to set homework; this means that homework is a "discipline" and a habit which they need to develop. Habits of discipline need encouragement, not battling or worse, throwing the towel in (great immediate fix, but not productive in the longer term).

Homework is a fact of life. For a large number of people in paid employment, they end up doing "homework" (without pay) just to stay on top of the game.

Does she have a desk/place to do her homework that is uninterrupted? Does she have designated computer time for educational "play"/research/educational games (heaps of websites that have fun "games" which are actually learning based).

I'll be very serious now: if you cannot "encourage" your DD into a positive attitude and focus towards "homework" now, you will stand no chance when she is 14/15 and the GCSE's are upon you!

If she wants to be stubborn and moody - don't sweat it. After all, no skin off your nose if her friends don't come around for tea/chill time the following week No skin off your nose if she can't have that latest CD, Wii game, sleepover, cinema outing, posh frock, whatever-reward-you-are-dangling-as-encouragement

You could even ask her, as a "homework" task (;) ) to write out a list of bonuses/rewards that she and you can agree on and then cut them into strips of paper and put them in a jar. A week of success homework study and she earns one of the rewards. The "surprise" is, she gets to take a slip of paper from the jar without knowing beforehand what it was going to be.

Could you also think of outings that would be fun that might also tie in with her homework level? Even shopping employs maths! Writing emails involves English. Museums can still be fun if you make an outing of it with her best friends.

Try to think sideways - it can make all the difference when encouraging a moody/hormonal child

Encouraging a childs education is one of the best gifts you can give them and we live in a country where education is free. Make the most of it while you still have an influence

Good luck.

buxtonrabbitgreen

I have never hassled any of my kids to do their homework. like someone else said, if it is not done they miss breaks to do it. Fortunately mine are self motivated enough to do the minimum required.
I used to listen to the reading, one of them could read very well before she even started school.
When I didn't understand the way they do multiplication, I went for a lesson in school so if they didn't get the correct answer I knew why.
I have always been willing to help if required (not that I can anymore) GCSE years.
leave her to it. As long as she has enough time and a place to do it, she probably will.

James123_2

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

I'm not too bothered about the "well rounded" business as I think that should be more of a parental responsibility.

The majority of children without learning difficulties used to be able to read and write basically after 2 years of primary education, now we have many who can hardly manage this after 6 years! Older people will remember how much more basic maths was covered at this level, compared with today.

Sorry, I've had a grumpy old woman moment!

Do please feel free to have a 'grumpy' moment. I can't think of anything more likely to set me off than the failing of young children by the System. So, on this we're in complete agreement. If we can't equip youngsters with basic skills by 11 we've often sentenced them to a lifetime of learning difficulties. So, let's get grumpy together ...

kelloggs36

If all the special needs were properly catered for in the classroom ie TAs who could work all day rather than half a day with those in need then there would be more time for the teacher to focus on the average children and ensure that they progress properly. Too much time is spent with the children who have such needs, that the work is set, and those who don't do it, never catch up because there is not enough resources to ensure that that happens.

dizziblonde

kelloggs36 wrote: »

If all the special needs were properly catered for in the classroom ie TAs who could work all day rather than half a day with those in need then there would be more time for the teacher to focus on the average children and ensure that they progress properly. Too much time is spent with the children who have such needs, that the work is set, and those who don't do it, never catch up because there is not enough resources to ensure that that happens.

The TAs who work half days generally only do so because that is all they are funded for. I had a child in my class in the past with quite severe special needs but for whom there was only funding for half the day (the attitude tends to be cover 'em for maths and english and stuff the rest of the time). It's incredibly rare an SEN child will get funding for a full-time TA.

kelloggs36

Exactly what I am saying - put the resources into the schools and the results will improve.