Help with making homework fun !

flowerscotland

I was hoping for some advice to help both me and my daughter, aged 8, with her homework.

My daughter has a very short concentration span and often gets bored and then has a hissy fit about doing her homework. She gets quite a lot of homework each week and it's a nightmare trying to get her to sit down and do it. We do a bit each night, so she isn't sitting for too long.

She's been tested at school for dyslexia and I've been told although the test gives the 'not at risk' factor, she does have an issue with spelling. They are re-testing her in another year. She also struggles with her maths work, and my other daughter, who is 15 months younger knows the answers when she doesn't !

I have bought things like cubes to help her with her counting and maths work, and those little activity books from Morrison's, and she has a sticker chart for homework too. All this has greatly improved things for both of us, but our schools break up for two weeks tomorrow afternoon, and after a long holiday she always struggles to settle at school, so I thought about doing a little 'work' with her each day, with the activity books etc.

We play games like shops etc, and if we go into a shop and she has a certain amount of money, I ask if you buy that, how much will you have left ? All these things help, if anyone could offer anything similar I would be more than grateful. I don't mind spending money on the activity books and things, as she enjoys it, but if I could do this in a moneysaving way - even better !

wornoutmumoftwo

My 8 year old kept saying to me that his maths was too hard, so there was me thinking the school weren't teaching him properly, but apparently he's the first to pick up a new lesson but once he's done it he can't see the logic in doing it again - love him.

I have a son 14 months younger who is actually further ahead, and when I questioned this the school said to me you can't compare, and that some children do need visual aids more (like the cubes, number line etc).

He detest homework, and I've been told if it's a battle to tell the teacher, and they will address it from their side, and us from our side, so he gets to understand it's his 'job' to do his homework. He only has 15 minutes of homework a night and he's in P2.

I haven't really got any advise as such as it's still a battle ground in our house, but thought I'd reply anyway.