o most, homework is very unappealing. It’s fully understandable why… Imagine how thrilled you would be at the thought of bringing work home. I know most of us do it, but we’re definitely not thrilled about it. Our homes are sacred resting grounds where good food is eaten and memorable family moments are shared. The last thing any of us wants to do is to taint that image with work or HOMEWORK. There are a few tricks we could do to make the experience more fun for our kids though. You could even use these tips for making the experience of bringing home work of your own more fun for yourself as well. Keep in mind though; it’s all in the perception.

Our kids need encouragement, motivation, routine, and from these come the best results, which breeds more of the same. The hardest part of the whole experience is the start. Once started, the routine kicks in and either keeps the pace for success or accelerates it even faster.

If the start is the hardest part, our focus should be on what could provide the encouragement and the motivation for a night of homework. That’s not an easy task at all. Especially since there are so many other things competing for our kids’ attention. A lot those competing alternatives are viewed by our kids as being extremely fun and some of them are. So how are we going to make HOMEWORK more fun than that cool show or that game they’ve been looking forward to watching?

It’s ALL in the Environment

You need to find the best place for them to do their homework. This could be a couple of extra hours in school, a couple of hours in the library after school, or even a place in your home that you’ve set up just for that purpose. Location should be the first part of their routine. Try setting up a homework zone: a place where they will do their homework everyday. Only highly self-motivated people could do the same quality of work in different locations. Most of American employers wouldn’t require their employees to show up to work everyday if they could get the same quality of work with the employee working from home. Using the same idea, it’s good to get your kid used to doing homework in one single place. That way, when it’s time for homework and you get them to that place, it’ll be a lot easier for them to get started, since they’re used to doing their homework in that place everyday.

You should make sure your kids’ homework area is well lit and spacious. It should also be close enough to you just in case you’re needed to answer a question or two from them. Their homework location should be without any distractions at all. No TV, no computer (unless they need it to do the homework), no loud music, no ringing telephone or cellphone, and no kids who don’t have homework that could disrupt the peace and quiet.

Homework Should Start Early

It’s a fact that the best time to complete homework is immediately after school. Simply because the information your kid learned is still fresh in their minds and the knowledge will be reinforced by their homework activities. However, everyone can’t start their homework immediately after school. Some kids need a breather, some time off, some time to themselves, to freshen up, and to get something in their stomachs. It’s alright for your kid to take a small break, approximately 30 minutes to an hour after school should do the trick. They could even have a snack before starting their homework. It’s wise to keep the snack very light so they don’t feel sleepy after eating it. It’s also important to allow them a short 5 minute break for every 30 minutes of studying since 30 minutes is about the normal maximum amount of time the average person could concentrate (for some it could be even less than 30 minutes).

Always remember to keep this as part of their routine. You want them getting used to doing their homework at certain times and expecting to do their homework at the same time every day. It’s also important to note that by starting their homework within an hour of getting out of school, it gives them the right amount of time to complete their homework. If however, their homework is taking too much time and some nights they’re just not able to complete it, then you should speak with their teacher and find out how much time your kids homework should be taking them. Finding out from your teacher the right amount of time your child should be completing their homework in will allow you to spot other problems your child could be facing.

Always have the right supplies needed on hand in your kids designated homework area. There’s probably a whole bunch of math supplies your kid uses. You should have these supplies readily on hand so your child doesn’t have to keep getting up to get something. The act of getting up multiple times to get something will surely disrupt your child’s concentration.

Staying Organized

You should also help your child stay organized by keeping their loose papers for class in labeled folders or trapper keepers. It will definitely help when it’s time to study for an exam. Keeping all related material in labeled folders/trapper keepers will also help your child stay focused and keep their train of thought. The less time spent looking for something, the more time your child will have to focus on their homework assignment.

Getting Started

Even after implementing these strategies, some children could still find it hard to begin doing their homework. I was definitely one of those kids when I was growing up. Homework just seemed so boring to me. You could remedy this feeling by starting their homework WITH them. Once you get the wheel turning for your child’s homework, you could easily slip away to do something while your child continues their assignment.

If all else fails, you could try sweetening their homework deal by offering incentives for doing their homework. Make sure to make a point and tell them that the incentives are for QUALITY HOMEWORK, not just anything. Your ultimate goal with this method though is to use the incentives program to show your child how sweet their successes are all on their own. Once they feel how good it is to do well in school, the incentive for doing their homework will be solely their high marks in school.

So what’s the short of it?

• Create a routine for your child by setting the time and place where they do their homework.
• Create a centralized location where your child does their homework every day and make sure the location is quiet, well lit, full of supplies, and void of distractions.
• Keep the homework area organized and neat so your child will feel encouraged when it’s time to do their homework.
• Start their homework with them in order to get their mental wheels turning.
• If all else fails, create some incentives for them for completing their homework, just enough so they could taste the fruits of their good marks.

Most likely you’ll have to implement a number of these techniques to make homework fun for your child. It’s definitely worth it though since homework plays a huge part in their overall success in school.

Education enthusiast, tutor, teacher, and success mentor, M Tutor is the creator of MyTutorBlog [http://mytutorblog.org]

M Tutor’s main focus is not only helping students achieve their academic goals, but also helping students succeed with their academic achievements. Join the MyTutorBlog Newsletter, on the blog homepage form, for all the latest educational resources, study skills tips and tricks, important news, and tons of free tools as they become available.