With our current lives filled with numerous distractions, concentrating on a task has become more difficult these days than a decade ago. Adults and children alike are spoilt with choices like watching television, social media, games and fidgeting with phones. So, if adults are finding it challenging to focus on work, how much more kids. This is where parenthood comes to play.
As a parent, you need to get hold of your child and practically control what they do. After school, check if they have homework to do and ensure that it is done on time. But how do you achieve this amid all these distractions? How do you get them to focus? This piece aims to address how to teach kids to focus on homework.
Getting your child hooked to their homework
It is not easy to have a child to concentrate fully on their after schoolwork. Children like to play around, watch television, or engage in other social activities. They are easily distracted and wouldn’t usually want to have anything to do with nightly home tasks. But the following techniques, developed by domyhomework123.com experts that can help you to get them focused:
- Using a timer
When work is time-bound, we try our best to get it done at all costs. You can do this with your kids to get their attention to homework. Before they start with it, set a timer and ask him/her to finish within the set time. Whenever you see him/her losing focus, remind them that they have time to beat.
- Break the work down to include break periods
When your kid has about 30 minutes of homework, you can decide to break it down into three and allocate 10 minutes to each task. Each period should also come with a break so that after every ten minutes, they can have a break of about two minutes, refresh the mind, and continue. This can create enthusiasm and help them to focus.
- Start on a positive note
You can get the best out of kids when you create a positive scene of even a worse situation. Tell your child they can do it; let them know they are the best. When you identify a mistake in their answers, call it out in a positive way without discouraging them. After finishing work on time, give him/her a hi 5, and attribute the success to them staying focused. With that, they would always want to finish their home task quickly.
- Help them when needed
This brings back the question should parent help in homework. When you see your child struggling with homework, don’t appear to be unconcerned. Leaving them to fight through would only draw their attention to other distractions and lose focus. There is nothing wrong with helping your child to do their assignment. You would only need to exercise some restraint.
- Tolerate their little offs
We all get distracted sometimes and may need the motivation to continue working. Your child is no different, so stop expecting them to be superhuman. Turn them back to focus when you notice other things are stealing their attention. Be gentle and calm in doing that.