Do my homework

Doing homework is one of the most tedious activities for schoolchildren and their parents, and often takes a long time. With the advice of the Foxford Externship and Home School experts, you will learn how to help your child do their homework quickly, effectively and without tears.

According to a study by Office Deport, 25% of American families believe that schoolchildren are being asked more at home than they are capable of doing. Almost 50% of mums and dads would like to cancel their homework in at least one subject.

Four out of five parents said that they have difficulty understanding school assignments, and every third admitted that they are finishing homework for their child. Moms and dads help children with lessons to reduce their physical activity and relieve emotional stress in the family. 40% of the respondents admitted that at least once a week they quarrel with their children because of the lessons.

In Russia, the situation with homework is also tense. Their cancellation has been discussed for several years. Indeed, according to a study by the Scientific Center for Children's Health, the daily total educational load of students in grades 5-9 is 10-13 hours. That's 50 to 78 hours a week. For comparison, an adult's work week is 40 hours.

There are rules for how much time schoolchildren of different ages should spend on homework per day: grades 4-5 - 2 hours, grades 6-8 - 2.5 hours, 9-11 - no more than 3.5 hours. However, in practice, these norms are not observed; Russians also have to help children with homework every day.

Last fall, stand-up comedian Alexei Shcherbakov joked about school homework, and this performance blew up the Runet. “I am 30 years old, and I do my homework every day” - the comedian got into the pain of his parents so accurately that even the governors started talking about canceling homework.

Doing homework without adult help

At Foxford's online home school, each lesson is accompanied by assignments, sometimes even a deadline is set for their completion. But these are not classic grade homework. The Foxford assignments are an opportunity to practice the acquired knowledge in practice. Their implementation is voluntary: the better you decide something, the more "experience points" you get. In order not to spoil motivation, no marks are given. The ability to safely make mistakes when completing a task develops independence in children, they are less and less calling on mom and dad for help. Parents' success in mastering certain topics is helped to track the reports of the curators.

How to do homework quickly and correctly

Foxford Home School experts have drawn up rules for homework. We hope our recommendations will help your child do their homework quickly, efficiently and stress-free.

Rule 1. Doing homework should become a habit

Doing homework at home should be as natural as brushing your teeth or making your bed. It is necessary to form this pattern from the first grade. It is advisable that the child practices at the same time and this is preceded by some kind of ritual. For example, turning on a desk lamp or folding notebooks on the table. The brain will get used to this routine and will tune in to learning as soon as the ritual begins.

When homework becomes less of a choice but a habit of your child, the likelihood of putting it off until later becomes less likely.

Rule 2. There should be nothing superfluous in the workplace

The surrounding space affects a person's productivity. It is important to provide a normal temperature, light and silence in the child's room.

The student's desk should always be cleaned. There should be enough space for a laptop, textbooks, exercise books, and other study supplies. Avoid cluttering the workplace with stuffed toys, photo frames, and other things that might distract your child from doing their homework.

Rule 3. The child should have not only a class schedule, but also a schedule for homework

Planning relieves anxiety. It is important for the student to clearly see what lessons he needs to do. Sit down and work with him to schedule homework. Set the frequency of solving regular tasks, prioritize tasks that are due. Controlling the situation gives the child confidence that he is able to cope with all this.

Let the student write the plan himself, and preferably on paper, not in a gadget. According to many psychologists, writing down goals and objectives by hand increases the likelihood that a person will follow them.

Rule 4. Large tasks must be broken into parts

An essay, a presentation, a scientific experiment - all this requires serious, thoughtful and phased work. Help your child break down a large task into parts and include each part in the lesson schedule. Balancing the load will eliminate the feeling that large tasks are long, difficult and tedious.

Rule 5. Start doing your homework better with the most difficult subject

The desire to put off things we don't like is at the core of human nature. But the resources of time, attention and energy are limited. Therefore, homework should be started with the subject that is the worst given or least liked by the child.

The more effort the student spends on simple tasks, the more difficult it will be for him to move on to complex ones. And by completing a difficult task right away, the child will receive a charge of positive emotions and easily finish the rest of the homework.

Rule 6. Every 30-50 minutes you need to take a short break

Intense mental activity should be alternated with physical activity or simple short doing nothing. Establish a rule: every 30-50 minutes of homework decision, take ten-minute breaks. Cutting work is called the "Pomodoro" method, we talked about it in an article with time management techniques.

The child will be happy to be distracted, just agree in advance that the "break" in the preparation of homework will take place without social networks and serials. Explain to the student that the new flow of information will keep the brain from relaxing. Better to walk the dog or eat something nutritious. For example, nuts stimulate brain activity.