Keep this in mind: You cannot allow your child to be indifferent about homework. If your child learns that it is all right not to do his or her best work, that attitude can be carried outside of school to a job where boss is much less sympathetic about sloppy work. Now is the time to impress upon your child the importance of doing the best work he or she is capable of.
Homework is an excellent way to teach your child the importance of starting, sticking with and completing a job. It is also an opportunity to teach your child to do the best work he or she can. Rushing through homework in order to watch TV, talk no the telephone, or go with friends is common at this age. You need to let your child know that doing homework and doing it well is a responsibility. Letting your child rush through an assignment or do sloppy work is teaching that it is all right not to do his or her best work.
- Tell your child what you expect.
“I have been looking at your homework assignments and I know you can do a better job. You are not to rush through your assignments. I want you to take your time and do the best work you can. Sloppy work with a lot of mistakes is not acceptable.’
- Praise your child when he or she does good work.
Simply telling your child what you expect may be enough to inspire better work. If so, your child is doing better work for you and you need to recognize this effort. After you talk with your child, check the very next assignment. If the work is better, praise the effort b saying things like “Great job getting your homework done” or “I like how neat your work is today. Keep up the good work.” Praising your child for good work is the best way to encourage continued best efforts.
- Set up Required Homework Time.
If your child still rushes through homework, it is probably because the faster it is done, the more time he or she will have to spend with friends or to watch TV. Required Homework Time takes away the advantages of racing through homework as quickly as possible.
Required Homework Time means that a child must use the entire scheduled Daily Homework Time for homework or other academic activities whether or not homework is completed. In other words, if an hour and a half is allotted each night (for example, 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.) for Daily Homework Time, the entire time must be spent on homework. If homework is finished, the rest of the time must be spent on other academic work such as reading or reviewing textbooks or class notes. When your child learns that rushing through homework will not be rewarded with more free time, he or she will learn quickly to slow down and do a better job.
- Give your child additional incentives to do a better job.
Encourage your child to continue good work by giving a reward or a point toward a special privilege or prize each time homework is completed. For instance, each night your child does a good job on homework, one point is earned. When your child has earned ten points, he or she is rewarded with a special privilege.
- If all else fails, contact the teacher.
If you have tried the first four steps on this sheet and your child is still not doing his or her best work, you should contact the teacher immediately. You and the teacher must work together to improve your child’s performance.
From “Teaching Responsible Homework Habits” by Lee Canter & Associates
