Top Tips To Help Make Homework More Fun

10th November 2015

If there’s one thing that every child dreads their parent saying to them, it’s “do your homework!”. There’s no getting away from the fact that most children find homework an annoying chore that gets in the way of them relaxing, playing and having fun after school. However, as an important and necessary part of a child’s education, homework is not a subject that is up for debate and needs to be completed either way.

So to help make homework time less of a gruelling challenge for you parents out there, we’ve come up with some fun ways to help make it more enjoyable for your child.

Games

Although we might not like to believe it, children are often driven by an incentive or reward to get things done. With this in mind, you could try turning homework time into a game. For instance, for every piece of homework they finish, they get a point and the points can be traded in for a prize at the end of the week.

Special homework place

Take the time to create a special place especially for your child to do their homework. This could be a small desk in either their bedroom or another room in the house, such as the conservatory. You could personalise a desk for them with colourful and quirky things, such as artwork, pictures, pencil and pen organisers etc. and, of course, a comfy chair to help them stay put!

Join in with them

If your child tends to work better in a group rather than independently, then you can be their new homework buddy. You can sit down with them whilst they do their work, helping them and encouraging them when they need it. You could also use it as an opportunity to catch up on your own paperwork too.

Embrace the outdoors

If the weather is good enough, you could let your child do their homework outside. Set them up a little workstation with a table and chair or a blanket on the grass, depending on the nature of the homework. The fresh air should help them to concentrate better – especially after they’ve been sat inside a classroom all day.

Routine

Children often work best when they have a routine. Try and introduce homework time at the same time everyday, or every couple of days depending on how busy your child’s homework diary is.

Drinks and snacks

It’s important to give your child healthy snacks to nibble on whilst doing their homework, especially if they make a start on it as soon as they get in from school; chances are they’ll be hungry! Some healthy choices include chopped vegetable and dips, or fruit and mixed nuts. As well as this, make sure they keep hydrated by drinking plenty of water to help with their concentration levels too.

Regular breaks

After your child has finished one piece of homework, let them take a break. A physical break away from the desk or area they are working at is highly beneficial for them. It gives them time to stretch their legs and concentrate on other things that are not related to the task they were doing previously. This will help them refocus when they come to move on to the next piece of homework.

So next time your child has homework to do, try giving some of our top tips a go and homework time will hopefully become far easier in your household!

If you’re looking for after-school care for your child, then Tiny World are the childcare specialists to rely on. We can be there to collect your child from school, give them their tea, let them play and offer them a friendly and supportive environment to complete their homework in, with staff on hand to help should they need it. For further details about our after-school club, please contact us today.