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Homework is a mandatory part of school and is designed to help children develop a secure understanding of what they’ve learned. It offers practice and also gives teachers an insight into whether further help is needed. While it sounds great in theory, parents will know how much of a struggle it can be to get children actually doing their homework. If you can relate and are fed up with the nagging, here are some proven parenting tips to help.

Ask Them to Brief You
One of the reasons that children fail to do their homework is not because they’re lazy, it’s because they don’t actually know what they are expected to do. Between class and when they get on to their homework, your child may forget what they’ve been set and how it’s done. To make sure that they’re not just sitting there aimlessly trying to work it out, speak to your child and see if you can help. See if they can brief you perhaps and go from there by reading questions out loud and running through a few examples.

Dealing with Procrastination
The biggest problem that you will probably encounter is procrastination. We all put the things off that we don’t like doing and children are no exception. If your child’s a procrastinator, here are three ways that you can help them with their homework:

Sit with Them
It might be beneficial to sit in on them doing their work. You will be able to make sure that it’s actually done and be there to lend a hand when they’re stuck.

Create a Schedule
Schedules create routine which children thrive from. It can help them to form good habits early on. You will have less whinging on their part and find that it becomes easier to get them to do their work. This is something that you will need to create and compromise on together. Schedules and study timetables should be made with breaks in mind – it’s not realistic for children to study all hours of the day. Speak to them and agree on set times that they will do their work and be sure to make time for fun.

A Reward System
It may be that they need an incentive. While doing homework is great and will benefit them in the long term, there’s not much else to motivate children to do their work. A reward system is something that can help. It turns homework into a bit of a game and is a way of teaching children about the importance of hard work.