Establishing a Homework Routine for Kids

Organizing the kids’ afterschool time can be very challenging. School hours are so long these days, that not much time is left in the evening. But homework is an essential part of student life and is crucial to aid their learning process. Establishing a friendly, but strict, homework routine after they come home from school is very important.

Here are some ideas from my kids’ routine to make this task easier.

1. Designate Places for School Stuff

Make a place for every school stuff that the kids will need again the next day. For e.g. their school bag, their shoes etc. Ask kids to keep every thing in the designated place. If there is a set place, the kids will not waste time and have more time on their hands.

2. Check Homework/Class Work

After freshening themselves up, make the kids sit down for their afterschool snacks or meal. While they eat, check their school diary for homework. Also, check if any classwork is incomplete and look for any other notes from the teacher, materials to be carried the next day etc.

3. Create a Homework/Study Spot

A homework or study spot does not have to be a desk. If you have a study desk, that is great. If you don’t have one, just assign them a chair on the dining table or even a sofa. Make sure this study spot is far away from distractions, is well-lit and has space for them to keep the immediate supplies they will need. Keep adequate supplies near this spot – extra pens, pencils, tape, glue, staplers, markers etc. for ease of working.

4. Work Methodically on the Homework

Try to work methodically. Start with homework that requires less time and more creativity. Keep laborious tasks like writing 2 pages, for the end. If you begin with something like that, you will never reach the end.

Work on one subject at a time. When all the homework is done, check the schoolwork for the day. If anything has been left incomplete during the class, make them complete it right now so that your child is neck-to-neck with the course the next day. If this is not taken care of, there will develop too much of a backlog to fill up.

5. Put Everything Back in the School Bag

As soon as each homework assignment is complete, ask the kids to put it back in the school bag immediately. This will ensure that the kids do not leave the school books at home and the homework is submitted to the teachers on time.

6. Divide School Projects by Days

The new CCE curriculum by CBSE encourages a lot of individual and group school projects. As soon as the date of submission for each project is given, write it down on a pin board near the study area or any other conspicuous spot where you will see it every day. Now, divide the project work into the number of days you have and do a portion of the project every day. For e.g. if your child is required to make chart containing pictures, devote one day to cutting out pictures, another day to pasting them and yet another day to writing the information. In this way, the school project will not hamper daily homework and will be completed on time.

7. Use a Realistic Time Span

It is important that kids play every day, so try to make their study/homework time very realistic. Their should be enough time to complete their homework and do a quick revision, before heading out for play time. The time span should also not be too short. At least one hour should be devoted to daily studies and will be helpful in instilling good studying habits in younger children. Daily studies in a routine manner will also help increase your child’s personal attention span.