8yr old homework motivation problem
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re... : 8yr old homework motivation problem 
09/11/2008 15:02 - Ask Mother Hen
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Great to hear it worked for you. Thanks for the feedback!
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re : 8yr old homework motivation problem
20/10/2008 20:21 - Ask Mother Hen
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This is quite a stressful but common situation. When you met with your son’s teacher did she mention if he has any particular difficulty which might need to be addressed? Spending two hours on homework, seems quite long and likely to be counter-productive (check what the teacher recommends for your child’s class). If the teacher feels he’s not reaching his potential it might be that he’s bored in school. Can the teacher give him some material that is more challenging? The aim is to try and change schoolwork into a more positive experience for your son.
The second thing to remember is that doing homework is your son’s responsibility and not yours. While you can be there in the background supporting and facilitating, you cannot do the homework for your son and you should try to back off a little and let him take responsibility to complete it.
The sorts of things you can do to help are as follows
1) Set a time limit for the homework (based on the teacher’s recommendation). If he finishes it sooner well and good, but he should stop when he reaches this time. If he hasn’t finished by then he must go into school and tell his teacher (and thus take responsibility himself).
2) Be encouraging and take an interest in your son’s homework. Give him some help if he asks, but make sure to give him the space to do it himself. When he has completed his homework, ask him to tell you what he has done and be very encouraging about anything he has done well.
3) Make sure something rewarding follows the homework (something he really enjoys). This will encourage him to work on the homework in order to achieve the reward.
4) A chart may work for him too. You might agree that when he finishes his homework within the agreed time he gets a tick on the chart. If he gets four ticks in the week, then he’s able to get a DVD at the weekend (or a similar treat).
If he is doing the homework when you come in from work he may be tired. When children are tired, it’s hard for them to concentrate etc. Is it possible for him to do it when he comes home from school and is in childcare? This way he will be working with other children and you’ll only have to check the completed homework.
The main thing is to encourage the good things he’s doing. If a child is being told by his teacher and also his parents that he’s not working or is behaving badly, then he won’t feel good about himself. Catch him being good. Notice what he has already done in his homework and let him know that you know he can do more. Encouragement is very important for children.
These are a few ideas that we hope will help ease this situation for you both.
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re... : 8yr old homework motivation problem
07/11/2008 11:33 - Ask Mother Hen
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Hi Mother Hen
I was having a somewhat similar problem with my 7 yr old son - .i.e. taking ages to complete his homework. I took up your suggestion of setting a time limit coupled with letting him know that if he hadn´t completed his homework within the timeframe he wouldn´t have computer time - something he really enjoys. Have only put this into practice the last couple of weeks but it has definitely improved his daydreaming and speeded up the homework process. So thanks for the tip.
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8yr old homework motivation problem
20/10/2008 20:19 - Ask Mother Hen
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Hi Mother Hen, i have an 8 yr old boy who has just started 3rd class and already his teacher has called me in to complain that he is not motivated or reaching his potential, any ideas on how to motivate him at home, his homework is taking over 2 hrs a night to complete and i have to sit with him to keep him focussed and thats after i work a full day myself.
Suzy
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re : 8yr old homework motivation problem
22/10/2008 11:59 - Ask Mother Hen
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Thanks very much for that.i am encouraging him to try do some homework before i come home so we can enjoy spending some time together in the evenings. He is getting there bit by bit.
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re : 8yr old homework motivation problem
23/12/2008 01:06 - Ask Mother Hen
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my 11year old needs to find a place were she can do acting we live in silver spring md
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