Video:Tips for Creating a Back to School Homework Routine

Transcript:Tips for Creating a Back to School Homework Routine

Hi I'm Katherine Lee from About.com, and this is Sarah Welch from GetButtonedUp.com. Today she's here to talk about homework routines for back to school.

Be Consistent With a Back to School Homework Routine

So, believe it or not, kids in kindergarten get homework. Homework is just a fact of life in grade school, and one of the most important things that we as parents can do, is in the early formative years of grammar school, give them very good systematic habits when it comes to homework.  So, number one, pick a consistent time of the day, every single day during the week that is homework time and stick to it. Just get people ready when that clock hits that hour, it's time to focus up. 

Designate an Area for a Back to School Homework Routine

And the second thing is give them, give them an area to focus.  A lot of kids do homework at the kitchen table or in an area that's kind of a play zone, and you can do something very simple with a cardboard presentation kit.  This is one. You can find them at any office superstore. They're usually much taller, you can just cut them in half. This is actually my son's, he painted it green because green is his favorite color.  When it's time to do homework, you just put this up, and that helps them zero in and zone in on the work that they have to do. 

Create a Calendar for a Back to School Homework Routine

And finally, as kids go up in grades, especially when they hit the fourth grade area, they're given projects that take weeks, sometimes months, to complete.  And kids aren't necessarily born with the ability to manage projects over big spans of time.  We have to teach them how to do it.  So, get a calendar, and as they have project work, work with them when they sit down at the beginning and say, ok, what are all of the things on your homework list.  Help them see the big picture, and the nitty gritty of what they have to get done.  

Quiet Time Is Important for a Back to School Homework Routine

Finally, one final thought for families:  if everybody else is playing, and having a great time while someone has to do homework, that can be really hard to concentrate.  So, something you might consider doing is having everybody sit down at the table or in the area at the same time, and maybe smaller kids could be coloring, parents could be answering emails or flipping through a magazine, but it's just sort of focused, quiet, concentration time for the whole family, not just for the poor one who just has to do lots of homework.

Right, so other people aren't watching TV and having fun while your child is doing homework. Exactly, and it goes without saying that screens, especially screens with distracting games and things like that should not be anywhere near where homework is being done. Terrific. 

Thank you so much for these tips on homework for back to school.  For more, go to About.com.