how to motivate my 10-yr-old son to do his homework?

Question

my 10-yr-old son loves drawing comics, as well as most topics pertaining to Science. But he simply hates doing his homework. he would spend hours doodling, but just would not do his homework. Or he might just do them with a "get-it-over-n-done with" attitude. I have tried both positive n negative reinforcements, but nothng seems to work.
Any suggestions???

Thank you for all your answers.

I have tried taking away his tv priviledges ( still doing it)...m still offering to sit with him n work out the difficult bits of his homework...but he ends up leaving all work to be done when I am home, or he gets irritated that he still has to work somemore...am working in the day and can't be with him when he is home from school in the afternoon (that's when most time is wasted)...i call home to ask what work he has n urges him to get them done, so that he can have the rest of the day/evening to do his own things...nothing seems to work. i haven't tried chores as an alternative. though that sounds like a great idea, with my mum being with my kid in the day, that may backfire...

thanks again..for all the suggestions. :)))

oh..and i have tried rewarding him with a point(s) system, for when he gets his work done...it worked for a short while...then tho I kept it up, the "system" seemed to have died on my kid...n he is back to his old ways... : <

Answer 1

Yikes I remember those years I raised 3 boys, now 15, 20, and 23, and though they were good students homework was always an issue in our home. I too was a working mom and I had to shift homework time to after supper and we all sat down at the kitchen table for homework. Until everyone's homework was done no one was allowed to watch TV. Even though I had 1000 things to do, as I am sure you do, in the evenings I just made a point of sitting with the boys while they were doing their homework. Usually I used that time to read, clip coupons, worked on my checkbook, etc... so they saw that homework is a way of life even after you are out of school. Good Luck to you

Answer 2

As a teacher, this is one of the most often asked questions. The two most likely possibilities are that either the work is too difficult, or, oddly enough, the work is too easy, and the student is bored with it. Of course, there are other possibilities, and you know your child best.

Is there any sort of afterschool program at your son's school? I teach at a tiny school, but we still provide after school activities so we have fewer "latch-key" kids. You might want to look into this. Ours has a homework period component that uses positive peer pressure to get the work done. All the kids get a break right after school to run around and play. Then they have a quiet homework period. Each student must complete a certain amount (not necessarily all) of homework before the next fun activity can begin. Everyone must wait, reading quietly, until EVERYONE is done. No one wants to be the one that has delayed the fun from starting.

Even if there is a cost for this (we charge $2 per hour) it might be worth it to relieve the stress occurring at home.

There are very few things that a child has control over. One is school work. I have seen many students use homework as a hammer to beat parents with, and the parents rarely understand that the student may be using this as a way to control the parent. Naturally, children want a parent's undivided attention, and sometimes kids have found that the quickest way to get it is through homework. Just a thought...

Answer 3

He is still young and most kids that age hates doing homework. Personally, I think since it's difficult to make him do homework on his own since U are working, U may as well make him take a nap or something in the afternoon and when U are off work, do it with him. I am sure when U are around, he will be able to do so. Otherwise, hire a tutor for him in the afternoon, say three times a week, then he will not waste his afternoons away. If U can afford it, U can hire a tutor 5 times a week. A few hours a day is good enough. If he dreads having tuition so many times a week, U can even threaten him with it. lol...

Answer 4

Well, a "get-it-over-n-done-with" attitude isn't bad. I took that attitude toward homework, and I did very well in school. I hated homework, but I did get it done - and over with. Almost no kid *likes* homework, so just try to make a quiet, non-distracting environment for him while he does it, and then reward him afterward (you're right-on with that positive reinforcement). Remind him that if he just sits down and keeps his mind on it until it's done, it shouldn't take too long. And then do something fun together when it's done - like a game, go for a walk together, etc.

The positive reinforcement plan is your best bet. And definitely no TV or video games until the homework is done.

Answer 5

First, is it a matter of motivation or frustration. He may have troubles understanding the material he is reading. There is a big difference between reading for fun and reading for information. He may NOT know how.
Think about it for a moment, if I don't understand what I read, and I don't know why. How much sense are the questions going to make. Then I have to sit here and I don't know why I don't understand. I don't like to sit, this sucks, it is going to take FOREVER! etc.

If that is what the picture looks like, you have frustration. Something is not clicking and he needs help understand why.

Think about what Science looked like when you were in school. Was it fun?? Did you enjoy it reading from the book and answer questions? High school science was more fun b/c you were able to cut things up and discover WHY? Make connections to the text to create a better understand.

Answer 6

well, if he only has a couple hours to himself until you get home from work, i wouldn't worry too much about him doing leisure activities. no matter what you say, it is hard to make a child do something when you are not around.
when you do get home(if it is a reasonable hour!) eat dinner, then sit down with him(yes, make him sit with you, do not merely offer!) and start with something he likes, such as science. help him with it, then proceed to do the homework that he dislikes, then end it with something he likes to do. give him lot's of praise for doing it, and when it is all done, do something fun together, such as baseball or a walk. after a month of getting your homework done together, he will probably look forward to spending time with you--i would reward him then with a nice meal at a restaurant or maybe a good science book(do not overkill the rewards, and definitely don't buy him something that would prevent him from doing his homework in the first place, such as a toy). always make doing the homework fun and not a chore.
keep at it, and don't give up! i assure you, with your help, your son will eventually want to do his homework. :-)

Answer 7

no home work no rewards ...let child do chores ...or work a little bit around the house something that he does not want to do ...and the alternative is for him to want to do home work instead of chores if does home work then a reward is chosen by u to give...no outside privileges..until home work is done....it is a training process ..i as a single father had trouble out of my child at the beginning of 2ND and 3rd grades child awareness starts about this age as he can see what others do ,,is called copycat syndrome but he has to be made aware of he is not the other child ....be firm but fair at the same time ..maybe this will help child rearing is hard ....even young child can see weakness in person by attitude..start it stick with it eventually he/she will come to terms with u ...never back down ...for every action there is reverse and opposite reaction ..

Answer 8

First, evaluate your child. Is he becoming lazy at everything or just homework. Some kids are just procrastinators, they sincerely believe they will do it later, but time inevitably runs out. Some kids are exercising independence at that age. Parents tell them what to do, when they are home, teachers tell them what to do when they are at school, so when you're at work and he gets home from school this is his only "nobody-can-tell-me-what-to-do" time.
What I did with my 8yo is (and I know this sounds weird) I started pitting myself against my daughters teacher. What I mean is I started saying what she was saying, "your teacher assigns too much homework", "your teacher is mean", "I am going to go talk to her and see if you can get out of some of this homework." And you really gotta sell it. See, two things happen. 1) You seem like you are sticking up for your kid, so you're not the bad guy. 2) School is a different world for kids and they like to keep their two worlds from mixing as much as possible, so they do the homework to keep from being embarrassed at school and they even stop complaining about it. At least that's what happened at my house

Answer 9

Why don't you just go the old-fashioned route and beat the crap out of him when he doesn't do his homework. Make him go outside and get a branch and then smack him with it when he's being a selfish little brat. You're probably a suburban mom who doesn't do anything but stay at home with the kids, so why not make your life somewhat interesting. Smacking the kids around is fun, and it'll make your son stop whining and being a little brat.

Answer 10

Establish a set time for homework. Do not listen to his pleas that he will do it later. Sit with him while he does his homework. Do not do his homework for him but be right at his side to keep him on track.

Of course, punishment like not getting ice cream, no television, or playing with friends is a good incentive if it becomes out of hand.

The bottom line is YOU ARE THE PARENT. Be involved.