Six year old lying about homework?

Question

My daughter just started kindergarten and is usually sent home with homework. When we ask her if she has any, she'll say 'no'...but when we check her bag, she DOES. When we ask her about it, her only response is "oh, yeah I knew about that".... She does admit that she had it after we ask her about it and show it to her. Does anyone have any techniques about getting her to tell the truth? We want to help her learn to be responsible...I know she's six, but never too early to start!

She does enjoy doing the homework she has, it's just the lying part....

Answer 1

As an RN and a mom of 5 I know how much it hurts to have your children lie. You need to nip this in the butt quick the longer she does it the worse it will get. Try getting on her level and explain to her that this is not acceptable behavior and how much it hurts you to know she doesn't tell you the truth about something so simple as kindergarten homework and find out why. Be as much a part of her life as you can so she can feel she can talk to you about anything. Hiding the truth can only hurt the both of you. Good Luck!

Answer 2

My daughter is 13, so been there, gone through it all...hahha

First of all, at 6, homework should only be fun activities, coloring red where it says red, handwriting A,B,Cs, connecting dots, simple, ya know and it shouldn't a) take them too long or b) be mandatory.

The point of homework at this age is to introduce them to the concept and put a more positive spin on it. Are you sure your child is lying, are you sure at 6 their not absolutely forgetful. Mine still forgets what's in her backpack (hahaha). Maybe you should, until they reach 3rd grade, lay off just a little. Instead of making it their responsibility to remember what's in the bag, make it a routine responsibility to go through their bag together at the end of the school day. Then you'll both discover what's in there, and have a specific homework period, but don't make it too serious... it's supposed to be all fun at 6.

So this fall when your daughter comes home, start a new routine... so what's in your bag today? Rather than her having to remember, have her go into to her bag. This will also teach organization.

Finally, if you're child is actually lying. Find out why at 6 your child feels compelled to lie, at this age, the only reason I could image she'd lie is if it's become a chore.

Hope that helped, of course every kid is different!

Answer 3

Um this may sound like a stupid question, but why does a six year old have homework? I never got homework until I was in 5th grade. Why are they giving 6 year olds homework? Do they want to start the decline into hell early these days? Personally I don't blame her for lying. Who wants to do homework when you're six?! I really think she's too young to be punished for that. I would say just tell her it's not ok to lie about it and then help her out with it. Find out why she lies. Don't just punish her for something if you don't know why she does it. Personally I think schools need to rethink what they're doing. We have classrooms that are underfunded for a reason. Kids are supposed to learn there, not get 80 pages of work they have to do at home when they should be playing and enjoying their young lives.

Answer 4

Don't give her the opportunity to lie. Don't ask her if she has homework. Say in a happy tone: "Ok, it's homework time, go get your book bag and let's get started." When she gets done, give her a big hug and tell her what a good job she did. You may want to do it at a set time, or right after dinner. After a few days, tell her that you would like her to get her bag and start doing her homework right after dinner. You will have to remind her, but try to let it become her responsibility.

Here is the key, if she has no homework and some days she may not, then have her do something else. This way she will not be tempted to lie about not having homework, if she does not want to do it or wants to do something else instead.

Good Luck

Answer 5

Set aside a time for homework that is as consistent as possible every day. Make sure she has a place to do it that is free of distractions. At this age, parental assistance on homework is essential. Begin by asking her about her day in school. Ask her to teach you something she learned. Then go through her book bag and look for assignments. Ask her what she needs to do to complete the assignments. Then do a couple of the items with her explaining. Tell her you are so proud that she is learning so much. If there aren't any assignments, look for papers she completed in class that are less than 100%. Go over them with her, focusing on the correct answers and tell her you are sure she can correct the wrong ones.
Children at the primary level really need parents to hold their hands through the home portion of learning. The more interest you show, the better student she will become.

Answer 6

There must be some reason she doesn't want to do the homework if she's telling you no.

Maybe think of a way to make doing homework fun instead of a chore, like get her a special (Barbie, Dora, Disney -- whatever she likes) little table and chair and only let her use them for homework. And get her a cute pencil that she can only use for homework.

Are you sending her away from you to do homework? Maybe it would help her not feel left out to be in the same room with you. Are you micromanaging how she works on it? Maybe need to back off. Could be a lot of different issues at work there, or maybe she would just rather watch TV.

Answer 7

If you know she has homework everyday don't ask Do you have homework say let me see what you have for homework don't give her the chance to lie. And don't let her go get it out of her bag watch her take it out the bag. My son he is 7 and last school year he would hide his homework in the house.

And also get a realationship with her teacher. Inform your daughter that you will call her teacher or talk to her teacher after school in front of her so she will know she won't be able to fool anyone. Because she just may try leaving it at school like my brother did. And if the is a day that she doesn't have homework still have work for her to do at home. You can find workbooks at Walmart, Kmart, Sams,Target, and the teacher store....Good Luck

Answer 8

Don't give her the chance to lie. Dont ask if she has homework..instead tell her it's time to do homework or say "let me see what homework you have"

To Lecrapface: Kids in Kindergarten have been getting homework for quite sometime now. You must have been to a terrible school if you only started getting it in 5th grade. By the way, 6 year olds get a page or 2 of very basic stuff that takes less then half an hour.

Answer 9

No, it's never too early! My son was the same way. OK he is a HS senior and it STILL the same way. I had him tested for ADD and had him on Ritalin. That didn't work out very well--he was no better about it. I have struggled with this for many years, and all I have been is irritated and frustrated, and he didn't care. We have tried all manner of things--taking away priveleges, instituting routines, living with the bad grades(under the suffering the consequences of his actions principle), star charts, washing his mouth out for lying, having lockers, not using lockers, different folder systems, etc. As you can see, I've tried it all! In the end, the thing that makes him the most organized is being really busy all the time! He is very involved in drama--in school and in the community--he is almost always in a show. I don't know if it is the line memorization or what, but when he is in a show, he gets more done, and is much more likely to do his homework. He is an honors student--it doesn't hurt that he is really smart! I wish you luck with your daughter. It is a long road, but don't give up! She may just need to find her thing!

Answer 10

Does she lie about anything else? If not;
Don't give her the option, when she gets home from school make an event out of getting her stuff out of her backpack, asking how her day was, what she learnt, and if she has any questions about what she did during the day.
This is all very new for her, the routine of school, coming home, doing homework. Make it as special as you can, so that it's not a chore, it's something that you guys can do together. Maybe some of the work is a little overwhelming, if you tackle it together she may be excited to come home and show you what she's working on.
Yet another exuse for quality time between you and your daugher, who doesn't love that?

Answer 11

To start off with, I agree with others about taking away something whenever she lies, like a favorite toy or TV time. Also, something else that might work and it did for my children, is to make them sit at the kitchen table out of sight of the TV, do this when she first gets home from school. She is allowed up to use the bathroom, but until she finishes her homework, she must sit there. And stay strong, don't give in to any amount of crying or pouting that may occur. After a while, she'll understand that homework comes first and that when the work is done, she can have fun. It may sound mean, but sometimes tough love is required.