I have a 7 year old son in 2ND who is being lazy with his school work.?

Question

My 7 year old son in 2nd grade was at the top of his class and way ahead of everyone else last year. I have just had conferences and attended his class to find out that he is not putting his best effort in school. Not completeing work and doing any homework is like pulling teeth. It's not that he doesn't know what he is doing it is that he doesn't want to do it. What can I do?

Answer 1

Second grade is a step up and a step harder. Its also even more sitting and less playing. I have a 7 year old 2nd grader too.

When she refuses or doesn't do home work she stays in for recess. She does this if she fails to complete work at school for just sitting there and not doing.
Talk with the teacher about experimenting with his "learning style". Some learning better through reading, while others learn better through hands on things.
Make sure hes getting a regular break between studies... Maybe a drink break if possible. This way if he is overwhelmed he can clear his head for a minute.
When he gets home from school. Let him play for a little while then either the half hour before supper or the half hour after make him sit at the table for homework.. Without TV or video games.
This has worked out well for my daughter

Answer 2

I had the same problem with my son and know of many people who have. It seems that many kids start having these problems in the 2nd grade. It's my belief it's because of the added responsibilities, the need to read more, the less hand holding the teachers do, etc. I went through a whole list of things to find out if it was the teacher, school, our home, our son, or something physically or mentally wrong and found out from both a Pediatrician and a Psychologist that it was Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). I was one of those nay Sayers like Marty K and have done so much research on it and spoke to numerous professionals about it and it is something that needs to be treated. If your child has it and you don't do anything about it, you are setting him up for failure in school, home, and life.

You need to do some research on it, get the school counselor to assist you, and by all means get his diagnosed with whatever he has. There are numerous signs which he can have some or all of the below.

If a family member (mom or dad) has ADD or ADHD, there is a better chance he will have it.

Is he really disorganized, unable to stay focused on subjects he is disinterested in, but can "hyper focus" on things he is and is better at those things than most his peers and even most adults? Does he ignore details, make careless mistakes, has difficulty sustaining attention or listening when directly addressed, difficulty following instructions or finishing tasks
appears forgetful, disorganized, distracted, if this sounds like your little guy, then you probably have your answer.

As for medication, let me give you an example.

My son on no medication - Mean, impulsive, bad grades, terrible handwriting, in trouble all the time, hates himself for getting in trouble, very disorganized, makes a mess of everything, everything is much harder for him to accomplish, home life is not much fun, etc.

My son on medication - Happy, better grades, behaves better, beautiful handwriting, listens to teachers and gets in no trouble, is better organized, proud of himself for getting better grades and not getting in trouble. He will be 13 this month by the way.

Disadvantage to medication - doesn't have a large appetite at lunchtime.

Answer 3

While there are learning disabilities, do you spend time going through your child's school work? You can do this by getting them to practice writing short sentences, giving 2 or 3 words for him/her to make into a sentence.

ie: dog, fence, cat. The dog chased the cat over the fence. Children have great imaginations which should be encouraged, not discouraged.

He is only 7 years old though so don't stress too much.

Answer 4

Take heart, this is the age in which social cliques are becoming issue. Sometimes, kids who excel get picked on a teased for being a "geek" or "nerd". Gently talk to him on this topic and let him know the advantages to being a "geek" are great! The end result of "geek hood" is WEALTH. There is no written law that says that geeks aren't cool, or can't play sports. As a matter of fact, maybe adding a sport could enhance his self esteem. Tell him to embrace his inner geek, and be confident. If the kids call him a name like that, tell him to say "Thank you! I really like being smart, and one day I'm going to have a great paying job."

My son did this, and now he is revered as the "smart kid that will help you" He's become something of a guru and has embraced his mind and future of -being rich-.

Allow me to add, that this was indeed the problem for my oldest son in 2nd grade.

Answer 5

Maybe he is bored with it? Like you said you believe its not that he doesn't know what to do, he just doesn't want to do it. Maybe he needs more of a challenge. Why don't you speak to him and tell him you aren't forcing him to do his school work, but it's very important that he tells you why he doesn't want to do it. If the problem is that he is just plain lazy, then use some forms of positive reinforcement to get him to get the job done. He is just a kid, so eliminating some of the things he loves to do would make him what to do it more, and thus get his work done.

Also, speak to his teacher, ask him/her whether or not they realize if he is bored in class, or doesn't participate - get to the root of the problem - teachers should be helpful in this aspect and work with you to get the best out of your child. Most of all always encourage him, maybe there is an underlying problem that you are not aware of? Worth a try!

Good Luck!

Answer 6

Sometimes gifted students act this way. You said he was way ahead of everyone else last year. Talk to his last year's teacher. Find out if she thinks he might be gifted. Also, talk to the gifted teachers at your school (or district some districts have only certain schools that house the gifted classes). It is common for some gifted students to be underachievers, especially if they do not see the point of the assignment or they already know the information.

Try this website to see if your child fits the criteria of a gifted student:http://www.gifted-children.com/

If not, talk to your son to see what motivates him, positive or negative reinforcement. I took away every privilege from my daughter to try to motivate her. She just got overwhelmed. She is motivated by encouragement and goal setting. I learned from finally asking her!

Answer 7

Well basically just use positive reinforcement. If he starts doing a little bit of homework at first, then praise him! Kid's love hearing their parents praise them, and this will also motivate him to continue with his school work. Maybe there is something that happened that makes him associate negatively with his schoolwork, and therefore he is not doing it? Who knows! It happens. But in any case, just sit down with him and make sure that he is doing his homework, make it a routine, and be happy when he does try!

Answer 8

he's performing out what he grew to become into taught. Did you generally anticipate him to sparkling up after himself? My little ones are not slobs by way of fact they are not given the choice to be slobs. So pass replace issues. Take him to his room and tell him you anticipate him to have it sparkling each night in the previous mattress or the trash can would be taking the failings skipped over. Then do it. If its costly video games and garments, oh nicely. If all he has in his room is a schoolbag and a mattress, oh nicely. purely purchase toys or presents on birthdays and holidays. purely purchase new outfits if its birthdays, holidays, or outgrown. If he would not care the way it seems, then why must you project to characteristic extra issues to his room? no longer attempting to be rude or something, yet each so often slightly hard love can tutor a baby how extreme the mothers and dads rather are. do no longer enable him walk on you. And please do no longer enable him push you over!

Answer 9

Make him do it, tell him no TV or whatever he plays around with is gone and study time is what your supposed to do.

But, I gotta tell you, 2nd grade is nothing. You get an F, you pass, all through elementary years. I know some people that way. So second grade doesn't matter much in college wise.

But I would straighten that lazy boy out.

Answer 10

Again, understand that he's not the one who is wrong here, because school is an unnatural and boring enviroment where he's being pressured by the ambition of adults.

If kids were allowed to pursue their inclinations and unfold in their own time, they would develop better. The ones who excel are aren't trapped in the prison-system/dull captivity enviroment.

Be prepared for those swines to tell you that he has a "disease," like the politically correct "ADHD," or something and then they could want to give him drugs during his prison term.

And of course punishment could occur if he starts showing signs of normalcy or budding masculinity. They can't stand for that.

Stop looking at your son as though he's the one who has the "problem."

Some of the other answers here are a disgrace, from typical clueless people (and unloving in my humble opinion).