The sun shines even without a double "n"
The fact that schoolchildren often don't feel like learning is "a completely normal motivational situation for a completely normal child", reassures school psychologist Christoph Eichhorn. But homework still has to be done. That's why the educational counsellor has a few tips for parents.
Children generally don't care too much whether you spell "sun" with one "n" or two. However, they do care that the sun is shining and their friends are outside playing. This is roughly how school psychologist Christoph Eichhorn describes the core of some of the drama surrounding homework that regularly takes place in many families.
If children don't feel like doing their homework, it doesn't necessarily mean that the subject matter doesn't interest them. It's just that there's a lot that's even more exciting after school. Nevertheless, maths problems have to be solved and dictations practised. So what can parents do to make it easier for children to sit down again after school?
Quiet, space and light
Let's start where a few simple steps can make a difference: the learning environment. Just like adults, children should have a constant place where they can work. The place needs to be quiet, which means that siblings (and smartphones) should stay outside. The space should have enough light and be ventilated before learning, as Sabine Seyffert writes in the book "Relaxed children learn better". Children must be able to sit comfortably, preferably on a desk chair whose seat height and backrest can be adjusted. It is important that the child feels comfortable; setting up the workspace together with them can help achieve this.
Rules and rituals
A teacher structures the entire learning process at school. At home, however, this framework is missing and learning demands much more self-control and self-organisation from the children, as the educational consultant Eichhorn writes in his book "Bei schlechten Noten helfen gute Eltern". He therefore recommends that mums and dads decide with their child from the outset when and for how long homework should be done. This also includes discussing the consequences of not sticking to the agreed times. This could be a note in the homework booklet that the child has started their homework too late and has not been able to complete it all. Such a framework not only ensures that children don't dawdle over their homework, but also that they still have enough time for other things.
A ritual can make the transition from free time to study time easier. This could be, for example, setting an alarm clock so that it announces that homework time starts in five minutes. But it can also be the time when the child sets up their workstation or when you drink a glass of orange juice with them and ask how their day was.
Helping is not always helping
The aim of these basic rules is to give the child responsibility for their homework as soon as possible. They should not only learn to complete their homework independently, but also to check for themselves whether everything has been done and whether they have understood the task correctly. Eichhorn is convinced that it is counterproductive for parents to increasingly take control out of concern for school performance. This reinforces the impression in the child that they are obviously unable to solve the situation on their own. At the same time, they feel less responsible for their work, knowing that their parents are still keeping an eye on it.
When should you help with homework and how? Eichhorn advises parents not to go to the child in between and check what they are doing. It's best to only get involved if you are explicitly asked for help. And even then, it's not about translating English words for your child if they can look them up in the dictionary themselves. Ultimately, this only conveys to the child that they are obviously unable to cope with the demands placed on them. However, you can certainly ask what they could do to come up with a solution themselves. For example, they might suggest reading through the text again.
Errors and frustration are part of the process
Even if you do everything right as a parent and coach your child in an exemplary manner, it is quite possible that they will often not feel like learning, as Eichhorn writes. "This is a completely normal motivational situation for a completely normal child." Accordingly, there are no magic tricks that will suddenly turn your child into an enthusiastic learner.
Parents can give their children a realistic picture and talk to them about the fact that learning is often exhausting. That it is normal to make mistakes and just as human to be annoyed about them. But that this is no reason to give up. Because even later in life, you will sometimes have to do things properly that are not particularly enjoyable.
Foundation of learning success
Parents are not teachers - nor should they be. Although it is usually at school that children learn how to divide and what the capital of Venezuela is, the home has a decisive influence on their learning success. In the family, they not only see how and whether their parents and siblings learn, but ideally acquire the foundation they need to bite through complicated fractions and understand Spanish poetry: Curiosity, motivation, self-control, frustration tolerance and perseverance.
A passionate journalist and mother of two sons who moved from Zurich to Lisbon with her husband in 2014. Does her writing in cafés and appreciates that life has been treating her well in general. <br><a href="http://uemityoker.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">uemityoker.wordpress.com</a>