I sat with each of my kids and, after reading homework assignments, we did the homework together. It was quality, fun time (mostly) with each child individually, and the homework got completed. This also kept me up-to-date on what they were being taught.
By Beverley from Oak Hills, CA
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My grandson begins 2nd grade this year. My daughter found a $2 plastic tackle type box at the local toy store. She filled it with pencils, crayons, pencil grips, scissors, stapler, tape, etc., everything you would need for homework supplies.
This is my homework center, I used magnetic paint to do a chore chart. I put window brackets and a long piece of wood to hold paper work/pictures.
To control all the essentials of homework, I bought a box that holds hanging file folders (make it a cute one). I then put tabs for each of my children so I could hold spelling tests, sight words and other papers that we use year round.
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
My son is in 4th grade and frequently forgets to bring his homework home from school. Does anyone have any ideas on how to make him remember to make sure that he puts his homework in his backpack? Thank you.
Hmmm; you might want to enlist the teacher's help on this one. (In fact, I am rather surprised he/she does not remind the children.) In our elementary schools, the teachers post the assignments on a chalkboard or dry-erase board every day in the same spot, so that the children can never say they didn't know. And if some kids needed extra help with organization, the teachers would remind them to check the board and be sure to pack up their homework at the end of the day, when everyone was packing up for the bus lines, etc.
Hopefully your son's teacher is approachable--I would send a note, or call and ask if you might get together (or talk on the phone) to strategize ways to help your son improve his "organizational skills".
(This seems less likely to make the teacher think you're expecting him/her to do the remembering.)
Good luck!
I feel fairly sure the teacher DOES remind the kids again and again to pack homework. I know because I've been there - both as a teacher and as a mother of some very forgetful kids. If the teacher had time (and if this is a problem for several) he/she could require them to have assignments written in a notebook and necessary books laid out for teacher to see before school is out.
You might want to check if the assignments are on the school web site.
When my son was in thrid grade he had a terrible time remembering to bring his homework home. Because we lived about a 10 minute walk from school (and the teacher was very cooperative) the solution was that he had to walk back to school to pick it up. Making him responsible and requiring HIM to do the work helped him remember to bring it home the first time.
If your child uses a bus, obviously this won't work, but if he's at a neighborhood school, it might. Also, my children have a school binder that goes home every single day. In it is a folder with holes punched so it stays in the binder. All homework comes home in that folder and goes back in it. You could do that with or without the binder. Get the teacher onboard though.
Be sure he really is forgetting his homework. As a kid, I often "forgot" my homework. My dad got sick of hearing this excuse for not doing my assignments and gave me some homework of his own.
If I were a teacher, I would create a "buddy system" of kids, pairing the very responsible kids with those who need it the most, but having everyone participate. They can check each other's back pack at the end of the day, saving the teacher having to check the whole class. When one child is sick, the teacher can fill in for the sick child, since he or she might have to prepare work for the sick child anyway.
Most teachers will send you the homwork assignments via e-mail if you ask. We had this problem with our daughter and so we checked in with the teacher a lot to make sure the assignments were being done. Taking phone privlages and MP3 player worked too.
Our son however we take video games/TV away. It depends on the child as to what you can use for leverage to make them remember.
My son had the same problem. I would remind him in the morning to make sure he brought his homework home that night. Then, when I would pick him up I would ask if he had his homework. My constant reminders annoyed him but eventually he got into a habit of getting his homework.
Also, make sure you are keeping in touch with his teacher. Usually, he/she let you know what your child is missing and you two can find a solution that works.
Is your child forgetful about other things? I ask this because, like the other poster, he may be "forgetting" on purpose. I would make him go back to school and get the homework. If the distance is too great, you could have "homework" on hand that he has to do even if stuff is forgotten, such as working on memorizing multiplication facts, extra math pages, little stories to read with questions to answer, so that he learns that forgetting is not very profitable. I would not make this stuff that is punishment, like writing lines, but things that are educational, but not assigned by the school.
What sort of homework is he forgetting? Is it a daily math assignment, stories to read?? Can you phone someone else who has a child in that class and get the work? For example, if it was spelling words to study, this would work.
Is your child forgetting because he is disorganized, and doesn't put it in his bookbag right away? You could have a talk with the teacher and see if there is something she could do on her end. As a teacher, I used to INSIST that students put their math assignments DIRECTLY in their bookbags IMMEDIATELY at the end of math period. This is a big help. Of course, some kids just stuffed these in their lockers and so the books didn't get home, but these were either very careless children, or children who were deliberately not taking the work home, but only pretending to do so.
Are there organizational things you can do at home that will help your son remember, such as making him take his homework out as soon as he gets home from school. Having him put completed homework back in the bag as soon as it is done. Having him organize his school things the night before so he is ready in the morning. Training him at home to be organized will ensure that he will carry over those good habits to school.
Our kids had what was called an agenda like a calendar to write down the assignments in and they had to bring it home and have it signed by parents and then back for teacher to sign. It teaches them responsiblity and you also know assignments and if they didn't do it they would loose recess. Talk to the teacher!
He sounds just like a 4th grader. Really, both of my kids did the same thing around the 4th grade. What I did was if they brought the book home, and if my child couldn't remember what assignment they had, I would make them do all the problems on the subject. Like in math, if the assignment was for them to do problems 1-6, and my child "forgot which ones to do", then he would do all of the problems on that page and the following page. For one of my children it took two times for him to catch on. For the second child it only took 1 time for him to learn to write down his assignments. Hope this helps.
Has this problem just started this year, or has it happened in prior years? If this is a new problem, I would have my child write out his homework and the date in a small tablet, (if the school does not require a specific binder), and keep the tablet on his desk as a reminder to check it daily as he is packing up.
There could be other factors affecting him for not bringing the proper books home. Perhaps he has more than one teacher, and is having difficulty keeping assignments straight. Fourth grade is a very demanding year and is difficult for many students. I taught school for 36 years, the last 16 as a fourth grade teacher. When all else fails, ask the teacher(s) for a conference and see what is suggested to help your child with his problem. Have you son sit in at the conference, so he knows everyone is on his side. Good Luck!
I have a daughter who is in the 5th grade and is practically failing all her classes. This week was testing and so when she got home I asked "How was testing?" She said everything was going "fab" and she understood everything. Then I confronted her about her grades to make sure she really was understanding everything. I asked her a few questions and she was absolutely perfect! Then I asked "Then can you get your grades up?". She sighed and said "No, my grades are low because I can't turn in my homework on time....
every homework piece is always late and my grades are dropping really fast because of it!". Then she added, "There is only one person in our class that finishes on time. His parents are really strict so he does homework for pretty much 6 hours staying up way past his bedtime." As for me I think 6 hours worth of homework is too much. That is 5 full packets of work and some other things too. What do you think? What should I do?Get together with other parents and schedule a meeting with the teacher. If that doesnt work, get the principal involved.
I would recommend scheduling an appointment with the teacher asap and going thru the class curriculum and syllabus to see what's happening and to go over your daughter's progress.
If that is true only like one person is passing, I'd consult with the counselor and principal.
I would recommend a private meeting with her teacher first before going to others so that you can evaluate what your daughter is telling you and what the teacher says just you know the teacher's point of view about this situation.
Apparently her low grades have been going on this year and perhaps you and your daughter have discussed this before?
Hopefully you and the teacher can discuss this in private and come to some sort of resolution that will be of benefit to everyone in the class.
If the teacher explains her reasons for the homework and you are not satisfied with the results of the meeting, then, by all means, take your concerns to the principal (make an appointment and meeting should be private unless the teacher is also invited).
How do I get my smart 7 year old daughter to do her homework? She leaves it for the last minute and then cries when she finally has to sit down and complete it. Am I a bad parent?
By Bob S.
Everyone has different ideas about this thorny issue. My thoughts have been reached after working for many years in a school setting and having reared two children. I also tend to my grandchild and homework is a daily task.
Depending on the set-up of the household, I think it is best if the child comes in after school and has a brief rest and snack. Then, it is right to the table where the homework is reviewed and the parent is an active participant in the exercise. Please try to remain as helpful and pleasant as possible. Do not do it for her, but give calm correction as needed. I try to check myself from being too critical.
I know you are probably tired. I actually think the nightly homework is too much for the students, especially the younger set. But, I believe I am in the minority on this. I really believe that homework, especially large amounts of it, is a failed policy. I know older generations did not have as much homework as is expected today. But, just try to be as helpful as you can, and consider paying a small sum to an older child or a daily tutor to assist your daughter if your schedule does not allow you to help her.
Kindness and helpfulness will also teach her many things. My best wishes to you both.
What Sallly said. I did this with my son (now 30), and he's doing it with his son (9). My son said knowing he would have an hour break before sitting down to the homework was a great relief to him. He could watch TV, play a GameBoy game, or play, and when the hour was up he would sit at the kitchen table with his homework while I made supper. I was there if he needed me:)
He wasn't allowed to watch TV or play a video game again until after the homework was finished-correctly. It worked pretty well for us, although being a kid he would balk every now and again-usually when he was either coming down with something or facing a very difficult homework assignment.
BTW, @Sallly, I totally agree with you that kids today have way too much homework, and will go a bit further to say that from what this Gran sees, very little of that massive load is really meaningful.
I can see the point of homework, but an assignment every night in every subject is simply too much. Interestingly it seems a global trend, it's something I'm seeing here in the UK, hearing from my son in the States, and from friends in NZ, AU, and European zones. Kids all over the planet are just being swamped with tonnes of homework, a tough assignment in every subject every night including Friday.
My son says sometimes my grandson needs to spend up to an hour on each assignment, and there is frequently one he simply didn't have time or energy to finish.
Your daughter is old enough to experience the consquences of her actions. Tell her doing her homework or not is totally her decision. Plan something fun and let her know that getting bad grades will keep her from participating. It might take a time or two of missing some fun to make her cooperate.
