How do I motivate my child to do their homework?
My daughter is 9 years old and she drags her feet for hours doing her homework. She says it's boring and she'd rather play on her console. I try to force her but it creates conflicts every day.
My daughter is 9 years old and she drags her feet for hours doing her homework. She says it's boring and she'd rather play on her console. I try to force her but it creates conflicts every day.
The thing that really works is letting her have control over *when* and *how* she does her homework, rather than just forcing it on her. Like, you tell her "okay homework is non-negotiable, but you decide if you want to do it at 4:30 or 5, and do you prefer sitting at the table or on the floor with cushions". Sounds dumb but honestly my best friend did this with her son and it became way less of a battle. The kid feels like she has some power in the situation, so she cooperates better. Then you can also gamify homework a bit - I know it sounds weird but it's actually pretty effective. You can set a timer and she tries to beat her record from the day before, or you tell her "if you finish your math before 5 you get an extra 15 mins of console time". It's not really a reward you give after, it's just a little motivation.
The other thing is really just stop forcing her. I know it's counterintuitive when you just want her to study but honestly forcing just creates resentment and she's gonna start associating homework with stress and conflicts with you. Try instead to explain to her why homework matters - not like "that's how we get good grades", but something more personal. Like "you love video games and to get better at your games you have to practice, it's the same at school". And if she's really dragging her feet, maybe she needs a break between school and homework, or she needs a parent there with her but not just watching over her. Like you both do your own things in the same place and you can help each other if needed.
Log into answer.