Homework causes a lot of big feelings in many families. Both adults and kids alike can have their issues with it, especially as it can be hard to keep on top of the relentless homework amount!
But when your child seems to absolutely loathe doing their homework, and often seems to refuse to even think about doing it, something else could be wrong. It might not be the homework that’s actually the problem (although it is still a challenge), and your child might be in need of some extra learning support.
And because this is quite the serious issue to deal with, let’s go through some of the most common reasons behind your child’s hatred for homework.
They’re Struggling to Understand it
Many kids out there try to hide the fact that schoolwork is a bit difficult for them. They might not even realise they’re finding it difficult, and assume everyone has the same trouble with trying to understand the things they’re being taught.
Either way, they don’t bring it up. But when the time comes for them to head home and do a bit of homework, their worksheets end up scrunched up and covered in graphite from all the erasing they had to do!
You can talk to your child about this by asking a few questions about the subject. You’ll soon get the sense of whether or not they’ve got the hang of it. And if it’s the latter, you can provide a few more resources that can help.
Struggling with language sounds and/or reading comprehension? Buy books that focus on elements like R Controlled Vowels and Bossy R Words that you can read through with your child. Got a science test coming up? See if you can recreate any of the experiments they’re studying in a safe way at home.
The Work isn’t Engaging
When kids aren’t engaged, they’re going to get bored. And when they’re bored, they’re going to tune out, get distracted, and focus on literally anything else. If the homework they’ve been tasked with falls into this area, they’re far less likely to get motivated to complete it.
A child that prefers to do hands-on, messy, creative activities might really struggle to sit and write a few lines. Writing in this manner just isn’t really all that engaging, and it’s very hard to motivate yourself when your brain just can’t hook onto it!
It’s Too Much!
Kids do in fact have a lot to learn, but they shouldn’t have a ton of paperwork to get through before they go back to class on Monday!
They’ve already had a full week of school and now they have more work to do? They’re tired, and they want to do something that doesn’t remind them of the classroom!
And if you’re getting concerned about the workload, you may want to have a chat with their teacher.
When kids hate doing their homework, it can be a sign something else is troubling them.
