Inside: Are your kids struggling to complete their homework in a timely manner? Are you battling with your kids to finish their homework quickly? Do you need some homework help to make homework time easier? Try some of these tricks based on your child’s personality and learning style.

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Most parents hate homework.

Because most kids hate homework.

And there is almost always a battle.

They’re tired. I’m tired.

They just want to play.  And I want them to go play.

And while there’s a reason teachers assign homework, that doesn’t make it any easier when your kids are struggling to finish their assignments.

So our goal is to get homework done quickly so we can go and enjoy the rest of our afternoon and evening as a family.

But each of my kids is different and they’re all different learners.

So tips and tricks that make homework easier for one of my kids won’t work for my other two kids.

I needed homework help ideas that would help each of my kids based on their learning styles and their personalities. 

Once you have the basics of homework established, you may still need a few homework hacks and tips to get your kids to actually finish their homework before you pull your hair out.

Just keep in mind, not all tricks work for all students.

We’ve got to choose homework help and tips that will work best for our children’s personalities and learning styles.

1. Make Homework Time Understandable For the Responsible/Independent, Task-Oriented Child:

Explain that being a student is their job.

And part of their job is doing their homework.

Just like Mom and Dad have to go to work, attend meetings, or travel for their job, a student’s “job” is to go to school, try their best, and do their homework.

You can give them a checklist to use and have them show you their work when their done

2. Make Homework Time Easier For the Incentive/Reward Loving Child:

Use their favorite snack as a reward!

My son LOVES goldfish crackers.

So we put a goldfish at the end of a row of math problems or on sight word cards he needs to read.

He does the work, he pops the goldfish in his mouth.

Instead of food, you can reward with stickers or their favorite activity after they’ve completed their work.

Just make sure to scale back the rewards over time.

After a week, move the goldfish to the end of two rows.

Then transition the reward to the bottom of the worksheet.

You don’t want them to head off to high school still expecting rewards for doing their homework. You have to wean them off expecting the rewards.

3. Make Homework Time Less Stressful For the Overwhelmed or Easily Frustrated Child:

Set a timer for five minutes and encourage them to do their best work in that time.

When the time is up, give them time to take a little brain break like a dance party, or let them draw or build Legos….whatever floats their boat.

Then set another timer to get back to work.

Repeat the pattern until they’ve completed their assignment.

Each week, add a minute to their work time.

If they are visually overwhelmed with how much work they have, cover up some or most of the page with another piece of plain white paper.

They can focus on the row of problems or the first half of the sheet without getting frustrated with how much work they need to complete.

4. Make Homework Time Simpler For the Easily Distracted Child:

Make them a “privacy folder” out of cardboard or two folders. Simply tape the cardboard pieces or folders together to give them a private workspace that minimizes visual distractions.

Make sure all TVs and music and extra noises are turned off.

If there’s a lot of activity in the family space, have them work somewhere quieter or give them these noise-cancelling headphones. 

5. Make Homework Time More Worthwhile For the Advanced/Gifted/Bright Child:

Ask the teacher for more challenging work (not more work!)

They could have more complex spelling words or if they have to write their spelling words, you can encourage them to write a story or comic strip.

For math problems, have them create their own problems to solve.

6. Make Homework Time Easier For the Creative Child:

Allow them to use colored pencils or markers to complete their work.

Play classical music in the background for them to help them learn because studies show that when learning with classical music, students can increase their retention of the material better.

7. Make Homework Time More Flexible For the Child Who Needs Movement:

Kids who struggle with sitting still should be allowed flexible seating to do their homework (and that includes standing!)

This is especially important since they’ve probably been sitting for most of their day.

Or let them jump on a mini trampoline or Bosu ball in between completing a row of problems or a worksheet.

They can also sit on the Bosu ball with a clipboard if they’re able to keep their balance.

Homework doesn’t have to be a hassle and we can make Homework Time Easier.

It doesn’t have to be a struggle.

You don’t have to dread after school when the kids come home.

So please know that if you’ve tried several of these tricks for about a month and your child still struggles, you need to reach out to their teacher because your child’s teacher wants to help your child succeed.

Homework takes some getting used to…especially for Kindergartners.

So if every night is a battle, you need to bring in reinforcements.

Which will get them done with homework so you can spend more quality family time together.

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