Homework is often the bête noire of children. We understand them, we have been in their shoes too. And when you're a babysitter, homework time is not always a pleasure. Let's face it: few children are very cooperative when it comes to doing their homework after school. So how do you make homework a fun time and not a dreaded task for kids and their babysitters? In this article, we share with you some simple but foolproof tips to make it happen!
Introducing homework into your program:
To prepare your child for homework time, don't hesitate to subtly introduce it into your after-school program. On the way, have fun listing things to do and challenge yourself to do them on time like real superheroes.
Example : ok, as soon as we get home, what do we do? And then the child answers: taste! What's next? Let's go to the homework, do you think that the superhero that you are will be able to do it in 15/30 min ? Don't worry, I'll help you! And after the homework, we'll go to the game, you'll choose which one, ok?
Take a break before homework:
Before starting homework, it is important to give the child time to settle down. A break from the school day is necessary. For example, the child can tell you about his day while he has a snack, do a little activity that he likes... This way, the homework time will be apprehended in a chill way.
It's time to get started, what if the child pushes back?
What do you do when your child wants to put it off, drag their feet or make excuses about not having homework? The situation can indeed be delicate. Here are a few tips to help:
Start by listing the homework as a challenge or a goal to achieve:
First, we list. Then you attack. By listing the different tasks the child has to do, you will have a global vision that will allow you to define a time for each one. Do this with the child, by giving him a first challenge:
CWhat's our big to-do today? You have 5 minutes to list all that, so we can organize ourselves to get there in time.
The child generally has a real attraction for the challenge. So, without realizing it, he will start to get involved because he will be stimulated!
Once homework time is quantified, things will naturally seem simpler and more challenging for the child.
Divide and conquer! We divide the tasks and make them into subtasks:
Starting with the tasks the child likes least, it is important to find a way to divide the tasks and do the activities in stages. A long text to read? Hide part of the text so that the child can read it gradually. Always in the challenge, the child will see things as a small obstacle course to be overcome gradually.
Dramatize and make it a game:
To make these tasks more attractive, we advise you to dramatize everything and make each step a fun game. To achieve this, you just need to use your imagination. A text to learn? Turn it into a play or a monologue with you as the audience. A juried contest can be fun too!
A history lesson to remember? We launch into a game of mime and staging.
Math? Improvise a Question for a Champion? A puzzle game with a reward.
Spelling? Opt for the goose game that you can create yourself according to the child's revisions. Here is an example to download here !
For more efficiency, the child can even disguise himself according to each context, he will thus play different roles while doing his homework. He is a historian, a superhero, a teacher...
Move forward as a duo!
Speaking of teachers! Reverse the roles! The child comes up to the board and teaches you the things he has seen in class or reviewed. His role is to teach you the lesson he will be tested on in school. It is, in fact, with instant motivation that the child will want to pass on his knowledge.
Don't hesitate to pretend not to understand to test his understanding and to see how he will rephrase the information in his own words.
Find out more tips for managing homework with the Babysitters Podcast!
Did you like this article? It's not over yet! Kidlee gives you more tips on how to handle homework like a pro during your shift.
Find out all about it in our babysitters podcast! Produced by our partner MilaThis podcast is designed to help you gain skills and learn the foolproof tricks of the childcare trade.
Animator and psychology student, Mila is also a babysitter for several years and she gives you her precious advice just here !
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