Having a hard time with homework? We can help you.
Is your ADHD child having a hard time with homework? We understand doing homework for your child can be painful at this moment in time, but this can change. Once we identify the missing skills necessary for homework independence and teach those skills, doing your child’s homework can become much less stressful for both parent and child. We want children to have the necessary skills in place so that they don’t need to rely on an adult for help. We will teach them how to take homework down correctly from the board and then how to plan and organize the execution of the homework in order for them to learn independence.
Here are some of the ways that you can help children with their homework:
Create a homework space
To start with, find a place where your child can study without any distractions. Create a comfortable and organized space for your child to do homework. This does not have to be fancy or big place. It can be any spot in the kitchen, their bedroom, or even on a floor mat in the living room. Tag along with them and get them into the homework habit. They quickly begin to associate that space with being focused and productive, successfully completing their homework.
Copying from the board
If your child does not copy down their homework assignments, we will need to teach this skill. This is the first step, towards successfully completing homework independently. Helping your child to learn how to use their homework diary can go a long way in ensuring their success. It will also help them plan for tests in advance and ensure that they complete projects timeously.
Motivation
Similar to adults, children also need some motivation to work. So, identify what motivates your child. You can build a star chart or a rewards shopping list, or plan dinner at their favorite restaurant, or go to the movies at the end of the successful week. Children are motivated by a reward system, that gives them gratification upon successfully completing the task. Have your child be involved in deciding on the reward.
Build confidence
ADHD children can have low self-esteem. We start by relying on errorless learning to build confidence and then we can slowly fade our prompts. This means that in the beginning we must set them up to be successful and later fade our prompts. Lots of praise and making them feel successful is important. You can sit with them to complete the first two sums, but let them complete the rest on their own. This will build their confidence over time and lead to independence.
Key takeaways
A child with ADHD can be taught to complete their homework independently. Teaching independence is possible. Have your child involved in choosing the rewards for completing their homework independently. Set a timer so they know how long to expect homework will take and remember to praise them and build their confidence.
