Can’t get your children to do their homeschool work? Do this!

Can’t get your children to do their homeschool work?  Every homeschool mom on the planet struggles with this at one time or another. And often, it’s a lot more than just every now and then. Do you agree?  This is a recent question a sweet homeschool mom sent to me recently. Her question and my answer are edited for privacy and are formatted for a blog post.

Problem:  “I can’t get my children to do their homeschool work.”

Hi Dana,

How do you help your children do their homeschool work?

Dear K,

Thanks for reaching out.  And for your kind words — I’m thrilled to have you as part of my online tribe and so happy to hear you are encouraged to be a part of it!

I can understand your dilemma.  On one hand, playing time is fantastic for building relationships, burning off steam, using those imaginations, and keeping your kids emotionally close.

But on the other hand, you’re not getting your homeschool work done or building the habits of time management like you think you should be.

It’s obvious that you have a close family, and that’s precious that your kids love to play together.

But of course, the academic part of your home education also has to happen. And time-management, along with many habits, is learned best by training and practicing those habits a little bit at a time while your children are young.

I’m sure with a little teamwork and tweaking,  you and your children will create better habits, so your kids will get more of their homeschool work done while still having a happy, thriving home.

Create a  plan with your kids so they do their homeschool work.

So let’s talk about ideas that could help.

First of all, I’d talk with your kids about it. Ask them for their help solving a problem you (all) have. So, you’re approaching this problem from the standpoint of having a shared problem you need help with. You, or you and your spouse, have chosen to home-educate them.

But that obligates you morally and legally to do the education part. You have to do this; it’s not negotiable because your job as a parent demands it. But you need to figure this out together.* So, what are their strategies to be able to work and play?

Try to gently throw in suggestions here and there while listening to theirs.  For example, you might say something like, “Many homeschooling families start with their hardest subject first. What are your thoughts about that?”

Remember that you are working this out together rather than just telling them what will change. (And you’ll have to give yourself (and them) a pep talk about committing to your new plan once you’ve made it.) You could tell them you’ll ask for their feedback after a month of this new plan.

The more you can get your kids’ input into the situation, the more they will consider you on their team.  This will help them own the changes,  and they’ll be much more likely to participate in the new plan willingly.

In addition to managing their time more productively, you’ll teach them problem-solving skills, model the importance of a good work ethic, and help them be more self-disciplined. These are great skills at any age but become more crucial over time.

Ideas that have worked well for us and others:

Gently make suggestions as you brainstorm this. Write down everyone’s ideas on a whiteboard or piece of paper.  Ideas that have worked well for us and others:

• Set a timer for shorter playtimes and/or longer work times.
• Move from place to place between subjects. So if you’ve been working at the kitchen table for math, move to a blanket in the backyard for history.  (That will not get them too off track, but the fresh location will help them to focus better.)
• Set a timer when they sit down to do something and have them write down how long it took. (Sometimes, they are amazed at how quickly they can finish their copywork once they start it.) This happens with moms, too. (At least it happens with me!)
• Another use of the timer is to see if they can beat their score from the day before. You could even reward them for doing so.
• Try two or three-minute stand-up-and-stretch/jumping jacks/dancing breaks instead of full-fledged, unstructured playtime.  (According to science, moving around more helps their learning, but you don’t want to lose them entirely, either!)
• Have them stop their work periodically, especially if they are learning one subject simultaneously, to have them tell everyone something they learned during this work session. (Learning research states that this also reinforces their learning.)
• Ask them to be prepared to share one thing at the dinner table that they learned that day.

Additional suggestions to help your kids get their work done.

• Give them input into assignments when that’s possible. Can they choose the topic of a report, for example?
• Reward quick and thorough work: if they have 30 math problems for a daily lesson, can they do every other one tomorrow if they get them all correct today?
• A final idea would be to reward them with a more extended playtime on Friday after they’ve successfully followed the new plan for a week.

I have faith you can do this, K!

Planning ahead + keeping your kids moving without abandoning their schoolwork = your children getting their homeschool work done +  you feeling confident you are doing the right things regarding your children’s home education.

Ultimately, the goal is to get them to learn that the more thoroughly and quickly they finish their work, the more time they will have to play.

And as they start practicing their new skills, make sure to hold the line while praising them for their efforts and commitment!

I hope that helps, K! Please let me know how it goes!

You can do this!

So, homeschool mom, if you can’t get your children to do their schoolwork, try team problem-solving. You might be happily surprised at the result.

And if you have other ideas that have worked for you, please help a homeschool mama out and leave a comment below!