By Shannon at the Southern Schoolhouse
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In my morning routine article, I told you a little bit about my son, Jayce. He was my easy going, laid back, big hearted child; but when it came to getting things complete, he waited until the last minute. Being the opposite, I thought I would lose my mind. When it came to homework and our busy schedules, I had to come up with a routine to make sure everything was completed. This article will explain how I managed to do that.
When the older two were in elementary school, each year of homework looked different. There is almost a three year difference between Kayla and Jayce and luckily Kayla is pretty independent. Gratefully, being a teacher, even with meetings, I could manage getting home at a decent time. Dinner was already cooking or prepped (refer to the “Meal Prep Ideas” article) and I knew what cleaning I was going to do that day (refer to article). It took a while to be consistent with a routine for homework, but we managed with a few tweaks here and there.
As soon as we got home, the kids were “starving” so I gave them a break to unwind for the day. During this time, they usually ate a snack, played or watched a favorite show (with practices, etc watching television did not happen in the evenings). This gave me time to unpack lunches, prep for the next day, and start my cleaning. Over time, I realized just calling the kids to the table for homework was not enough. This would end up in calling once, twice and more for Jayce. I invested in a simple timer that Jayce was in charge of. He set the timer when we got home and I found when the timer alarmed, he came to the table. It gave him a job that he took pride in each day.
Usually homework consisted of reading and math. Kayla being older, had to read longer and the math activity took more time. She would get started on her reading first because it was something she liked to do and could do independently. Both kids had planners that the school used and this was helpful. I could make sure everything was complete and keep on top of upcoming events. While Kayla was reading, I would read with Jayce (who was learning to read) and most of the time could get his math complete before Kayla was finished. Math was a strength for Jayce so if there was any independent work to be done, he could usually do it. When you know your kids, you learn quickly their strengths and areas that need more support and this was math for Kayla. When Jayce was finished, I could devote more time with her on her math. An hour was allotted for homework but it hardly ever took that long.
Once we got into a routine of doing homework this way, it became a normal part of the day and the complaining and procrastination decreased tremendously. This also gave me time to get some things done, because as you know, a mom’s work is never done. Kids may not say it, but they need and depend on routines at school and home. Routines are important for adults, too. I look forward to hearing about your ideas when it comes to the topic the kids love the most…homework!
