Approach to homework

Children learn by using the skills they currently have – such as drawing and play. They think through their play plan, then draw a detailed record of it, then carry it out. Using their skills in this way teaches children to set achievable goals, work out how to reach them, and stay on track.

Now, I’m not usually a quitter (our family motto is “persevere”!) but there are times when it’s clearly not the best course of action. If we’d been working on a homework task for a long time and she was just getting less and less focused, I’d call a stop to it.

Generally, that meant one ten-minute stint a day, instead of one 30-40 minute block each week. Each time she wandered off task (mentally or physically), I would gently guide her back to the homework.

When a five-minute task is only half done after 25 minutes, and there’s no momentum, there really isn’t any point continuing. This is a tricky one, and I didn’t use it often. She’s a bright girl and she knew she hadn’t finished what she set out to do that day.