Education
7 Tips to Make Homework Fun For Primary Kids
Fun ways to trick those ‘Little Dum-dums’ into doing the homework with enthusiasm
Doing homework has never been fun for any child. Now that the classwork & homework are literally on the same page and are performed online, kids might experience demotivation as soon as the teacher logs off the online class. But don’t worry, we’ve got some interesting ideas to make these little learners enthusiastic about their homework!
Reading Logs
Children study better when they read on their own. Have them log their reading time with a parent/adult to elevate their reading habits. It is psychologically proven that children retain better when they read, and reading an interesting book with a parent is something they always look forward to. Have them maintain a diary to pen down their reading details that include the name of the book, the time they started reading, for how long they read, how many pages were read, and what they learnt from the book.
Maths in Apps
Encouraging mathematics practice on fun apps that make learning easy and attractive for kids must help with the homework problems as well. There are many applications that run on all mobiles, tablets and laptops which are exclusively built for the teacher to help children practice maths. Teachers could preset the activity according to the difficulty level of the class and the kids may solve the puzzle from their end. ‘Mathletics’ is one such application.
Virtual Homework Bucket
How about some weekend fun learning? You can make a 'homework bucket' for which you need to think of a few activities that are both enjoyable and knowledgeable for the kids according to their age. Put these activities in a container and draw chits for each kid, whichever they do that weekend can be ticked off their list and they can pick another next time. Activities like count all the stairs at home, log the time of each meal, write a word based on its sound against the original spelling, look at the world map and point out the biggest continent, play name-place-animal-thing, etc. can be listed in this bucket.
What I did This Weekend?
Ask the children to write what they do on the weekends and they may read it out loud to you on Monday. After a great weekend, nobody feels like studying, and hence, to reminisce the weekend might help. It will also better their sentence formation ability, spellings and writing practice. Also, this could be done in more than one language.
Know Your Ancestors
Children are curious by nature and their curiosity should be motivated. Encourage them to make a project on their ancestors. The project could be cut-outs stuck together, drawings, old family pictures, illustrations, map highlighted to show where their ancestors came from and when, etc. The ideas are innumerable, just let their imagination run wild. This will allow you some time off and give them some interesting family storytime.
Weekend Competition
Many practical applications are available these days that help teachers set and keep an eye on the learning activities for their students. Using one of those, you can set up a competition over a weekend that logs the time taken by every child to do the problem, whoever solves the activity first wins. You could even have a pre-planned treat for participating if you conspire with the parents beforehand!
Home Chores Sheet
Teach them some accountability while you are at it. Tell the kids to make a 'home chores sheet' where they will fill the day/date, time, and chores done. Tell them to do things like make their bed, organise their study table, organize the toys, keep their clothes in the cupboard, bring water to elderly family members and so on. Tell them that by doing these activities, they are becoming wise and an equal part of the household. They should associate household chores with bringing joy and relief to their parents. This will also develop some sense of self reliability and organisation in them.
Like the ideas? Share them with fellow early childhood educators now!