• Home
  • Services
  • About
  • Contact
  • Resources
  • Blog
  • Testimonials
  • Temperament Form
  • Workshops
Kerrie LaRosaParent Coach

Tuesday Tip: Tackling the summer homework 

8/15/2016

1 Comment

 
 Welcome to my Tuesday Tip. Each week over the summer I will post a  Tuesday Tip on how to encourage learning through play. Read my recent blog post to learn more about how free play supports deep learning. Today's tip is about managing those summer school assignments!
Picture

     The first day of school is around the corner (or may already be here for some). Did your child leave their summer assignments until the last minute? Are your final summer days spent trying to cajole your child to do their work?

      I wish I could say that my own children have completed their work and we are enjoying a carefree end to the summer. But, I am struggling right along with you.

        There is a lot of debate about how much of an impact summer work has on children's academic development. And, if you have been reading my Tuesday Tips you know that I am a believer in encouraging children to play and trust that they are learning tremendous amounts through play. But, I also know that schools
require summer work and understand the struggles with encouraging reluctant children to complete their summer work.  

      So, what can you do to help your reluctant child finish their school work before the first day? Here are some strategies that I hope will help. 


* Empathize: this might be easier than you think. I am sure you don't want to spend your last days of summer inside helping your child finish their school work. Offering your child some empathy can help reduce their stress about the assignments. 

* Offer Choices: sometimes resistance comes from a lack of control over a situation. If you give your child some choices about their assignment, their motivation to complete it, increases. Let your child decide when to do their work, where to do their work and let them choose which books to read. Give your child choices and don't interfere with their decisions. 

* Encourage Autonomy​: Remember that this is your child's assignment and an opportunity for the teacher to see your child's work. It is less important that they cross every i and dot every t and more important that it is their own work. Let them take ownership over their work, work independently and come to you when they need help. Doing this will increase their motivation and increase their confidence. If you struggle with perfectionism, remember two things (1. it does not need to be perfect and 2. children learn more through their mistakes).

Be Creative: If your child is really struggling to finish their assignments, think outside of the box. Learning is a process and the goal of summer work should be for children to learn not to hand in a perfect product. Evaluate how important it is to follow every rule of the assignment.  Maybe your child can get creative with the assignment and:
​
* choose a book off of the reading list (one that interests her).
* can he write his own story instead of writing a book report?
* can she make a video book review?

    Think about your child's learning preferences and keep in mind that teaching creativity, flexibility and love of learning are invaluable to long-term academic success. 


Please comment below if you have strategies that have worked with your children in the past. 


1 Comment
http://custom-writing.services/ link
8/22/2016 10:45:39 pm

Your tips are great and I really do the same as you do with my kids to learn something before the summer.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Enter your email address:

    Delivered by FeedBurner

    RSS Feed

    Author

    Kerrie LaRosa is a parent coach and a mother of two children. She draws on her professional expertise and personal experience to provide tired parents with some quick tips, resources and fun anecdotes.

    Archives

    June 2018
    February 2018
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    January 2016
    August 2015
    March 2015
    October 2014
    September 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    August 2012
    May 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    January 2011

    Categories

    All
    Activities
    Allergies
    Baby
    Behavior
    Birth Order
    Book Review
    Children
    Development
    Discipline
    Doctor
    Gifts
    Halloween
    Holidays
    Language Development
    Learning
    Living In The Moment
    Moving
    Parenting
    Persistence
    Picky Eating
    Play
    Reading
    Resolutions
    Safety
    Sharing
    Sleep
    Speech
    Storm
    Stuttering
    Superstorm Sandy
    Tantrum
    Temperament
    Traditions
    Travel
    Waiting
    Yelling

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
Photos used under Creative Commons from brettneilson, rolands.lakis, koroshiya, beelerspace, kellywoolen, Amy McKenzie, nerissa's ring, surlygirl, Enrico Matteucci ☸, aarongilson, dawnhops, Peter Werkman (www.peterwerkman.nl), jem, National Assembly For Wales / Cynulliad Cymru, erin_everlasting, christine [cbszeto], emrank, imcountingufoz, frotzed2, ebmarquez, rumpleteaser, brewbooks, ToddMorris, nutrition education