# How to make my kid study?



## hollyeasterbybb

I'm having a hard time getting my 6 year old to do his homework or study. Although I already set limits of screen time and playing time but still we would end up arguing when I say it's study time. I know I'm not alone since it's common to kids. I want to know what strategies you do to make your kids study?


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## katelove

At 6yo I wouldn't want my child to study at all. Homework would depend very much what it was but I am anti-homework so it would have to be something pretty special for me not to tell the teacher that he could do it if he wanted to but I wouldn't be requiring it. I'd rather my kids were playing and pursuing their interests 


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## ramesh

*I found cool things*

Kids can learn real science using science simulations.

http://www.pracscience.in/free-stuffs/simulations


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## NiteNicole

Try framing it the other way: if you get your homework done quickly, you can play ALL YOU WANT!


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## hollyeasterbybb

I love all your ideas and suggestions. I will sure try different strategies to get him do his homework without complaining. Just need a more patience to make this work for me and my child. Thanks again for useful tips!


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## leafylady

Keep study sessions 15 minutes or less with lots of physical outdoor play in between


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## KSLaura

My kids do their homework in the car on the way home from school. We keep clipboards and pencils in the car. It works pretty well for us.


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## mammal_mama

I decided my post probably wasn't that helpful here. Good luck to you!


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## mammal_mama

Hi hollyeasterbybb, I thought a little more about my previous post, which I deleted because it was longwinded and the ideas weren't presented in a helpful way. I wanted to rephrase my ideas in a way that I think could actually give some helpful food for thought.


In my opinion, the U.S. school system, and much of U.S. culture, seems to be structured around the belief that if there's a behavior we want to see in older children and adults, that behavior needs to be ingrained in them by making them perform those behaviors in smaller increments at an early age. 


I.e. many seem to believe that if we want our children to grow into teens and adults with good study habits, we need to start making them spend small chunks of time studying every day when they are little, so that by the time they're older, they'll be used to it.


In my experience, a very different approach is more effective. When young kids are supported in doing the things they love doing when they're young, they develop strong interests in various areas, and as their physical and cognitive maturity brings them to a place where they (most of them) become more capable of sitting and focusing for long periods of time, studying will be a skill that they'll naturally develop because they'll want to know more about certain things, and become better at certain things.


In the case of my own teen daughter, who started public school last fall at 13 (her choice) after unschooling up to then, she studies some topics because she's really into those topics -- and she studies others because part of the reason she wanted to attend school was that she actually wanted to compete with other kids her age and see where she stood in comparison. 


So she'll work extra hard at some stuff that she doesn't even enjoy learning about because it's a challenge; if lots of other kids are getting an F in a class and giving up, she'll buckle down and try for an A just because she likes the feeling that she can do well at something really hard. And in addition to having this competitive streak, she also really wants to get all the financial help she can with college, and she knows that keeping her grades up is one important thing she can do to get that help.


So she's a self-motivated studier. We don't ever have to get on her about homework. And she's like this in spite of -- and I'd even say because of -- the fact that when she was your son's age, she was spending her days doing pretty much whatever she wanted.


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## Evania

Give him more breaks between tasks, give him some kind of rewards and be more supporting and positive, don't yell at him or get mad - be understanding.


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## zhanglulu

i think you can set some rules. Study time, for 6 years kid, around 30 minutes, after that, no matter he finish or not, just stop him, and tell him that time is up, now it's time for other things, but you have also to mention the school's punishment. Just once or twice, he will remember and keep this habit/:grin:


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## coursesbtech

Let them probably play with outdoor games would be better option rather than playing on video games or pc games coz it might affect the daily routine of the kid as well as loosing the interest into study day by day.


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## enScholar

It's so important, especially at that age, to make sure that studying is fun! Just about any subject can be related back to something that your child is interested in - try to gear the lessons to his interests. It definitely means more time on your end but the end result is worth it :smile:


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## jessie ann

I agree.


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## Biletravis

Concentrating on is diligent work. Youthful kids will commonly have less capacity (and less need) to consider, though more established kids will have both more noteworthy need to ponder, and more prominent capacity to do as such. Try not to have too high a desire on kids under around Grade 9 to do noteworthy measures of study. A lot of examination shows that high workloads and repetitive study can really prompt poorer execution and inspiration at school, especially before the age of 15. After age 15, around two hours for each night is by all accounts about right.


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## anita89

Try to parent through optimism, rather than through criticism. When a child feels he/she is being criticised by a parent, they distance themselves from that parent. When a parent recognizes their child's positive characteristics, and approaches the child through optimism, that child will not be afraid to try, will not be afraid to fail, and will be willing to turn to his parents when they need help.


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## mldeducational

hollyeasterbybb said:


> I'm having a hard time getting my 6 year old to do his homework or study. Although I already set limits of screen time and playing time but still we would end up arguing when I say it's study time. I know I'm not alone since it's common to kids. I want to know what strategies you do to make your kids study?


When I was teaching preschool, the way I made my kids study was to make it fun and rewarding, not knowing if you do it together or not. But the line with parent and child is different from teacher and child.

I showed them educational videos as a reward, made the worksheets or studies fun by making them interactive. With a 6 year old, they tend to get bored of it easily, so I always changed it up for them until they enjoyed studying on their own. My technique in the end resulted them in sitting for over 2 hours studying because they were have fun and interested. (of course a quick bathroom break in the middle and standing up.)


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## mammal_mama

I feel like I should come back and say that, now that my 10-year-old has decided that she wants to start school -- and she actually started 5th grade this fall -- I've found that, in contrast with her sister who started much older, I AM providing her with guidance and structure regarding homework. For one thing, her class will be learning long division soon so I'm having her practice her multiplication and division facts nearly every day (something she'd never done before while unschooling). Plus with any other homework she has, she often seems to enjoy doing it once she's doing it, but if I just left it up to her, she'd put it off till she was too tired to even focus on it. So she generally has a little winding-down time and a snack when she first gets home, then I remind her to take her shower 'cause I want her hair to have a chance to dry a bit before bedtime, then once out of the shower she does her homework, then has dinner, then she can play with whatever she likes for a bit before bedtime.


I just feel like since she wants to embark on this adventure, I want to do everything I can to help her with some aspects that might be a bit overwhelming, plus help her with getting enough sleep as her days start pretty early now. If she'd wanted to do school at age 6, though, I'm not so sure that I'd feel the same sense of urgency. At 10, going to school for the first time, she's surrounded by kids who've been doing structured math for a long, long time, so I feel like she needs the extra help there. Plus she'd had very little practice with writing stuff out by hand, because she'd mainly just typed on the computer, so her teacher sent writing sheets home for her to practice, and she's main tons of improvements in legibility. But I'd think that a 6-year-old would be on pretty much the same footing as everyone else, so I wouldn't feel the same need.


I think some teachers of younger children just send home homework packets because they feel like the parents expect it. So I'd talk with his teacher about whether home could just be a time for him to play and do what he wants. You may find that it's really not required.


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## HOMER

make the routine of your child like 2 hours he can play and 2 hours he studies, and be strict that he follows the routine that is made by you. you can buys learning toys and interesting book for him so he can takes interest in studies,


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## Christinachen

I used to be a teacher in a tutoring center to teach children English, ages from 5-12. According to my experience, the younger the kid is, the shorter attention limit they have. But they usually be very nice and innocent in minds. Their thoughts are very interesting. And they want others,especially parents to listen to them. In studying, they will always discover things that they find interesting, and will ask you lots of questions. In this period, parents need to pay attention to them, and act as their friends. Don't teach them "lessons",or hard theories that they can not understand. They can only understand things as simple as possible, like a,b,c,d. 

And they like pictures with beautiful colors. Just help them learn through pictures. Not so much words! So if you want to get their attention in studying, please just find some interesting books or other learning materials with pictures for them. Besides, you should study with them sometimes and do not let them study along and force them to learn for quite a long time. You can ask them simple stupid questions when you know that they already know what you want them to learn, for example, you want them to know which picture is the right picture of an apple. Ask them, and they will answer you with confidence and waiting for your praise. Then, just say how smart they are and build up their confidence and interest in studying. Usually, after studying for 15-30 minutes, you should try to find some interesting things to do with them, like playing games, all children like playing games. Through playing games, you can both relax with them and have fun.


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## chalkdust3r

How do you frame homework time? Is it expected that he sit and do it himself, asking you questions when needed but primarily acting on his own? I've had students who have found that set up to be a stumbling block as they feel a bit cut off, they lack the encouragement needed. It can be a time drain but having homework be something done together (though of course not doing it for them!) can really help. It gives plenty of opportunities for positive reinforcement when they do well. It can help to frame homework time as a chance for them to show off how smart they are to you rather than boring work that needs doing before they get rewarded.


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## DarrenScott

hollyeasterbybb said:


> I'm having a hard time getting my 6 year old to do his homework or study. Although I already set limits of screen time and playing time but still we would end up arguing when I say it's study time. I know I'm not alone since it's common to kids. I want to know what strategies you do to make your kids study?


Hey Hollyeasterbybb
If your child is not interested in studies, then firstly you have to develop reading habits in them.
My son was also not good in studies too and always wants to play. Because of this, his teachers were complaining about him.
Then one of my friends suggested me to gift personalized story books to my son which has his name, his friend's name.
I did so, and I was amazed to see that my son read those books very seriously. 
This way, I develop reading habit and now he is doing well in his studies.


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## takeshikl

wow, this thread is initially created in 2014!

anyhow, to the question, I'd say...
Don't MAKE him study. Let him have fun in EVERYTHING.
it doesn't necessarily have to sth to study, since he's still having fun exploring everything else.

I think it'd be best to have him try on anything (safety first tho!).


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## OCMom

*try apps*

Limiting screen time was mentioned. But you can combine the 2 - have some screen time that is also study time. My kids practice their addition/subtraction (kindergartner) and multiplication/division (5th grader) using an app called *NumberWhiz* on their iphone/ipad. Look it up on iTunes. It's free. Maybe since it's on an iphone/ipad, your kid will find it a tiny bit more doable. Good luck!


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## mishawhirley

Educational toys help a lot in early days ....


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## Ethan M

Make study time fun and interesting. The reason your kid doesn't want to do his homework is because he is bored. You do the homework along with your kid. Use educational toys as someone suggested here. Interact with his teacher and see if he/she has ideas to make learning interesting.


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## mshmsh

Very helpful subjet.


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## Alona Bondarenko

Do you know about english club TV? there are many educational games which u can use in your games with ur child


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## mumto1

*Do homework as soon as he comes home,*

or right after dinner if you eat early. Kids get tired in the evening very quickly. Set a limit. I think 1 hour is the longest people can hold their attention (and retain info) on something, a small kid, maybe 1/2 hour. Waiting for a later time will just give him more leverage to procrastinate. Let him do what he can without a lot of pressure, you will probably have to sit beside or near him.


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## Sanya Pelini

Everyone procrastinates once in a while but procrastination can be really frustrating for parents. If only I had a penny for every time my kids said "just five more minutes"&#8230; 
Much of the research done on the subject seems to suggest that the strategies below might help:

*1) Foster automaticity.* Automaticity is a powerful tool in the attempt to reduce procrastination because the fewer the choice points a task requires, the less likely individuals are to procrastinate. You can foster automaticity by initiating automatic routines that limit decision-making. For instance, if your child has difficulty doing homework because he/she prefers to watch TV, initiate a strict routine by letting him or her know that when he/she arrives home, he/she must snack, do homework, and then watch TV in that order. For this to succeed though, you have to stick to the set routine.

*2) Reward rather than punish.* Children are more likely to pursue smaller and less distant rewards than those that are far-off. Instead of punishing bad behaviour, try and reward good behaviour. The rewards can be verbal praise or even access to TV/video games. For instance, let your child know that if he/she completes certain tasks or chores as expected throughout the week, he/she will have a treat over the weekend.

*3) Set deadlines.* Deadlines set by others have been found to help prevent procrastination. For instance, you can determine how long a given task takes, add a few more minutes, and then limit the time your child has to complete that task. Teachers can be a great help by letting you know approximately how long homework should take.

*4) Let your child decide.* Use checklists that your child ticks off by him/herself but set a flexible timeframe in which he/she is to complete all the tasks on the checklist. A flexible timeframe means leaving him/her with the decision to carry out the tasks as he/she sees fit but obliging him/her to have finished the tasks by a set time.


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## joandsarah77

I don't believe in six year old's studying, six year old's need to play. Studies show that play enhances learning. It's not just something to pass the time but making actual brain connections enabling more creative thought.


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## hellen19

First of all, you need not to force your child to study, which just makes him feel more boring. Then make the homework become a fun game. You are a supervisor and he is a player and have to complete his homework to come over levels and get rewards.


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## jeannekc

I really enjoyed a book called the Homework Myth. Making a kid study kills any inherent, intrinsic interest they might have in a subject. That said, you can model behavior, set rules about when to sit down to study (right when you get home from school, or after an hour of play, or whatever works for your family), and you can help. I know with my kids, they're much more likely to, say, clean their room if I'm with them helping out. 

Good luck!


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