Time Management Issues for Child

We tried the 30 min break thing too at the end of the day. It didn't work too well. Too long a break makes it way too hard to push to get the work done.
We switched to 10 min snack and bathroom break, and then dive into the homework. No tv, no games, no phone, no computer (unless it's needed for homework), no friends until it's finished to my satisfaction. My son use to complain, too. I told him if he put as much energy into finishing the work as he put into avoiding it or arguing about it, he'd be finished by now.
"The quickest way to fun is to get the work done".
He's very efficient about it now, which is great because now that he's in middle school, he's got to be as organized as he can be about it.

Did the teacher suggest anything that she will do to help your daughter. I would set SMALL goals for my students that had trouble staying focused. For instance, if the child was working independently I would break up the assignment into smaller parts. I would tell the child to work up to X point and then stop, get up and come see me and we would review together. Then I would give another step. I let the child get up out of their seat because I thought that it would give the child a break from sitting and clear their head a L., so that when they went back to their desk they could focus again. Of course, it is teachers classroom and she may have other ideas that work better. I just always found that setting small goals and then stopping, even for a few minutes, helped to keep kids on track.

Hi L. T :-)

Hmmmm.. I just responded to another post of yours! :-)

I've been writing to moms on this site because I love to work with the body's wisdom and offer simple techniques to moms to help themselves and their children. The BodyTalk System teaches an Energy Medicine Technique called CORTICES which has had INCREDIBLE results with children and adults with focus issues. Some like to use the words ADD.. but I'm not into labels and many people "associate" themselves with labels and live into them.. so I just say.. lets focus better!

You can learn this simple technique to use on yourself, your child, your family and friends.. even your pets..! By visiting my site www.amyfreundbodytalk.com

There is a tab there that says Dr. John Velthim and CORTICES.. watch the two videos to learn how stress affects our brains and our bodymind ability to function as nature intended.. and then watch the demo of the technique which takes just about 30 seconds to implement!

You are going to be amazed at the difference you notice in yourself and your child! The technique is free to everyone to learn!

hugs,
A. R.N., Energy Medicine Practitioner www.amyfreundbodytalk.com
ps: this technique can actually help your friend you spoke about with the bipolar/addictions issue.. it would be GREAT if she let you tap her CORTICES out!

L.,
I am SO right there with you with my second grader!
His issues are focus and organization.
We make a big deal out of it when he DOES focus and organize and we have been seeing tiny bits of improvement here and there......
And we, too, have found that homework is best done right after school, with a snack. Otherwise it is a whine-fest!

I tried giving my oldest a break btwn school then homework - it bombed - we get a better response from her if she goes right from school to the books. I know it's a long day continued w/more studying but it keeps things flowing. I will give her a snack during homework and will let her veer off track here and there, but once her focus is off her homework for more then a few mins it takes a while to get back on it. I think it's hard for them to keep focused especially since they tend to have so much more homework each year. There have been times in the past that my daughter has spend hours doing it. Good luck.

Have you had her checked for ADD? Both my sister and I have it, and weren't diagnosed until highschool (her) and college (me). It just gets worse, and more frustrating, so I'd recommend getting her tested. If you're sure that it's not that, maybe you should try getting her involved in a sport or some sort of physical exercise.

could she be ADHD? my neice, and 1 step daughter is the EXACT same way, when my neice gets too overwhelmed she just stops and the lights are on, but no one is home and you will not get a response from her. they are both diagnosed ADHD, my neice is on medi and doing great, step daughter i guess just got tired of being in trouble from her actions even though we constantly asked mom to get her medicated...she still struggles

My approach is to just dive in, with a snack & glass of water on the table. Have a place where your children can sit and focus. I tell the kids that I am setting the timer for 30 minutes, everyone needs to remain at the table till the timer goes off. After 30 minutes, they may get up, use the restroom, and then if one child is finished with homework, they have to do a quiet activity away from other children still working on homework. No video games, or anything of that sort.

I set the timer for 30 minutes again, and give my children extra help if needed, or I go into the kitchen and start dinner while they are doing their schoolwork.

If parents don't start setting the boundaries for their kids when they are young, it makes it hard to enforce those same boundaries in their older school-age -- teen years.

B.

I looked at your profile and see that your DD is 8-yrs-old. Maybe a little older (if you haven't updated your profile in over a year!).

It is fantastic that you caught onto this "early". I have a son in middle school and he balks at homework time. Not because he doesn't know the material (just as you describe with your DD). Most often he balks when a project is given (or an essay! egad!!!) -- he just sees it as a insurmountable mountain when it's not but a molehill. He is on medication for ADD so I would suppose, first, that you are not necessarily seeing an ADD issue with your DD.

I like the post with the catchy phrase "The quickest way to fun is to get the work done." What has helped the most, for my son, is tell him to re-read the directions/instructions to me (out loud) and ask him what is the "first step". I've reminded him that he can't "jump" to the top of our stairs -- he gets there one step at a time. You can use an analogy your DD would relate to. Another thing is to have him start his homework right after school (I do allow a snack (and bathroom break)).

Hope this helps. I think you should look into setting up a school planner or some alternative -- for staying organized. My son "forgets" his homework all too easily. He and I are struggling to find something that will work for him.

While at school, your child may need extra breaks. At her age, she is probably in elementary school and that, usually, means one teacher, one room, for most of the school day. Or ask if there can be a "thinking" spot in the classroom for your DD to use. Most teachers want to work with your child (as time allows with the rest of the kids in the classroom!). It was wise to discuss this with your DD's teacher. Letting the teacher know that you are seeing this same behavior at home is helpful; letting them know what you have done at home that is successful to get her to focus is also valuable information. Maybe you would ask if the school has a "study room" (not ISS (in-school suspension) room) where your DD can visit as needed for some quiet time with little or no distractions.

Good luck! and don't forget to let us know what helped you in this situation!