Homework

Why can’t my kid finish their homework?

Is your kid struggling to complete their homework more so than you think is reasonable? If so, the first step is to rule out any issues that you think might interfere with their ability to stay focused. You can do this by talking to her teachers. Is she engaged or having similar struggles during class? You may want to see an educational therapist who can assess any learning challenges that might be present.

Once you’ve ruled out that, you may want to consider some of the following factors that can affect a child’s ability to focus on homework:

Does your child have anything in her life that fulfills her? Having mastery over something, say a sport or a musical instrument, sometimes gives kids a good feeling of purpose and autonomy. This can spill over into other areas like school work. Other questions to ask: is your kid getting enough exercise? How about screetime and social media usage?

Turning In The Assignment

Above all as you’re working on this issue, you will want your child to feel that you accept them. Otherwise, you risk them internalizing potential negative ideas about themselves. There’s a lot to say about kids and homework, and we turn in the assignment in this Tips on Teens:

“My daughter is in eighth grade and she just never seems to be able to get her homework or assignments done. If I’m not persistently nagging her she just doesn’t ever do anything. Homework takes her forever and she doesn’t always finish. My sense is that she finds her classes boring and doesn’t pay attention, which makes the homework all that much harder. I feel like she should be able to organize herself and work on her own by now. Any suggestions?”