Not everyone has Brandy Young for their teacher. Miss Young, who teaches second-grade in Texas, became famous when her letter to parents announcing that she would not be formally assigned homework this year went viral.
Here are ten tips to help make homework little less stressful, courtesy of the Krazy Coupon Lady. We especially like number one and plan to use it for ourselves.
1. Make chocolate available during math homework time.
Recent studies suggest eating chocolate can improve the brain’s ability to math. In the study, mental arithmetic became easier after volunteers were given large amounts of flavanols, which is found in chocolate.
2. Make it easy to reach homework supplies with a supply turntable.
Use a lazy Susan as a turntable and decorate it.
3. Create a trifold board for the child who’s easily distracted.
4. Create a homework station.
5. Turn a stability ball into a chair.
This helps with concentration. Researchers have found the ability to move around while sitting makes students more attentive.
6. Create a lollipop tree for when kids complete an assignment.
All you need is a styrofoam ball, a flower pot, and some lollipops to reward your kids for their hard work. Learn how to make one here.
7. Use food cartons and duct tape to hold folders, books, and pens.
This is an efficient way to make sure everything you need during homework time is in one place. Plus, making it is part of the fun. Follow these instructions show how easy it is to create this organizer.
8. KeepMeOut.com lets you block sites for certain periods of time for free.
Other free sites similar to KeepMeOut include StayFocusd for Chrome, LeechBlock for Firefox, and Mindful Browsing for Safari. Hey Focus is a $20 Mac app that bans websites and apps like Skype or Mail.
9. Set an alarm to go off after 40 minutes.
Knowing they’re under a time limit can help kids stay on task and see how much they can get done before the alarm buzzes. Once it goes off, let your child take a break by stretching or grabbing something to eat or drink.
10. Let your child do their homework in their room.
While there are different schools of thought on doing homework on a bed, research shows it’s not so much the child being on their bed doing homework as much as it’s important that they are engaged and attentive to their work.
