Since your son is so young, homework isn’t really a big issue. You will probably find that just finishing his homework is enough ‘study’ for most tests. Most kids are quite reluctant to sit still and work for any long amount of time at that age, so perhaps you could make a deal like… “When you have written out your spelling words three times we can go kick a ball around together”. Let him have breaks every 10 min or so to do something fun (he’s a kid after all!). You can also buy singing times table CDs, which are really annoying (*shudders*) but can be a good idea to play in the car. You could also practice spelling with him in the car (cos he can’t escape!).

Don’t think that just because he is reluctant to do homework now means that you will always have this problem. It is a stage most kids go through (even the really intelligent ones). He will probably realise (when he is a little older) that homework is necessary and won’t go away on its own. Until then, don’t let fighting about homework get in the way of your relationship with him.

You will also find that the kids who do well early in their schooling don’t necessarily continue to. There is no real clear-cut route to success, so the most important things are that he enjoys school and keeps up with the learning (rather than doing exceptionally well in first grade at the cost of disliking school).

best of luck xox

Your son should have a quiet place to work, free of distractions. He should be in a place where you can see him, like at the kitchen table if you are making dinner.

In order to do anything else he wants to do like play games, talk on the phone, watch TV, go online, go outside, play Legos, etc. he must have all his homework done first and I assume you have to look over it. It should be the first thing he does when he comes home so he’s still in school mode.

You will have a huge trouble with him at first, I bet he’ll cry and whine and it will just be horrible. Stay firm. Rules are rules. Give him a snack to eat and be nice about it, tell him that homework isn’t always fun but it’s something he has to do. He’s a big boy now and homework is what big boys do, it’s their job. School is a job like maybe Daddy or Mommy has a job. Probably in a few days or less he will get the hint. Homework comes first and there’s just no getting around it. Before you know it he’ll be breezing through it.

Be careful of him going too fast or cutting corners. Make sure he does it right.

For spelling tests you need to have a mock spelling test for him. You need to say the word out loud and he has to write it down. Make a game of it. Get him some stickers or some other prize if he gets good grades. That’s OK at this age. Nothing too big.

For math he needs to do practice problems. There are probably extra ones in his book. I know, not fun, right, but that’s what you have to do. Don’t make him do it for too long. he’s 6. Maybe 20 minutes or something. Then let him get out and run around.

It’s not a surprise that you’re having trouble! The homework they give first graders is ridiculous! My sister is having problems too with my niece!

The way that she’s managed it has been to set aside an hour after dinner to help my niece every day. (sometimes though my sister has to sneak a peek at it first to make sure she remembers what they’re doing!) Doing this every day helps her to keep up with what Maya should be doing and helps her to adjust the schedule if needed.

For spelling tests and times tables, flashcards are helpful…go through them at least once a day, but don’t overfocus on them! It’s get’s boring for your kid too. And he’s less likely to pay attention if all this studying takes too long! (That’s another reason why my sister only has Maya study for one hour a day…any more than that and she feels that she’s not getting enough playtime in!)

Maybe you could also make a game of it when at the grocery store? Answer 3 correct and he gets a treat? Good Luck!

my god I hear you, we were or at least as patient as we could be. Once they get tired thats it will only lead to fighting, one thing that I did was when my kids were doing homework I turned off the tv and read a book or magazine, this in some way helps them. At my kids school there was an afterschool homework club check that out. Just be patient

The only thing I can recommend is help for math.

www.coolmath.com is a site where my kids go to practice math. They have all different grade levels for practicing and learning math.

Good Luck