Homework Time

You're in the kitchen preparing dinner, the TV's on, your toddler is playing with the train tracks in the Living Room, the dog is outside barking at the squirrels, the piano teacher is giving lessons to your preteen in the Family Room, and dad just got home. Meanwhile, your 3rd grader is at the kitchenette table trying to get his/her nightly homework done.

More often then not this is the scenario that I see in the average household. It's loud, busy, and sometimes chaotic. Although this may sound like your norm it is not the best scenario for your child when they are trying to get their homework done. When I meet with families like this one I mention the importance of having a desk in each of your children's rooms. Usually, the parents say, "Oh, we do." Usually, those desks are cluttered, the drawers overflowing, papers and books are unorganized, and there are important supplies missing.

Children need a quiet, clean, organized, functional space to call their very own homework time place. This place should have little to no distractions, a lot of light, and all necessary school supplies.

All homework spaces should have:
- plenty of sharp pencils with erasers
- one set of crayons, one box of markers, one box of colored pencils
- a dictionary
- a homework folder
- scrap paper
- lamp
-any necessarily manipulatives (pertaining to what your child is learning in class-ask the classroom teacher)
- safe scissors
-glue stick
optional:
- flash cards
- extra practice workbooks

The more personal and organized the space is, the safer and more successful your child will feel while completing each night's homework. Here are some inspirations for your schooler(s) homework time space.