6 Homework Hacks for Students

Homework can certainly be a drag for some (probably most) students. But it doesn't have to be! Share these 6 homework hacks with your students and help them get their homework completed on time.

1. Turn off the TV (iPhone, iPad, computer, video games ... you get the idea). We can get so easily distracted by the technology in our lives. I'm sure it's happened more than once that you sat down to check FaceBook or Snapchat for 5 minutes ... and then TWO HOURS LATER, it's dinner time and you haven't done anything. We're sure the same goes for students. Have them remove these temptations by simply turning them off. Brilliant idea, right? Not really, but students need to be told to do this! We always tell our students that once they finish their homework, then they can reward themselves with some tech time.

2. Work in a quiet place. You'd think this would be common knowledge for students, but it's really not. Having the little siblings racing around the house, or the TV blasting with toddler cartoons, or mom singing while cooking dinner? Yea, not going to help them work. These are the kinds of things that can very easily distract students from their task at hand. Suggest that they work in their bedroom, or maybe a parent's home office, heck, even outside! Just tell them to find a place that's quiet and where their family knows they should not be interrupted.

3. Create a routine. Routines are beyond important. Humans are creatures of habit after all. Once we are able to make a habit of something, it just comes naturally to us. Most of us are probably in the habit of brushing our teeth first thing in the morning and right before we go to bed. We might have a routine that we go through in the morning to get ready for school. These are routines that you have made habits because you keep doing them over and over and over again. Have students create a routine to get their homework done. Maybe they spend 10 minutes when they get home eating a snack or watching a small part of their show, but then they sit down, and it's time to get their homework done.

4. Reward yourself. Tell students to be proud of themselves for getting their homework finished! Maybe this reward is something silly, like they get to eat dessert before dinner that night, or something exciting. For instance, if they do their homework every night for a month, they get to pick out a new video game or jeans from the store. Whatever it is, it can really help students to have external rewards. Get their parents in on the action, too! If they're doing their homework, everyone's happy.

5. Create a list. Lists make life easier. If they don't already have a homework planner, they should invest in one. It's the one place where they can keep track of everything for all of their classes. Then, when they complete a task, they can cross it off the list! There are very few things as satisfying as taking that pencil to a list and putting a big, dark line right though it. Done!

6. Just do it! Tell your students to just sit down already and do their homework :) (easier said than done, we know).

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