I always have problem getting Isaiah to do his work daily. I finish work at different timing and most of the time when I get back home is already 7 to 8pm and sometimes I really do not wish to rob his play time after a whole day in school. Alot of mummies have shared with me the pain of getting their kids to finish off their work and even rewarding method does not work at times or even so it have its expiry date and mummy got to come up with something else.
So far I did not use any rewarding method as I didn't want to make my kids accomplish something for the sake of the reward. Completing the work is part of their life whether they are in kindergarten, primary & secondary school or even when they are an adult. They are expected to complete their work on time without dragging themselves to do it. *I do drag myself to work though but eventually we still got to do it =)*
All along I didn't give him any homework and all I can do is to rush back and sit with him while he do his work. Is very tiring and stressful for me as I need time to spend with Ezekiel as well.
Recently I start a way of "Missions of the day" with Isaiah.. so far he is able to accomplish his mission by the time I get back home. With this method he have all his freedom and he can plan his way of doing and how much time he needs to complete his mission. Before I start this mission we have some discussion what is 'mission' and how interesting is that.. Soldier went on a mission to protect the country, Iron man went on a mission to destroy the bad guys etc relating to missions.. If you have girls probably you can come up with 'Cinderella Chores' or something =)
I place 3 stack-able trays by his table and each day I will put in the work that he needs to be completed between 6.30pm to 8.30pm. I have also include a small box to put the stuff he needs to complete his mission etc. pencil, ruler, glue, scissors etc. so he doesn't waste time running ard or searching for his missing eraser.
(He probably take less than an hour to complete all mission if he really sit down and do without getting distracted. But i know he still can't! ) He have to complete all mission by 8.30pm. If he thinks he need more time he can start at 5pm. But if he thinks he can complete in 30 mins then he can start at 8pm. This helps him to be confidence and plan his own timing, slotting some tv shows/snack time in between. Less stressful for him too as he can't concentrate for too long.
On Friday, there will be a surprise in his tray 3! Mostly I will include hand on projects, like painting, cur and paste etc. Anything that he can manage without assistance.
Saturday will be a day we explore with Geography and History with the help of books, Ipad, and some hands on projects. Or probably we will skip if we are too tired after the whole week.
.jpg)
We have a time table for him and he follow the schedule and do his work. When he finish tray 1, he can put a medal or star on the time table and move on.. I have include help button as well so he can use whenever he needs help. When I'm home i'll go to the tray that needs help and go through the work with him.
For tray 3, he needs to do some writing. Chinese to practice on handwriting and some memory verses as writing work.
Lastly he gets to read a 5 to 8 pages of reader book a day which probably takes him 3 mins to do so. I realize he read about 3 books a day instead as he felt more confident in himself after he accomplish all his mission.
Some Rules of the Mission
-Complete by 8.30pm
-Use no more than 2 'HELP' button
-If Mission fails, more mission will add to the next day.
Isaiah needs to have someone to sit by his side as he still cannot do his work independently. At first he struggle to even look at him cause he fear that is too hard for his to accomplish. Slowly he began to do 1 mission a day and follow by 2 and then completed all without any fuss. This method actually help him gain confidence in himself and he is more willingly to do his work without prompting. This decrease the stress for both of us and we can enjoy playing after i'm home.
Every evening after we finish the missions, I will brief him through the next day mission so he is more confident when he approach the trays. I do not give him alot of homework each day. I will only put in things that he knows and familiar with. I do my own worksheets as I find that assessment books looks pretty overwhelming.
So he probably get 1 to 3 worksheets each tray depending on the difficulties.
The main purpose of doing this mission tray is to help him to cultivate a habit of doing his work independently. I do not except him to get all right or score A's but at least it does makes learning much joyful minus all my constant nagging and frustration. As a full time working mum, time is very precious and I'm sure I do not want 'homework' to rob any of my precious time. I hope this can help Isaiah in primary school days next year!
Hope this mission will not have any expiry date =)
PS: If anyone needs the timetable please feel free to email me at demeisez@gmail.com
