It is no secret that boys can be somewhat trickier to motivate when it comes to their school work than girls. Boys, in general, much prefer being active and expelling their energy and find it hard to sit down and focus on things that relate to learning, particularly when there are so many other things that they could be doing.
However, despite this, boys still need to ensure that they achieve their education, which means that teachers (and parents) are going to need to work with them to reach their goals. But how can we do this? How can we make sure that boys are motivated with their school work? James Goldsmith at 11plustutorsinessex.co.uk offers us some of the best ways to approach it.
Get involved with their homework
If you show no interest in your son’s homework, then how can you expect them to be interested in it? One of the best things that you can do to motivate your boy to do their homework, is to sit down with them and learn more about what they are doing. Simply by showing an interest they are going to feel much more motivated to put some effort in.
Don’t bribe, but encourage
Many parents will turn to bribery in order to get their children to do something. Whilst there is no shame in this, when it comes to homework this might not be the right approach to take. Rather than bribing them to complete their work, encourage them to get it done. Give them a “when you” push, which means that when they have finished their work they can watch a film or perhaps have some time on their favourite gadget.
Give them some space
You will be hard pressed to find a child who enjoys having their parents breathing down their neck when they are trying to get something done. This means that if you want to encourage your son to do their best in their school work, then you may need to simply give them some space. Of course, if their grades are slipping or their teacher is concerned, then you are going to need to get involved. But in the most part staying away is going to be a great approach.
Be firm but fair
Learning the balance between being firm and fair is one of the hardest parts of being a parent. Particularly when it comes to encouraging your child to do something that might not want to do. You need to try and stay positive and upbeat about what they need to do, but you also need to remind them that it needs to be done. Once you achieve this balance then you should be able to get their mind on their work.
Give them control
As we have already covered, children, boys in particular, work much better if they are giving space. You can take this one step further by allowing them a spot of control over their homework too. Let them choose where they sit to do their homework, when they work on and how they work on it. Giving them this slice of control will make them feel a whole lot keener to get things done.
So, as you can see, it might not be easy to get boys to do their homework, however, it is never impossible. Why not give it a try and see if you can get them working as hard as you know that they can.
