Don't let those books clutter up your kitchen table. Give them a special place.
A peaceful place to complete homework can help children focus and concentrate on the task at hand by minimizing distractions and allowing them to feel comfortable and confident. You might not have a whole room to devote to homework. But even without an entire room, you might be able to find a quiet spot that you can designate as a homework nook. Consider the end of a long hallway or the corner of a little-used formal dining room, for example. You also can convert a closet into a study area or use the space under a loft bed as homework space.
Instructions
Setting Up a Designated Homework Space
1. Choose the furniture you will use and place it in your area.
A desk, shelving, bins or other storage containers should fit in the area you have chosen. Be sure that the chair you choose is right for your child. A good homework chair should not be too big or too small. Let your child try out chairs and choose the one that fits best before you decide what to put in the homework area.
Shelving and storage bins for books and office supplies should be easy for the child to reach and maintain. Clearly labeling them will help everyone keep them tidy. Involving your child in the decision about storage schemes will help keep the child invested in maintaining order in the homework space.
2. Set up an organization system.
Using the dry-erase board and calendar, set up a system for keeping track of the parts of assignments and their due dates. The calendar can be best used for long-term views of what is due throughout the year, when holidays occur and other important dates in a child's life. The dry-erase board is more helpful for weekly or daily lists of tasks and assignments.
3. Make sure the space is well lit.
Use a lamp to try different positions for lighting until you've found the best one for the type of work your child will most often be doing. If your space is under a loft bed or in a closet, you might find you need more than one lamp for adequate lighting. You need task lighting, but also enough lighting to keep the atmosphere cheerful.
Tags: your child, dry-erase board, space under, space under loft, under loft, will help
