For a brief background, I received my primary schooling in Jakarta, Indonesia, in the 1990s. When I reflect back on my early schooling days, I remember happiness.
Our world is evolving and today children have more things to learn and more homework to do than during my primary schooling period. To prepare children for a bright future, parents can be demanding. Homework time can be stressful for children. Nevertheless, let's believe that there are ways for our children to enjoy and happily complete their homework.
Prepare for tomorrow
After half-day only school (today school hours can be longer), I would first have my lunch. My parents did not give me any pocket money, yet they allowed me to pack some biscuits from home.
The next thing I would do after lunch is to clear my bag.
Since I was in primary one, I packed myself the books that I would need for the next day according to my timetable and the book that listed our assignments (buku tugas in Indonesian). I ensured that I had all the books I need because I did not want to be punished for forgetting to bring any required book.
A study area and a homework kit
I dreamed of a study table, but while I did not have such a solely-purposed table, I used Mum’s dressing table – her wedding gift. My parents’ engagement photo was my motivation because they worked very hard everyday and they always look very beautiful and happy in the photo.
Ideally, a study area with a table, a chair and good lighting is great for learning. The height of the table and chair needs to be constantly adjusted according to the height of children because children are always growing taller. Lighting matters too! I personally prefer fluorescence lighting to tungsten lighting, because the former makes me alert and the latter is more suitable for entertaining reading like bedtime story books.
Since I could not concentrate on my homework when the TV was on, it seems that there are some truths in the words of Roderick MacKinnon (a 2013 Chemistry Nobel Prize winner for his work on the structure and mechanism of ion channels): "TV is bad for your". Viewing too much TV can also hamper linguistic skills. On the other hand, TV can also bring us plenty of ideas, inspirations, and information.
I had TV time. My parents were not at home and they did not set up any rule about the TV. I loved the American movies like MacGyver, Knight Ryders, Superman, Wonder Woman, Little Kingdom (小人国).
But when it was time for homework, I would not turn on the TV. At that time, there were no many TV programs in Indonesia and no internet. Today children face more temptations.
Though internet can bring distractions (if one is not disciplined), I would have internet because it opens us many doors to gain wide and deep knowledge. If you need to do research for your homework, first gather all resources online, then disconnect while you focus on your homework. In brief, alternate periods of connections and disconnections.
Play
Playing is the basic right of every child.
Playing is our reward for doing homework.
After finishing my homework, I would leave it open at the page where I wanted my mother to help me check. Then, I would go to the nearest park to play or to my friends’ home. They always seemed to have many toys. Sometimes, I collected fallen leaves or flowers and imagined them as ingredients for cooking. No recipe required, just curiosity and courage to try! Sometimes, kind carpenters gave me pieces of woods that I assembled to build doll houses or castles like using LEGO pieces.
Other parents' & teachers' tips that I appreciate:
♥ Maureen Devlin's on the homework buffet
♥ Carol Tuttle's how to motivate different types of children to do their homework
♥ Leigh Langston (Dangerous Lee)'s how to make children do their homework at Simply Senia
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