What To Do When Your Child Rushes Through Homework and Makes Careless Errors
What To Do When Your Child Rushes Through Homework and Makes Careless Errors
| By | Dr. Sam Goldstein |
| Dr. Sydney Zentall |
In our last article we discussed the problem of children taking too long to complete homework. In this article we discuss just the opposite, children rushing through homework. Some children work through homework quickly and are capable of doing a thorough, correct job. None of us would consider this a problem. However, others rush to complete homework and make numerous, careless errors, hand in sloppy work or fail to pay attention to directions. These children must learn to work at a slower pace and check their assignments for accuracy. As we have discussed in previous articles, make certain that you explore the possibility that rushing through work isn't a coping strategy your child develops because he or she doesn't understand, lacks the ability to complete the work, or lacks confidence.
If your child sacrifices homework accuracy for speed, try the following
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Review homework assignments nightly, checking for thoroughness, neatness and accuracy. Encourage your child to correct mistakes.
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Have your child underline or hightlight important words or phrases in the directions portion of an assignment to make certain the directions were read.
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Emphasize that you want your child to do his or her best work on homework not the fastest work.
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Help your child develop self-monitoring skills by checking for errors in spelling, punctuation, neatness, calculations, correct headings, etc. Provide additional bonus privileges if you find the child has completed work neatly and accurately.
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Withhold favored privileges until you are satisfied your child has put forth the best effort possible and has completed homework accurately. However, if you suspect errors are due to poor understanding rather than hasty completion, make certain you provide assistance as needed.
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Finally, remember that some children experience difficulty with handwriting due to visual motor problems. This may make it an arduous endeavor for them to write neatly. Asking them to re-do homework and to be neater is often fruitless. If this is the case for your child, overlook neatness and pay attention to accuracy and thoroughness. For some assignments creative ideas and interesting plots are more important initially than grammar or handwriting. Make certain you understand the lesson objective. Finally, when children experience significant visual motor problems consider allowing them to begin using a computer to complete assignments, even during the elementary grades.
