This problem can take many shapes and can manifest itself in different ways. My son, for example, comes home and wants to get his homework ‘out of the way’. So he opens up his work sheet next to me or my wife and starts running through it, answering the questions without fully understanding the questions. We try to stress that he needs to read the question well, before writing the answer, but it goes in one ear and out the other. It’s not like he doesn’t know the concept and how to do the problem, it’s just a simple lack of following instructions. Then he’ll get half the questions wrong, and he’ll be like oh, I knew the answer. I just thought the question was different. And we’ll be like yeah Sam, this is what we’re trying to convey to you every day. He’ll nod in agreement, and the next day we are back to where we started!

My feeling is, that this kind of issue results from a lack of patience. Either, he’s been sitting in class to long, and just doesn’t have the patience to sit and read thoroughly through a question, or he is so excited about what he is doing next, that his brain can’t focus properly on the task at hand. I have had other types of complaints from parents, some worse than what we go through with my son. One woman for instance, complained to me that when she does homework with her son, he’s in another planet. He literally does not hear her when she talks, and has an attention span of 10 seconds. This is a student that is attentive in class, but when he comes home it’s like the light switch for learning just completely shuts off!

What I have tried with my son, and what I recommend to other parents are several ideas. First rule is don’t have your kids do homework right when they come home from school. Especially if they want to ‘get it over with’ so they can do something else. This is a guarantee that they will not put forth the necessary effort and focus.

The second idea which I find to be extremely effective is to have them do something physically active. Playing ball or dancing, anything that has them running around. Physical activity reduces pent-up stress, and you’ll find your child refreshed in both energy and mind. So, rather than have them watch TV or play video games, go outside and play ball with them, or go sledding with them.

One other idea I find is helpful is to get them involved in the homework question, by bringing it down to everyday life. So if it’s a math problem, try to get the involved by giving a real life situation that they can relate to. You”ll find them being much more attentive when the questions are less abstract, and more down to earth.