My daughter is 7 yrs old and in II standard. After coming from school she watches TV and expects that no one should interupt her. I'm working and go back home at 18:30 hrs refresh and to make her sit to study is a very big job. In the mean time my son aged 2 yrs will come disturbing us. But she waits for a chance to get away from studies and watch TV. All the time watching TV else if we restrict she goes of to play but never sits by herself to study. How do I handle this situation
Helping Your Child Concentrate by: Jean Tracy, MSS
Hi Mpm,
I am a mom too and have been a teacher and a family and child counselor.
I don't know a lot about the situation so ignore the suggestions that don't help and try the ones that fit.
Your daughter has lots of positives. She's intelligent, reasons well, a good conversationalist, likes praise, loves attention and likes to accomplish things.
The first thing I'd ask is, "Is there anyone in the family who models lack of concentration?" If so encourage that person to change.
The next thing I'd ask is, "Does she follow through at home on chores, etc.? Or does anyone complete her tasks for her? You won't want to help her develop a bad habit.
If she gets out of her responsibilities at home, don't expect her to change her behavior at school.
My Suggestions:
Make her follow through on home responsibilities with kindness and firmness.
Use a chart with one clear positive goal at the top like, "I finished my chores." Have a reward that she would like at the bottom of the chart like, "Mommy will read a book with me at bedtime if I finish my chores."
I suggest all rewards be fun things to do with you. I give 80 fun rewards to parents when they sign up for my parenting newsletter at my website, www.KidsDiscuss.com
When your child consistently follows through with her responsibilities at home, she may improve at school too. If not try these ideas if they fit your situation:
Talk with your child's teacher and get her suggestions.
Work out a simple note system with the teacher. Your child will bring it home each day. If the report is good,she gets a reward with you, like the bedtime story or a game of cards. Post a chart on the refrigerator and mark how many times she brought positive notes home.
I hope these ideas are helpful. Let me know at JeanTracy@KidsDiscuss.com I'd love to hear from you.
Aug 04, 2008
Make study fun instead of just sitting alone by herself by: Judy
I think many parents will be able to identify with your woes. Making a 7 year old sit down all by herself and study is not the easiest thing to do. Do you have someone studying with her? I mean an adult that can sit together with her and making learning fun and giving her directions in her homework.
Another thing to consider is to put her in a room without TV. This way, she will NOT be lured into turning on the goggle box. Many a times, kids are easily addicted to TV programs. Making it a point to turn off the TV set at a predetermine time will help. Even if this means that adults will not be able to watch the favorite sitcoms. Its a price to pay- giving up watching shows for the sake of your kid :) I tried that before and it seems to work for my kid.
