Monday, August 20, 2012
Create a Dedicated Area for Your Child’s Homework Station
You come home from work expecting your
children to be nearly finished with their homework. It’s a house rule that
there will be no TV or games before it’s done. And yet there they are on the
living room floor, books and papers scattered and their eyes glued to a show on
TV.
Before
school starts this year, you might want to think about creating a homework
station that keeps them focused and undistracted.
After all, office workers are given cubicles or offices that screen them off
from the hustle and bustle of those around them so they can concentrate. So why
not provide your kids, who are more easily distracted, something similar?
Few people want to devote an entire room to
an in-house classroom. Depending on the child’s needs and level of
self-motivation, isolation in the bedroom might work for some. Others who
require more monitoring will benefit from being where you are. All homework
stations should be quiet and have enough space to spread work out, a good
writing surface, good lighting, comfortable seating, and a way to organize
supplies.
So, what are your options? Here are some
suggestions:
Desk in the
bedroom. This works well for
older kids and those who are motivated to do their homework
unsupervised. Make sure that they have a system to keep the desk organized and
clear of clutter.
Dining room table.
The dining table is a solution if you store all of the supplies in a nearby bin.
However, it can become an irritation to set it up for homework everyday and
then rush to clear it off for dinner.
Small desk in the
living room. The only drawback is that the family will
have to keep the noise down until all the homework is finished.
An armoire
converted into a homework station. The inside can be
converted into a station that can easily be put away by shutting the door. Take
some shelves out so you can install a corkboard or pegboard to hang supplies
and important papers.
A moveable,
tri-fold screen with supplies attached. You can modify the idea
on this website to suit your needs. Just be sure you choose a product that
won’t scratch your tabletop.
For more ideas, check out the suggestions on This Old
House. At the very least, it will inspire you to think outside the box and
come up with some creative solutions that will work in your home.
A homework station really becomes effective
when you also have a
system for doing homework. Offices have long utilized systems of how, when,
and in what order tasks should be accomplished. The same is true with household
chores.
If you live in the Silicon Valley and are
finding that you don’t have time to do everything, contact us at Simplify
and we’ll discuss what our team can do to help lighten your load.
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