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From the classic “my dog ate my homework” excuse to more clever excuses like, “my backpack got stolen” or, “I left my binder in my mom’s car,” there are endless ways students can try to get out of doing and handing in homework. Here are some ways you can help students overcome homework excuses like these.

Try to understand why students don’t do their work

There are many reasons why a student may not do their homework. These might be:

• Procrastination
• Lack of interest
• Wanting to get it perfect or a fear of failure
• Being surrounded by distractions
• It’s too difficult
• It’s too much to do at once
• It’s not as important as another task
• They forgot
• They didn’t have time

Help students overcome homework excuses by taking different approaches on assignments

We’re not talking about bringing the difficulty level down here. Although that could be the case with a student who is struggling, it might be helpful to simply lessen the amount slightly or break it up into smaller chunks.

Or, take a different approach with the homework. For example, if a student is experiencing a lack of interest in a project, try allowing them to take a creative approach on it. If you are a teacher or tutor, give them ideas of different options like turning an English project into an art project, a song, or a skit.

You can also have your students do some partner or group work so they are held accountable to someone else. This also avoids excuses about not having the right supplies, because even if one child doesn’t have their books, someone else in the group likely will. Another option is to schedule an assignment that is done in class or during a tutoring session. This will avoid the excuse of not understanding something, or finding it too difficult, because help will be readily available.

If you are a parent, talk to your child’s teacher or tutor about what other options there are to allow your child to take a creative approach on a project.

Other ways to help students overcome homework excuses:

If your students are not struggling with the assignment itself, but just have trouble doing homework in general, there are few things you can try to help them overcome homework excuses. If they seem to be struggling with procrastination, try giving them some study tips to follow. For example, turn off all devices when doing homework!

You can also encourage students to set earlier deadlines. Or, you could even have a deadline for a first draft before the final deadline for a paper. This will help them get the paper done early so that they don’t feel pressed for time on the final copy. It will also allow them to have more time to get feedback on their first draft before they submit the final copy.

And finally, encourage your students to have a space they can study in without distractions. If they don’t have a quiet space at home, recommend a library or a study area at school.

Whatever problem your student has with completing homework, try figuring out what it is and help them overcome homework excuses. A creative approach or changing up the usual ways may encourage them to get things done. Good luck!

Music plays a large part in human culture, and can be heard throughout the world. Here in Canada, music is often taught as a class in elementary school. But what really comes out of the time your children spend in music class or other music lessons? Read on to learn about why you should teach kids music at a young age.

Music is a language, and children learn languages easier. Just like it is harder to start learning French or Italian when you’re older, it is a lot harder to learn to read music and play an instrument as you age. Children are oriented towards learning language, so they will be able to pick up the language of music faster and easier.

Teaching kids music for memory retention skills

Learning music helps improve memory. According to Musikgarten, one of the leading companies in early childhood music education, when children learn melodic and rhythmic patterns, it develops their memory. Music helps develop the left side of the brain, which means it also helps with processing language and new information. Putting new information to a tune can also help your child to remember it. Just think about the ABC song!

Music makes kids’ brains work harder. The growth of neural activity in kids is actually heightened due to music, since you are using more of your brain. This will help kids with things like problem solving and math.

Teaching kids music to advance culture and society

Music channels culture. This is why it is good to expose your kids to local music. Vancouver musician David Vertesi is a strong advocate of this, and he recently touched on the matter in an article he wrote for the Huffington Post. He mentions that if kids have a positive experience with local music, they will grow up to be a generation that cares about local arts and culture.

Music brings kids together, and helps them socially. Through group music making, kids will learn to listen to each other and share their creativity. In a world that values collaboration, this is a great skill to start learning at a young age through music.

Your child may have started taking piano lessons, be enrolled in a group music tutoring, or simply be in a music class at school. Whatever it is, the music they are learning is definitely beneficial to many aspects of their life, and will continue to have a positive impact on them as they grow. So, keep encouraging your kids to learn music, and they will thank you in the future!

A new year provides an excellent opportunity to have a new start and make some positive changes in your life. Your kids can also benefit from a new start by making new years resolutions. Having the skill of goal setting will help your child in the future, and will help them become better learners. Here are some types of New Years resolutions that will encourage your children.

Make positive New Years resolutions

Make sure all of your child’s resolutions have a positive spin on them. So, instead of saying they don’t want any cavities, have them say they are going to brush their teeth twice a day and not eat so much sugar. Or, instead of saying they want to stop being such a picky eater, they can say they will be open to trying new foods.

Fewer resolutions will encourage your child

Don’t let your child become overwhelmed by having too many resolutions. Make sure all their resolutions are attainable. If they do have quite a few goals they really want to make, they should prioritize them so they stay focused on the most important resolutions.

New Years resolutions for young children

Your younger children might not have so many academic goals they need to think about right now. However, you can help them create resolutions that deal more with character. This will help them succeed academically later on. For example, helping them get organized now will help them with their organizational skills as a teenager. Have them make a resolution to make sure their whole room is clean before they go to sleep. Or, they can aim to clean up one activity before they move on to another.

Break down goals for teens

Teens can have more complex goals, but it is still important to make sure they are attainable. In order to do this, split a large or hard goal into small steps. This is a good goal setting skill that will help them later in life. An example of a resolution that can be broken into steps is obtaining an A in a class they find difficult. They could break this into smaller goals like reviewing 30 minutes every day, seeking help from their teacher at least once per unit, and making flashcards for each unit at least three days before the test.

Another example is to try to saving money. Your teenager can have several smaller goals to make that happen. First, they can put at least 50% of each paycheck they get straight into their savings account or piggy bank. Then, they can make a budget for the rest of their money. With their budget, they can focus on a specific area or store they don’t want to spend so much on. For example, “I will not spend more than $20 at Tim Horton’s a month.”

For each goal your child meets, make sure you acknowledge their accomplishment. Seeing their results and what they can do will help build their confidence. So, sit down with your kids to make some new years resolutions, and have a Happy New Year!

They may not have too much homework or a job, but it is important for kids to learn how to be organized. Teaching your kids organizational skills will help them later when time management can make or break their grades, and being late to work can get them fired. Here are 5 organizational skills kids should learn.

Get rid of clutter

If your child has a desk at school with an open front or drawer underneath that allows for some storage, it can easily get cluttered. In order for them to keep their space at school neat, encourage your child to regularly get rid of things they don’t need. Papers are especially easy to pile up, but even little kinder surprise toys or dollar store erasers can easily be purged. Unless your son or daughter is starting a collection, you may want to get them to reduce their pile of various animal-shaped erasers that is doing nothing other than cluttering up their desk.

Have a place for everything

For the toys and novelty school supplies that your child doesn’t want to get rid of, at least teach them to have a place for everything. Even just making sure they hang up their jacket when they get home will teach your kids organizational skills. It will also help their elementary school teacher keep the coatroom from becoming a zoo in the mornings. So it’s a win-win!

Don’t allow playtime until things are put away

Once they have a place for their toys, encourage your kids to put them in that place once they’re done playing. Before starting with the next game, make sure they clean up from their last activity.

Learn to have a schedule

Even though they might not have a lot of homework, it is still good for your child to start keeping track of their schedule. Maybe it’s a chart in their room outlining when they have to do their chores or go to swimming lessons. Or, they could even keep a little agenda to write down when they have a field trip or that they have a spelling test on Thursday.

Learn to be on time

Finally, teach your child the importance of punctuality at a young age. Building this habit while they are young will help them later. Before long, turning an assignment in one day late could result in the loss of an entire grade.

Teaching your kids organizational skills will not only help them now, but will also greatly benefit them later in life! So start with these little things while they’re still young to get them off to a good start.