Routines

A friend of mine often complains about the trouble she has getting her child to do homework. I asked her if she had a routine set for her child to which she said, "no." I have 3 kids on my own so routines are important. When the kids get home from school there's no chaos in asking each child if they have done their homework or anything else they need to do. Once my kids walk in the door after school they get changed out of their uniforms, have a snack, and do their homework. They have been doing this from the time they first started school. I never have to nag them to do their homework. They know that once they have done all they need to do they have the rest of the afternoon to do what they like.

Routines take the fuss out of anything kids do. Bedtime is never a problem in my home, either - when I tell them it's bedtime they go to the toilet, brush their teeth, say goodnight, and off they go. Mornings are fine, too - they eat their breakfast, get dressed, clean their teeth - they don't have the TV on until they are completely ready for school. I find that leaving the TV on is too much of a distraction, especially for my son who will sit gazing at the TV, one shoe on, one off, or half dressed etc, so the TV stays off.

Anyway, the basic message is make a routine and stick to it. It really does make things easier!