The Logans aren’t the first parents to have problems motivating their child to do their worksheets. In fact, one of the most common questions parents ask their Kumon instructors is, “What can I do to keep my child motivated to do his or her Kumon homework?” When confronted with this situation, Mr. and Mrs. Logan decided it was definitely time for a change.
The first thing the Logans did was talk to Billy’s Instructor to get an idea of how many worksheets Billy should be doing each day. In addition, they asked for advice on what the instructor thinks they can do to help improve his worksheet status at home. Once given that information, it was easy to monitor Billy’s progress and make sure that he completed all of his daily Kumon assignments.
At home, Mr. and Mrs. Logan created an area specifically for Billy to work on his Kumon. All distractions were removed, and noise levels were kept to a minimum. Billy continued to do his Kumon a half hour after he arrived home from school, but Mrs. Logan would sit with him during that time and catch up with paperwork of her own.
When Billy completed his worksheets for the day, Mrs. Logan gave him positive feedback and made him feel good about his achievement. This kind of reinforcement motivated Billy to continue his good work and to try to do even better the next time.
After several weeks of this practice, Billy had developed a good homework pattern and was progressing in Kumon faster than he ever had before. By going that extra mile for their son and offering him that extra support, the Logans were not only helping their son improve academically, but also helping him to develop skills and study habits that will last a lifetime.
