Setting Up a Homework Station and Ritual

Setting up a dedicated homework station and ritual is important for helping your child focus and learn effectively. Here are some tips:

1. Involve your child in setting up the space. This will help them feel ownership of the space and make them more likely to use it. If practical, let them choose the location, decorate the area, and pick out the supplies to bring more interest.
   
2. Make sure the homework space has its own set of materials and supplies. This will help your child stay organized and avoid having to get up and down all the time. If possible, let them choose fun supplies just for homework so they look forward to using their fuzzy pen or whatever is interesting to them. If you can arrange with the school to keep an extra set of school books at home, this can ensure they always have what they need to complete the assignment.
   
3. Pick a location where you can keep an eye on your child, but aren’t hovering. This will help them feel supported and motivated, without feeling micromanaged. Some kids really benefit by having a body double in the room to help them stay on task. It also keeps them motivated when they can ask a quick clarification question instead of getting stuck and distracted. If you have a very motivated child that doesn’t like doing work in a common area, they may prefer to be in their bedroom. That’s okay too! This is about supporting your child in finding ways to help them thrive.
   
4. Remove or minimize distractions. This means turning off the TV, putting away toys, closing any unnecessary tabs on the computer, putting smart phones out of reach and having a decluttered space which can feel like visual noise to a lot of kids. If the homework space has multiple kids, consider if your child needs noise canceling headphones or earplugs.
   
5. Provide and use a timer. A timer can help your child stay on track and avoid getting overwhelmed. Set clear and achievable work completion goals, such as “You can take a 10-minute break as soon as you complete a 20 math problems and at least 15 of them are correct.” ADHD kids are really time blind. They may look at a worksheet and think it will take an hour. Using a timer for 10 minutes and making a game out of how much they can get done can work wonders for some kids.
   
   Keep track of how long it actually takes to complete certain types of assignments and use that as a guide for judging time in the future. Having realistic expectations can help a lot.
   
   Don’t forget to use a timer for breaks as well and decide what activities work best to transition back to work. Ten cartwheels, a 5 minute walk with the dog around the block, jumping on a trampoline, a fun coloring page, a snuggle with the cat. If your child has a hard time transitioning from screens, you may not want to use that for your break unless it is very defined. For example, “We will watch one Daily Dose of Internet video together while we eat some grapes after doing 20 minutes of work.”
6. Create a start up ritual to clear their minds and signal it it time to start the session. This could be a short mindfullness activity like grounding, an EFT tapping session, some spoken mantras, turning on an essential oil diffuser, doing a funny dance routine or anything that is fun and/or relaxing for them that will help put their minds in the get going mode.
   
7. Monitor your child’s progress throughout the year and make adjustments as needed. As your child’s needs change, you may need to make changes to their homework station. Be sure to check in with them regularly to see how they’re doing and make sure the space is still working for them.
   
8. Apart from setting up the station, don’t forget to get to know your child’s sensory and learning preferences to maximize homework and study time. Allow your child to use strategies that help them focus and learn, even if they don’t seem “normal” or like something that would work for you.
   
   There are several processing modalities or learning styles and knowing what their preferences are for different subjects can help you identify strategies that may help optimize learning and motivation. These knowings can also help you and your child determine what types of electives and extracurriculars might be best suited for them. Here are some examples of things that may be helpful to create best outcomes for homework.study sessions for different processing styles:

• Auditory kids may get a jumpstart if you read instructions aloud with them or have them use an app like Speecify to listen to instructions and read worksheets. Kids may also benefit from listening to white or brown noise or music like some ADHD classical music playlists on Spotify. 
• Kinesthetic kids may play with fidget toys, chew gum, or perhaps need a standing desk where they can walk or bounce, which allows them to focus and increase understanding.
• Visual kids may benefit from an extra “doodle” paper to draw their ideas and reinforce concepts. 
• Tactile kids who may like sensory strips with bumpy, rough or soft textures they can touch and feel while learning.
• Conceptual kids may need to see the big picture of how the whole homework session will go before they can get started. If they can get the global understanding of the topic, that can also help.
• Emotional kids would benefit from pumping up their positive emotions. Praising their effort and their process and not just the outcome can do wonders. (This works for all kids!)
• Verbal kids may need to talk to themselves out loud as they narrate to themselves what they are learning and as they problem solve.