Does your child struggle with homework procrastination? Did you find out that your child has a big homework project… and it’s due tomorrow?
Why do students procrastinate on homework and put off a big project until the last minute? Despite what some parents might believe, it’s not because your child is lazy, doesn’t want to do the work, or because they have a bad work ethic.
Kids often put more value on what is happening today than what will happen tomorrow. There’s a biological reason for this: similar to the same biological systems that tell us to pull our hand out of a flame, putting off a task that feels not great relieves the pressure of facing an unpleasant task. We naturally opt toward what feels better. Paired with the fact that many students dislike the idea of doing schoolwork at home (home is for relaxation!), you have the perfect recipe for a procrastination problem.
So, what can parents do to help?
Learn more about the causes and effects of procrastination and tips for how you can help your child avoid procrastinating so they can become a better, self-motivated learner.
Why Do Students Procrastinate at Homework Time?
Students often procrastinate because they don’t see how a project is relevant or important to them, don’t understand the material, or don’t know how to get started. When you boil it down, procrastination combines motivation, confidence, and comprehension issues.
As a parent, it can be frustrating to struggle with your child not completing their homework and assignments. It can leave many parents feeling like their child is lazy or doesn’t care about school.
However, much of the time, procrastination has very little to do with laziness or a lack of caring. In many cases, there are deeper issues that lead students to develop a procrastination problem.
Causes of student procrastination include:
- Lack of motivation
- Low self-confidence
- Fear of failure
- Lack of understanding
- Trouble concentrating
- Perfectionism
- Low energy levels
- Poor organization skills
Effects Of Homework Procrastination
Homework procrastination can harm students’ schoolwork, grades, and even their overall health. Students who procrastinate experience higher levels of frustration, guilt, stress, and anxiety—in some cases leading to serious issues like low self-esteem and depression.
The effects of procrastination can have an even bigger impact on high school students. Once students reach high school and start receiving more take-home assignments and larger projects, students who procrastinate until the last minute tend to receive lower grades than their peers.
This can create a cycle of bad grades and low self-confidence that can be difficult for students to overcome. At a time when marks start to impact the post-secondary opportunities for students, this can lead to a lot of extra stress and frustration.
How Can Students Learn To Avoid Homework Procrastination?
How can you help your child beat the temptation to procrastinate on homework? Check out these tips and learn how students can stop procrastinating on homework and be more productive.
1. Break the Project into Smaller Tasks
Big projects can be overwhelming at the outset. Help your child break the project down into manageable parts such as research, writing, and editing. Then, they can tackle each task step by step until the project is done. This will also help your child develop and practice their project planning and time management skills.
2. Make the Project Meaningful to Them
Finding ways to make a project meaningful and relevant for students helps them connect it to their interests and motivates them to start. Relate the project to something your child is interested in or a real-world scenario; this can help make homework and assignments less like work and more interesting.
3. Build Up Your Child’s Confidence
Some children procrastinate because they fear failure or think they can’t meet expectations. Boosting your child’s confidence by pointing out their efforts and past achievements can help your child develop a more positive attitude toward their work, making it easier to get started.
4. Create a Dedicated Study Space
Without a proper study space, children can become distracted by everything around them, which can quickly lead to procrastinating on homework. To avoid this, create a dedicated quiet space where your child can sit down and do their work each day. Ensure this space has all the materials your child will need, including pencils, paper, and erasers.
5. Eat Healthy and Get Lots of Sleep
Healthy eating and sleeping habits can help increase the amount of energy your child has as well as how much brainpower and focus reserves available…things your child needs to perform their best in school. A regular sleep routine and consistent bedtime each night help with this. Choosing healthy options like fruits and yogurt as midday snacks (these work great as after-school study snacks, too)are optimal.
6. Set Clear Goals to Stop Procrastinating on Homework
Fear of failure and perfectionism are major causes of procrastinating on homework and can be difficult for many students to overcome. Helping your child set clear and realistic goals will help them manage expectations and track his or her progress. Let your child know that sometimes it is okay to fail, and treat it as a lesson for next time.
7. Make a Project Plan and Stick to It
Create a schedule with your child, setting dedicated blocks of “homework time” they use to work on schoolwork each day. When bigger projects are assigned, sit down with your child as early as possible and make a project plan of attack they can follow. Set mini-project due dates or milestones your child can aim for. This will help break down the assignment, making big projects seem more manageable.
8. Develop Good Study Skills
Help your child improve their study skills by focusing on the learning process—not just their grades. Getting a good grade is the goal, but it is good study skills that will help your child achieve it. Encourage active thinking and critical problem-solving skills by talking through any challenges your child is facing with their homework or assignments and working out a solution together.
Stop Procrastinating on Homework—Today!
Helping students improve their learning skills and develop motivation for their work are the keys to helping students complete homework and assignments on time, reduce school stress, and end procrastination for good. If your child still needs an extra boost, our study skills program can help!
