Where Do Your Kids Do Homework?

Not too young. Mine is 7 ADHD, ASD. I only have 2 so it's less distracting. Most times they do homework and any at the dining room table. When she is too distracted, She sits on the homework chair in their bedroom and does her work there. She does a good portion independently and I assist as much as she needs.

We moved to a new house when I was in 3rd grade, and I had a desk in my bedroom where I did my own homework. The desk wasn't allowed to have "fun stuff" on it or in it, it was the desk for "work" and had whatever items I needed for school work. Granted I did not have ADHD, but I enjoyed homework in my room at my desk. Get it over and done, and then I was able to go play or talk on the phone. Perhaps you could leave the door open a little if need be, but being able to concentrate and feeling independent, in my opinion would be good.
My oldest is only 7 and while he has a desk attached to his bunk bed, right now he does his homework at the kitchen table while I prepare dinner, or near me at the computer (also near the kitchen) when he's on spellingcity.com or the math program his teacher sent home.

I have two boys with ADHD. Taylor is 11 and he does his homework at the table. Hunter is 12 and he does his homework at school between classes, or on the school bus. If he does happen to have more work to do at home (which is rare), he'll do it on the floor of his bedroom, at the table, or at his desk.

I let him decide what will work best for him because we've taught our boys that the quality of their homework is their responsibility. They know that they can do their homework where ever they like as long as it gets done and they get a good grade. They know what poor work looks like without me bugging them about it.

ADHD kids tend to be bright and innovative. Put the responsibility in his hands. Just enusre that he knows your expectations. You might be surprised with the solutions he delivers.

Hi J.,

I don't know if this will help you, but here's what works for my very, very distracted first-grade son...

I should preface this that even with no siblings, when we tried doing homework with him at the kitchen table (while I did dishes, or even sitting with him to keep him on task), he'd get very distracted. We have a big picture window right next to the table, so anything going on-- a car passing, birds flying into the backyard-- he was immediately off task.

This year, I made a place for him in the less-exciting dining room. Our table in that room is rarely fully used (it has drop sides) so it is like a desk against a wall, and his seat faces a mostly-blank wall. Visual stimulus is limited. He does better here and completes his work more quickly here than when he chooses another place (I offer him the choice, so long as the work is done). We keep music/tv off, so there's minimal noise. I might sit next to him with my laptop or read a book, because he does seem to need company some days.

If you want him closer, is there a place where he could get set up out of the main traffic area and use a cardboard study carrel? Here's a homemade one--
http://spoonful.com/crafts/homework-central
I personally would not have so many things in the visual field. My son has a visual dysfunction which renders that many items to be distracting. All of our pens/pencils, rulers, markers etc. are in a basket on a separate table to eliminate visual clutter.

I'd also suggest using a timer to keep him on task, too. Like "you can work on your illustration for 5 minutes" then check in, state the next task and set the timer. My son's teacher does this with a few kids who need help managing their time. Ultimately, it depends on how much help he needs with the homework, I think.

Our daughter sat on the sofa and worked on a tv table.

As she got older she would work at her desk in her room.

I suggest you set up this son in your bedroom facing a plain wall. or in another room with a plain wall. You go in and either sit close to him and fold clothes, work on your laptop., read or something until he is finished.

The others can finish and move on along.

Or you could make a sight shield to place in front of him so that he cannot see around it or above it You can use poster board or foam core. They do this in elementary school to keep the kids from seeing each others test pages.

A timer may help him.
Maybe he needs a tutor? Maybe he needs a mothers helper to come each day and help him get through his homework? Maybe when dad gets home he needs to sit with son while son works on homework?

May be that your son needs some active time to get rid of all of that energy, before he has to sit down one more time and stay focused?

That is a long day for a kid with ADHD..

Not sure if this will help your situation, but it worked for my youngest daughter. After years of insisting on quiet when my kids did their homework (no TV, no music, no external stimuli of any kind), I realized it wasn't effective for my ADHD girl. For her, either listening to music with a set of headphones or the having the TV on acted as "white noise", allowing her to ignore everything else & focus on her homework. The headphones were the best -- and she could work in the kitchen, the office area, the living room, wherever. This would have been way too much of a distraction for my oldest girls, but each one is different.

I would put each child in an individual space facing away from the others. For instance, one can sit on the floor in front of the couch. One can sit on the other side of the couch facing a different direction, one can sit at the island and one or two that don't stray their attention at the dining room table. You should put each one facing away from the rest and put kiddo in the most restricted area facing a blank wall, no TV or radio, conversations, etc...he needs white space.

I went into my daughters first grade classroom for teacher conference. I had not been able to spend any time in this classroom due to my school schedule that semester. She rode the bus and then went to child care after school.

This teacher started telling me how she didn't pay attention in the classroom, she didn't listen, the teacher did not know how to get her to do anything. Then she asked me if I was paying attention. I said "Huh? I was so distracted by all the stuff you have everywhere that I can't hear you speaking". She didn't like that answer very much but I told her "I'm an adult who is nearly a straight A student and I can't pay attention to you in this environment". She put my daughter at a desk that faced a corner of the room and took everything off the walls around her. She started getting her work done and being able to finish her work with minimal supervision.

It sounds like your son's meds might be wearing off by the time school is out. We find that we get better results with him mentally after he's had time to go outside, run around and play hard, then eat dinner, and watch some TV or play in his room. Then he's ready to sit down and read, do his sight words, etc...his brain is on over load when he first gets home from school since he's been there for nearly 8 hours he needs a mental break then later go back to it.

We homeschool, but my youngest (8 years old) also has ADHD, so I totally get where you're coming from. It is almost impossible for an ADHD child to focus with so much going on around them (even if it's just other children's pencils scratching across their paper, or turning the pages of a book, or sneezing, or wiggling...).

On the days when my little one's ADHD is getting the better of her, I will move her from our school room (our entire formal living room has been turned into a school room) and put her in the breakfast nook (a good 20 feet away, but I can still see her), or the kitchen island (where she can stand up while working - bonus!), or even the coffee table in the family room. She has even done her work laying on the floor of my bedroom.

As far as doing his work without supervision... sigh... it's tough with an ADHD kid, it really is. If you suspect that he will get off-track, he probably will. Some days, he might be more successful than others. Generally, I don't allow my youngest to do her work in her own bedroom, because she definitely WILL be distracted by her toys. My vote is for almost any other room in the house where you can keep an eye out for him, but where he isn't right next to all of the other kids.

Ex-wife's step daughter? Unless that was a typo, you are a saint.

All 3 of my kids are special needs. My step dtr is at her moms during the week. My middle dtr is doing online school so she is done before my son gets home. My son has ADHD and he gets a snack when he gets home and sits at the kitchen table to do his homework. I sit with him to make sure he focus'. There is NO way he could sit alone anywhere and do it independently. I also have a modified amount of homework for him simply because he can't stay focused that long. On a good day he'll get 30 minutes but usually I get 15 minutes out of him. So he doesn't have any classwork at all sent home as homework and he mostly does math and spelling words. Talk to his teacher and see if you can do less homework for him. Otherwise, I would plan on sitting next to him with the other kids and just walk him through his until he's done. Good luck.

I think that you should just try it and see. This really sounds like a trial-and-error scenario. Remove what you see as obvious distractions and then see how he does in his bedroom.

my kids did it primarily at the dining room table, but also in their rooms or the living room. but we didn't have the same issues you're dealing with.
i'd definitely make things easier for this little fellow by finding him a quiet place with fewer distractions. i love him for agreeing with you to do it in his room. yes, you'll have to check on him, but make sure your re-directions are gentle and positive, and that you give him (mild) kudos when he stays on task.
khairete
S.

Can you send the other kids outside instead? My son, at 3rd grade, even without ADHD, could not stay on task in his bedroom. Legos and multijointed superhero action figures or rubber bands and pencils always managed to drag him away from what he needed to be doing.

I don't think he is too young. My 2nd grader does hers by herself and I check it, then she makes corrections.

Hehe, I am always yelling at my husband to quit talking to our daughter during homework time. He can't help himself.

J.,

I only have two of my kids at home. They each have a desk at which to do their homework.

My oldest son has a desk in his room to allow him to do his work.
We have a desk in our family room as well that my youngest uses as his desk.

Would I allow a 3rd grader with ADHD alone in a bedroom to do his work? No. Most likely not. His room would offer distractions as well.

I would have to know the set up of your home in order to help you!!

Good luck!

I have 5 and even 2 doing homework at the same time is too crazy. Everybody needs something. I cannot meet all their homework needs. It's loud, too.
I do plan to get a desk for them at various times, at they get older.

My oldest cannot do homework without me right there. No ADHD diagnosis but might as well be. Age 8. He won't even read anything without me RIGHT there making sure he is.

No hes not too young, but you know your kid. Maybe a separate spot on the same floor but not right at the table? I don't know the layout of your house. Maybe there is a way of keeping him on task?

BTW my kids do homework at the kitchen table - they're 6 and 7 and need help with some things. They would probably be distracted in their room!