The disorganized child is infamous for "shutting down" when she feels overwhelmed. We've all heard, "Yeah I finished the science homework...oh that math....yep did that too.", only to find out that nothing was completed. I'm certainly not saying that your child is a bad kid for lying; in her mind the work was done, only it was her version of being "done".
In my practice and at home, I've learned that some children will avoid tasks when they feel overwhelmed. Hell, I know plenty of adults who do that too! However, children won't always know to say ," Mom , I'm feeling overwhelmed by the amount of work. Could you breakdown the assignment for me so it looks easier?" Chunking assignments for these children seems to work for most.
For some kids, parents will need to chunk the assignments into very small sections. For example, if your 6th grade son has 15 pages to read in science and then answer 5 questions, you may have to break down the reading assignment into two sections (7 pages and 8 pages) with a 5 minute break in between. The written assignment may need to be broken down as well if your child feels overwhelmed by the work. Have your middle school child work on an assignment for 20-30 minutes with a 5 minute break. Elementary school children can work for 15-20 minutes before a break of less than 10 minutes. The break may include the getting a snack, stretching, but not watching TV.
I love to write tasks separately on post it's. When the child is finished with the task, she can throw the post it away. Tactile kids will love this! As the post it's are thrown out, the workload decreases. And we all know what that means...... a more peaceful, less parent nagging household!
Marcella
Follow Marcella on Twitter.com/kidorganizer and mombloggersclub.com
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