«I hate homework!»

«Why don't you ask Sarah?»

I hate homework! Every day after school, which already takes far too long for my liking, I have to do at least an hour of homework. Sometimes it even takes two hours. And then there's my mum, who totally annoys me with it. She keeps telling me: «You have to do your homework right now!» That makes me so angry that we have a fight every time. Is there no way to get rid of homework? It ruins all my free time!
Mika, 11

Dear Mika
You are addressing a big issue here. A big issue because a lot of pupils have a problem with their homework. At least that's what I hear from most of the children I work with. I could well imagine a school without homework.

But the fact is that almost all schools in Switzerland set homework. The idea is that you, as a pupil, repeat, practise and rehearse the topics you have covered at school that day for yourself - i.e. at home. This consolidates the school material in your brain and you no longer have to learn everything from scratch when a test is due. Your teacher will also be able to see where there are still gaps or what you didn't understand well.

The amount of homework varies from teacher to teacher. Nevertheless, there is a kind of guideline that says you should do about 10 minutes of homework per school year. So a first-grader should do 10 minutes, a third-grader 30 minutes and a fifth-grader 50 minutes per school day. If you regularly spend much longer on homework, you should talk to your parents and teacher to find out why.

Homework without stress

Many teachers nowadays use weekly plans. At the beginning of the week, each pupil is given a sheet of paper with the homework for the whole week on it. You can then choose which tasks you do on which day of the week. I think it's great that you can decide for yourself what you want to do. However, the challenging part is that you have the responsibility of actually completing the plan by the end of the week. Many children need a parent to help them with this planning. You should also remember whether you have a sports training session or something similar where you won't be able to do much for school.

Many children find it easier if they do the simplest things first.

Personally, it's very important to me that pupils don't have to stress about homework. Otherwise, «homework» would be linked in the brain with «stress and anger» - and so you would probably feel more and more frustration instead of self-confidence.

I therefore advise you to try out the following options:

1. homework help

There is probably a homework help centre at your school or where you live. There is always a nice person there who helps several pupils with their homework. You can go there once or several times a week. Then you can finish in an hour or less and go home without having to do anything else for school. You certainly wouldn't have any more arguments with your mum either.

2nd order

Think about which homework you want to do first, second and third. Many children find it easy if they do the easiest first (to get started), then the most difficult (because they still have enough energy) and finally the middle one.

3. timer

Set a timer for a few minutes. Just as long as you can bring yourself to work: Between 5 and 20 minutes, but no longer. This is because children your age can't concentrate for more than 20 minutes. Then take a short break. And now set the timer again - repeat this until your homework is done.

Your brain needs food to work well.

4th game

Ask your mum if she would like to support you so that you prefer to do your homework in future. If she agrees, ask her to play a game with you during your breaks (see point 3. Timer). A game of «Four Wins» or «Uno» would be perfect. Not only is it fun, but it also trains your attention and concentration.

5. brainfood

Your brain needs food to work well. Foods that are particularly good for mental activity are called brain food. The most important thing is to drink water. And nuts, fruit and vegetables are good for snacking - that's why the mix of sultanas and nuts is also called «trail mix».

I hope you have now been given some input to experience homework differently from today. So that the «homework» in your brain is linked with «experiences of success». Good luck!