Alison is an executive function coach, teacher, and mom who has a Ph.D. in Educational Administration and Policy. Her research centered on social media and teacher learning. She spent 15 years teaching in public schools. She now spends her time blogging and working with students, parents, and teachers to use technology responsibly and develop kids' executive function skills.
The homework playlist trick
|
Happy Friday, Reader! Last week we tried the 60-Second Test and talked about how hard it is for many kids to feel time passing. This week, let’s talk about the moment right before the time starts: getting started. You know the scene. Homework is “about to happen.” Your kid says they’ll start in five minutes. Then there’s a snack, then a quick check of the phone, then something urgent to find in their room. Forty minutes later, nothing has been started, and everyone is frustrated. 🧠 Why starting is so hard Starting a task takes more executive function than it looks like. Before your child writes a single word, their brain has to stop what it’s doing, decide what to work on, figure out the first step, and push past the “ugh” feeling. That’s a lot of decisions, and every one of them is a chance to stall. So when we say “just get started,” we’re asking them to do the hardest part of the task with no help. The fix isn’t more willpower. It’s a cue: something in the environment that signals “this is the moment” so your child doesn’t have to make that decision from scratch every day. 🎧 Try this: a homework-only playlist
Think of it like a movie’s opening credits. Nobody decides to “start watching” when the music begins. The music tells you it’s starting. 💡 A few tips from my coaching practice
📏 At three ages
📅 November Workshop: Time Management for Kids Who Hate PlannersThe playlist is one of several planner-free ways to make time visible. We’ll cover the rest at this month’s live workshop: Time Management for Kids Who Hate Planners We’ll cover:
As always, every strategy is shown at three age levels, with a printable to take home. Then we’ll troubleshoot together at a live Q&A on Sunday, November 29. It will be recorded, since it’s Thanksgiving weekend. It’s all inside Building Savvy Parents. Start with a free 7-day trial. After that, membership is $33/month or $329/year, and the October workshop and Q&A replays are already waiting for you. The fine print: Skool asks for a card to start your trial. Nothing is charged until day eight, and canceling takes two clicks (Settings → Billing → Cancel). 👉 Save your spot for November 19:https://www.skool.com/building-savvy-learners/about Have a great weekend! P.S. What’s on your kid’s homework playlist? Hit reply and tell me. I’m curious what actually works for kids (and I’m always looking for new suggestions to share with my students). 🎶 |
Alison Eber, Ph.D.
Alison is an executive function coach, teacher, and mom who has a Ph.D. in Educational Administration and Policy. Her research centered on social media and teacher learning. She spent 15 years teaching in public schools. She now spends her time blogging and working with students, parents, and teachers to use technology responsibly and develop kids' executive function skills.
Happy Friday, Reader! This Sunday the clocks fall back, and for about a week, everyone in your house will be a little confused about what time it is. For a lot of kids, though, that feeling doesn’t go away in a week. So this weekend, I want you to try a quick experiment. ⏱️ The 60-Second Test Have your child sit somewhere comfortable, out of view of any clock. Say “go,” and have them close their eyes. When they think one minute has passed, they open their eyes and say “now.” You check the...
Happy Friday, Reader! Last week we talked about the homework "pipeline": hear it → write it down → start it → finish it → turn it in. I said the last step is often the easiest leak to fix. For many families, the turn-in step is exactly where things fall apart. Your kid did the worksheet. You watched them do it. And a week later, it's still at the bottom of the backpack, folded into a tiny triangle. So this week, here's the fix. It costs about a dollar. 📂 The Action Folder Take any sturdy...
Happy Friday, Reader! The first progress reports of the year have landed (or are about to). That means many families are about to have the dreaded Grades Conversation. You probably know how it goes. You open the portal, your stomach drops, and before you've finished reading, you're already halfway to "We need to talk." Before you start that conversation, here's one question to ask first. 🔍 Is this a "didn't learn it" problem or a "didn't turn it in" problem? Most low grades fall into one of...