How to deal with a lazy 7 year old - any ideas?

[Tartpop]

DD is 7, bright but just can't be bothered.

I'm not talking G&T in any way. Just seems to pick things up quickly and does well when she sets her mind to it.

Getting her to do any school work is like pulling teeth!! we can't get her to practise the piano or anything.

I feel like i'm banging my head on a brick wall daily and it not only depresses me but it makes me not want to have to deal with it/her.

I feel she gets enough sleep. She doesn't do many clubs. 2 clubs and 2 piano lesson only.

I know I can always send her in with no homework done but I feel that she really needs to accept that she has to put effort in.

We do try and make it fun. I buy chalk pens and get her to do her spellings on a window or glass door etc.

Any ideas?

My dd is 8 and very similar! Getting her to do her homework is an absolute nightmare, which was a bit of a shock for me as my older dc has always done their homework with no complaint. Sorry I don't have much advice!

Sorry, that was mean to read only 1 piano lesson for 25 mins.

formerbabe it's really frustrating. I would love for her to have no homework. But I can't seem to get her to do anything I want her to do.

Do you have enough down time together? Watching YouTubers they love, chatting about whatever they're into, while snuggled up on the sofa?

DD is a bit lazy, but if she gets plenty of quality down time with me or DH, we get a lot more homework out of her. She just likes to take it slow when she's home. I find it frustrating sometimes as I like to be busy! But she is who she is.

Does she want to learn the piano? If not, then you are wasting your time paying for lessons.

Re the homework - if she doesn't do it when reminded, then don't keep going on at her, let her leave it. She's the one who will get it in the neck from her teacher when she doesn't hand it in.

My Ds has additional needs however I dropped his guitar lesson as he wouldn’t practice.

I also found breaking the homework down was much better so ten minutes before nice an evening is far easier than Saturday morning nightmare.

Also limited choice helped . Do you want to do your maths before or after tea? They feel they have a choice but it is very limited . Do you want to do your spellings or reading?

My youngest was v bright and logical but lazy - why should he do homework, etc, when he could coast without trying and stay middle of the pack. When he was about 8 or 9 I found pictures online of different types of housing - bedsit, flat, terrace, semi, detached, etc, up to mansion. Next to each I put the cost of the property in our area, what salary you'd need to live there, and a list of jobs of that salary bracket. I printed it all off and stuck it on the wall by the computer where he liked to game and chat with his friends.

I think it made some impression as he continued to coast enough to enjoy life but he pulled out all the stops for exams and work experience and is now at a top uni studying for what looks to be a very lucrative career. I sometimes worry that I've made him too money motivated, but he refused to grasp the concept of work having intrinsic value whereas this was concrete evidence of how it could effect his life iyswim.

What is it that she wants to do instead? Or is it just anything but homework?
Does she have a special area to work in? Maybe try setting up a little work station, maybe a desk with a pen pot and in trays.
Otherwise routine can be helpful. Same time each day. If evenings don’t work could she get up early and do it then.

Sorry to have posted and ran.

I like the idea of spending some time doing what she wants to do together and then trying with the homework.

We probably don't spend as much time together as we should.

It's often a bit frantic. Tomorrow morning we are going to give it a go and see how we get on.

Agree with tinselfest. If she's not bothered then it's money down the drain. I had piano lessons and took to it like a duck to water. My sis followed and after a year of lessons still had to have the notes written on the keys! Mum gave up then!!

What happens if you say “right dd, it’s time for your piano practice! Which piece shall we start with?”

I am afraid that’s what I did at that age - there was no choice and after a while it just became routine.

She enjoys the piano when she does it and she likes being part of the band at school.

It's just 25 mins a week at home straight after school so no biggie.

If I said, right now is time for piano practise she would she would refuse and start shouting and stropping. At which point she would get sent to her room for her behaviour. We would then try again slightly later.