Do you have a Home work area at home?

[IslandGirlie]

Probably not the most clear tittle. Do your kids have a desk they do work on, away from all distractions?

Kids are in Y1 & Reception.

We have an open plan downstairs so TV in lounge which opens up to dinning area and kitchen. Dinning table is where we do out home work but kids seem to get distracted / in a hurry to finish everything to get off to play/ watch tv (ask to watch to) / just get away from the homework! Getting both to sit in the same place always leads to quarrels and DC1 trying to compete DC2s work or DC2 interrupting.

We have a small study with a desk and full of other stuff so not really a clutter free inviting place for kids.

Is it worth tidying up the study and getting them an allocated desk for homework?
Even if we do that will they still be as less motivated as now to do homework?
Or will it give them the focus to do it away from distraction?
Will a nice study area encourage them get in to the habit of homework and working at home which will help in later years when they have their own room and desks? They share at the moment.

Alternatively can they have a desk in their room too, will be a bit of a squeeze but can find a small table.

I'm not sure what the solution is

Mine are still using the kitchen table aged 10 and 12, with either a laptop or the family computer which is just outside the door. I don't want them in their rooms with computers and while not all their homework is computer based a lot is. I also like being around them while they work to lend an ear or make a suggestion. They do some in their rooms by choice, worksheets using laptrays and we will get desks there at some point (might need to move house first though). We keep a magazine rack in the kitchen with books and sheets in and abig pot of pencils etc on the side so it's easy to find everything they need.

We have a tiny little table and chairs for them in the living room. It's not a homework table, it's their colouring in table. (Messier arts are still banished to the kitchen table.)

We are lucky enough to have a large study. It has long desks down both sides (two children sit each side) along with space for all their books and files for each subject. One side has a shared PC in the middle, the other has two laptops. DH and I hotdesk if we need to work there.

Advantages:
I can easily support and supervise more than one child at a time.
Not having work space in their bedrooms makes their bedrooms more relaxing and helps their sleep.
Unlike working at a dining table, they are facing away from each other, which reduces distraction.
If the younger ones get stuck, older children are on hand to help with subjects I don't feel confident in.
I can see if they are actually studying or not.

Disadvantages:
It is difficult to keep the study area completely quiet, and those doing practice exam papers or timed homework sometimes find the others distracting.

Three of my children are unusually distractible (ADHD, dyspraxia, and sensory processing disorder run in our family) so reducing distractions is what I've ended up focusing on.

Whoknows, I didn't think of the computer use, definitely need to be supervised.
I do like the fact that we will have control / watch / input over of they work on dinning table.
Hmm is it just normal they are reluctant to do a HW no matter what?
I'd like them both to do theirs at the same time so we can supervise at the same time and done with..

I don't know what the answer is..

Sadly not. Open plan living / dining room so there's constant distraction if the other sibling wants to watch TV, it's a nightmare. 9yo DS will sometimes take himself up to his room and do it in peace but that depends on his mood.

Ah see we actively avoid having them both work together, partly due to space, partly due to distraction issues - this won't be possible once they are both at secondary school so we will have to think again then, but it has worked well so far (they're years 5 and 7).

At that age you need to sit with them. If they distract each other can you do 1 at a time, turn tv off sit at the table whist the other 1 goes up to play in the bedroom then swap.
My ds is in y1 I know how hard it can be to get them to do homework sometimes it's takes longer to convince him to start the homework than to actually complete it

DS14 and DD12 still do homework on kitchen table - 2 laptops as so much homework is computer based. Their rooms aren't big enough for desks, and I prefer computer use to be in family spaces, anyway.

We don't have TV on school nights - not a particular rule, just never have.

They both play a lot of sport, so they get home at about 6.30, feed pets, shower and change into slob gear, supper at 7ish, then homework/music practice 7.30 - 9.30, then bed. They both get up at about quarter to 7.