Why Do Kids Procrastinate?

You just found out that your child has big project… and it’s due tomorrow!

Before you start yelling about procrastination and bad work ethics take a minute to look at the reasons why kids procrastinate in the first place.

Why do students put off a big project until the last minute? It’s not because they don’t want to do the work, or because they aren’t performing in school. Procrastination is nothing more than not understanding the steps involved in a project… it exists simply because kids don’t know where to start and because put more value on what is happening today than what will happen tomorrow.

Kids often procrastinate when it comes to homework because they don’t see how the project is relevant or important to them. When you boil it down, procrastination is a motivation, confidence, and impulsiveness issue.

When it comes to projects and assignments, kids need to understand two things in order to be motivated to get the job done:

1. Kids need to understand how to do the project. To do this they need to use equal parts of project management and time management skills. Big projects can be overwhelming at the outset. Children need to break the project down into manageable parts such as research, writing and editing—so that they can follow step by step until the project is done in a reasonable time frame.
2. Kids need to understand why the project is meaningful to them. Kids look for instant gratification—it’s their nature. Long-term results like getting into a good college are essentially meaningless to kids. Finding ways to make a project meaningful and relevant for them gives them motivation to get the job done today!

Helping students develop motivation for their work and a better understanding of the steps involved are the keys to helping students complete homework on time, finish projects well ahead of the due date, and put an end to procrastination for good.