My daughter constantly says "I can't do it" when she is given work to do at home, it frustrates me, HELP!

Question

I tell her, yes you can! Sometimes I yell at her about it because she has done this work before and I've seen her do it correctly. She knows how to do it and it aggravates me that she acts like she cannot. She is 6 years old.

Answer 1

I always tell my kids and the kids in my preschool class, "we don't say I can't, we say I'll keep trying until I can."

It's great to hear them say this themselves.  Your daughter may not repeat this mantra at 6, but it might make her really think about it.

Answer 2

Get her tested by Huntington Learning center to see if she has a gap in knowledge.

Answer 3

My 9 year old son had a homework assignment last week that he (and I, at first) thought was going to be very difficult for him.   So after looking over it myself, I knew how I would present it to him.  I told him "you know more than you think you know", and I helped him break the homework down into pieces.  He understood what was expected of him and was able to do a fairly good job with it.

Answer 4

What the first person said is ridiculous, She has no learning disability whatsoever.

Your daughter is just being a typical 6 year old, She's being lazy.

If she has an older brother or sister then try make them to help her, as she might not act up as much with them.

When you're helping her, you could say If she gets a certain amount of work done, she'll get a reward, eg. A chocolate bar or a game of Lego etc.

Keep praising her when she does things right and reward her for her efforts.

Good Luck. = )

Answer 5

Give her time and patience. Help her understand the work and reward her when she does it by herself. She might not have confidence in herself.

Answer 6

I don't like that first persons answer at all.

What my mom used to do when i was young and a know it all was to involve me into it, just say I know you can do it but how about we do it together today and involve her in other stuff that you do even if she doesn't want to do it. That way she will just think it is normal to let mom help me do things.

I hope this helps.

Answer 7

take her to silivian?

and stop yelling!

Answer 8

i did the same.  it  means "i don't want to".  my mom would say something along the lines of "well learn.  and i hope you learn quick, cause you're staying here until it's done."  now, she would also occasionally add "if you really need help, i can get you sister over" which  was the LAST thing i wanted.  but in lieu of older torturous siblings, i suppose the first phrase will do.

Answer 9

Ask her why she is saiyng this and tell her that you dont want to hear her say that because she can. Say this nicely and help her with her work. I hope this helped.

-Tara

Answer 10

There has a been a few times I have told my kids fine, but I am going to school with you tomorrow and telling  your teacher in person that is why your work is not done and exactly how you have acted. It has only ever taken the threat to get them motivated. But really at 6 you should just sit down and help her find a way to figure it out. Note I said help not do it for her, but 6 is still young, I always worked with my kids at this age. Its kind of fun helping and watching them learn at this age anyway. I also make  them try on  their own before I come and help.

Answer 11

Don't yell at her. Calm down. She probably has a learning disability. Help her with her work.

Answer 12

My daughter has done the same exact thing... her thing is that she wants me to sit with her while she does her homework... I guess b/c she likes the time we spend together. Maybe you should try a different way of explaining the directions to her. It worked with my child... FYI- she'll be 7 in August.

Answer 13

i had this problem when i was a child. its not that she doesnt want to do it she may have low self esteem and think she cant even if you tell her she can. i had a hard time in school and i know how she feels. just keep on her and she will eventually give in.

Answer 14

she probably just doesn't want to? i dunno

Answer 15

I have a 6 year old who does the same thing. They are simply trying to get out of doing the work. Do what you can to make it fun, or give her an incentive for doing the work. For my son, it could be a trip to the park, his favorite dinner, letting him pick a movie to watch. Use whatever will motivate your daughter. Some people would call this bribing, but it works with kids this age.

They are at an age that they like to negotiate things.

Answer 16

When I hear "I can't" in my classroom, I lean down, give the kiddo a squeeze, and respond, "Aren't you glad I don't believe that?"

Then I walk away and they do it on their own with a smile.

Answer 17

she's hoping you will give up and do it for her. Mine did the same thing, so i wrote a note to the teacher and we had informed my daughter that Mom is not allowed to give you the answers, but can help you only if you really need it. The consequences if she didn't try on her own, was i would send a note to the teacher and she would recieve a homework help ticket, this meant she went into another classroom for more assistance. She swore she didn't need help and after being referred for a week stright, it stopped and she started working on her own. This was with the assistance of her teacher and the speacil ed teacher. We all knew she didn't need the help, but going along with this plan let her know if she really needs help, it's there for her to take.

Best of luck

Answer 18

There are two possible reasons for this behavior:

a.) your daughter is insecure and really doubts her abilities. (That is not uncommon at age six. Children have so much to figure out!)

b.) your daughter figured out this might be a good way to get around her chores.

In both cases there is no point in letting her of. Yelling might be effective in case b, however in case a, it will do more harm than good. It might help to remind your daughter gently that she already accomplished that task before - be as detailed as possible: 'You did that, when grandma was coming over.' - If she is just faking, your reminder will convince her that her chore-avoiding strategy doesn't work and she'll do it. If she really is insecure and the reminder doesn't help, she'll probably be very happy to accept your offer to help her with the task.

Answer 19

Well she is 6 and that is pretty young! You should encourage her but don't yell because that can scare her and make her feel bad. My brother was the same way and we always gave him a little something to do and when he did it we really made him feel good. We told him good job, we new you could do it, and never give up!!! This will help over time. Positivity is a very important thing. Your daughter is still very young and she just needs you to encourage her and teach her that no matter what life brings her way she can always succeed. This is totally normal for a 6 years old! This is your time to be a parent and work your magic so as she gets older she will grow up to be a very strong and self confident individual!!! You can do it, just don't get frustrated because that is not good for either one of you!

And no, your daughter does not have a learning disability!!!

I hope this helps!!!

Best of Luck to You!!! =)*