Here’s a super helpful tip for your readers! I’ve always called these “sliders” because they slide through books.
These are usually purchased for one of the following reasons:
a. Child is having trouble “tracking” (losing their place in a long piece of text)
b. They sound too much like a robot and need to read smoothly without losing their spot.
c. They keep using their finger and it’s getting in the way.
d. They’ve used index cards, but they can’t see through them to see if more sentences are coming up.
e. They need a snazzy bookmark!
I’d say it’s great for kids reading chapter books and nonfiction materials. So approximately age 7+.
I actually use these from Read Naturally, but the ones above you can get with free shipping!
I’ve long had students use a timer to do homework distraction free because they end up with more free time (and who doesn’t want more free time?) and less stress. With my students, I also recommend they do work in 25 minute increments (25 minutes on, 5 minutes off) if they are working for longer periods of time. Eighty minutes can be a long time, and a student might start off strong and power through only to be exhausted after sixty minutes.
In regards to your dilemma, KJ and http://yourhomeworkhelp.org/do-my-chemistry-homework/ it varies per evening. I find that having students schedule out their homework blocks at the beginning of the week, and scheduling time everyday M-Th, with 2-3 blocks spread out between F, S, Su, works wonders for those with weekend homework. A student who doesn’t want to do work on Friday doesn’t have to, and the goal of having all work done by Sunday at 3 pm also makes Sunday evening more peaceful for all involved.
On nights like tonight where your child is crunched to find 80 minutes, he or she can perhaps adjust on other days, knowing that in general, 80 minutes is the goal.