When DD9 was in the 6-7 age range, we set small goals and used rewards. She has horrible organizational skills and forgot homework or forgot to turn it in etc. We set a goal for each day that she will bring all work home and turn everything in. For each day, she got a sticker on a chart. After so many stickers, she got to pick a reward from a jar. I had little pieces of paper in a jar that would read: trip to the pet store (she loves animals), extra tv time etc. whatever her "currency" was at the time. Breaking things up into daily successes was enough to get her moving on that.
I still try to keep our schedule the same: same bedtime routine, after school routine and give them plenty of play time. After a full day at school and then homework, it's sometimes hard to fit in extra learning. We supplement only on the weekends. You can make a schedule and post it in your child's room. It gives them predictability of the day. I have also let DD choose homework time (right after school, after snack, after 30 min. of playtime). She seems to go along with things when she has some control.
As far as sneaky ways to make things educational: there are many games that are educational but don't appear that way. I love looking through the Hoagies gifted webpage and their educational resources. Pick some games that address what your child is working on and make it fun. Learning can happen anywhere and doesn't always require worksheets.
Jen
