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Simple Steps to Help With Homework
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Find a quiet spot for your child to do homework. Credit: Getty Images
Select a space. Create a quiet, uncluttered area that can become a regular, but special, place for your kids to work. Organize pencils, crayons, scissors and other items that your child may need nearby. Often, children perform better when there is a consistent, established schedule. Determine a routine: Do you allow the kids to play before settling down at the books? Should you serve snacks before they break out their spelling lists?
Talk to the teacher. When homework starts trickling in, check with your child's teacher to confirm what help to offer. While you want to be helpful, keep from completing any assignments. Teachers assign homework to assess a child's level of understanding, as well as to give them extra practice.
What's your child's learning style? During homework time, is background music necessary or is complete silence more conducive to studying? If your student prefers calm, encourage the rest of the family to focus on quiet pursuits. However, stay close to provide support and positive reinforcement, especially when reviewing work.
Set time limits. At some point, if your child is dragging out assignments, you may need to set time limits. Spending three hours on a couple of worksheets or a list of spelling words may be something you want to discuss with the teacher. Other students might be having similar struggles, which could be a sign that the teacher needs to reassess class work, or it might be a sign that your child needs more assistance on a particular subject.
Look over the work. As part of developing a routine, make your kids responsible for returning their work into their folders and then their backpacks. Regularly communicate with the teacher to confirm that the work is completed -- and done well.
Related: How to Help Kids Transition Back to the Grind
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ReaderComments (Page 1 of 1)
9-23-2010 @ 9:07PM
Trevor said...These are good tips to help a child do better when dealing with homework. I appreciate the thoughts on helping with the atmosphere and there ability to work or not work within it.
Learning styles are crucial to be aware of. But learning styles goes way beyond just having music or a quite space for homework. But that is a great place to start, as many parents are not even aware of these needs.
Another thing to be aware of is that a certain percentage of all kids are visual spacial learners. These kids may have an even more difficult time getting home work done because the homework does not fit their learning style.
Understanding a child's learning style is important.
tootlee.com - total potential in kids
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10-07-2010 @ 3:41PM
Erika said...I think these steps are simple and easy to follow. I would add;
Be consistent as you can with time of homework and processes. Children thrive on routine and structure which is an expectation in school and should be carried over in the home.
Although many parents think kids need downtime when they get home from school the best time to review is when things are fresh in ones mind and not exhausted from the day. I would suggest getting in the habit of having snacks, talking about your day and providing scaffolds to have your child share their day, and beginning homework.
We all need down time but work before play equals success everyday!
Erika Burton, PhD.
Stepping Stones Together, Founder
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