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7 Things You Can Do to Help Your Child With Homework

What can parents do to help their children with homework? A lot!  And much of it isn’t about the homework at all. It’s about creating a good environment where they can learn and study.

1. Have a Designated Study/Homework Area

• Designate an area of your house or your child’s room as a homework/study area.
• This area should have a desk or table where your child can read or work.
• Provide a chair that is comfortable and appropriate for the height of the desk.
• Be sure that the area is well lit with lamp.
• Supplies (pens, paper, pencils, books) should be easy to reach.
• Make sure there is a dictionary appropriate to their age group AND a thesaurus available.

2. Make Time for Homework

• Let your children know that regardless of other activities (sports, music lessons, etc.) completing homework is a priority.
• If your schedule allows it, set a specific period of time afterschool when your children are doing homework or reading.
• Make yourself available for part of the time they are doing homework so that they can come to you for help if they don’t understand the material.

3. Remove Distractions

• The television should be off during homework time.
• Unless typing on the computer or doing online research is part of the assignment, the computer should also be turned off.

4. Check Assignments

• Have your child write down assignments in a small notebook designated ONLY for writing down homework assignments (one page per day) to keep this information organized.
• Check this list everyday for the first few days of school to make sure your child is writing down the assignments in a way that is easy to understand.
• Check the homework for completeness. If you can’t check homework everyday, then do it periodically.
• If they are doing homework on their own paper, make sure the assignment is written at the top of the page so there is no confusion as to what was supposed to be completed.

5. Give Praise

• Praise your son/daughter for good work.
• If there is room for improvement, praise them for what they did correctly and let them know how to improve it. Praise the work that comes back corrected.

6. Encourage Good Time Management

• Help your child manage their time when completing assignments as this will also keep you manage your personal and family time.  Some assignments are due the next day, while other assignments may not be due for several weeks. Review both lists. With long-term assignments, help them pace the work and understand the many steps and time involved for a completed assignment.
• Make it their responsibility for telling you what they need each week. Some assignments affect your time–an errand to the store for school supplies, or ingredients for a recipe they need to cook–so make sure you are aware of these needs so you aren’t caught off guard.

7. Set a Good Example

• Let your child see you reading books and newspapers.
• Let them see you using math skills to measure things in the house, balance your check book, or measure ingredients for a recipe.
• Let your children see you taking notes when you need them and point out to your child the importance of note-taking for classes, studying for tests, and every day activities.
• Go to museums, cultural events, and other activities together that foster learning.
• Take them to the public library and get a library card for them and yourself.
• Talk about school and learning activities in family conversations.
• Attend school functions when possible and get to know your child’s teachers and classmates and their parents.

After your child is done the homework, go the extra step.  Both of you should take a look at the next chapter of their textbook. If it’s a history or science book, you should have them read the major headings of the chapter to help them become familiar with what will be covered the next day in class.  If the subject is math, you should help them with a sample problem to help them understand the concept.  By giving your child this 1-on-1 time with a new lesson and helping them become familiar with new material in the comfort of their own home,  you are actually making it easier for them to learn the material in class. When the teacher covers the material the next day, not only will your child more readily absorb the material, they will be more confident in answering questions on the material.