School is back in session and with that comes homework. Homework can be stressful for a variety of reasons and there are days where it may seem like the fight to get homework done just is not worth it. No parent wants to expend all their efforts and energy on getting their children to do homework.
One of the first things parents can do is show their children that they believe learning is important. A parent’s attitude about homework and school can have a big impact on the way a child views their educational experience. The US Dept of Education has listed a few tips for things parents can do to demonstrate a positive attitude about learning.
- Have a regular time for homework: Decide on a regular time that will work for your child and family. Determine what is best for your child. Maybe it is best for your child to do homework in the afternoon or the evening. Regardless you should avoid doing homework right before bed. Give your children an expected amount of time – whether it is ten minutes each evening or thirty minutes, depending on what your child needs to complete their assignments.
- Give your child a special place to do their homework: Make sure it is quiet and well-lit. You could even have your child draw a picture or have a plant, something to make the place fun and exciting.
- Get rid of distractions: turn off the television, any loud music, and put your phone away. Have everyone in your family participate in quiet time – even siblings who are being loud can be a distraction.
- Provide necessary supplies and resources: make sure your children have what they need to accomplish their homework and keep it all in one spot. Whether you keep it in a drawer at the desk or in a small portable caddy having it in one spot will make it so your child is less likely to be distracted.
- Set an example: demonstrate the skills your children are learning are important and how it applies in the real world. You can show your children your cookbooks when they are learning fractions, read novels in front of your children, and talk to your children about what you do for work.
- Be interested: Talk with your children and be engaged about what they are learning. During dinner, you can ask your children about what they learned at school – show interest by asking questions. Attend activities at school or volunteer in the classroom.
In addition to these tips, UEN has provided a great list of additional examples of things you can do to further help your children.
- When your child does homework you do homework – sit down and work on projects – balance the checkbook, read a novel, etc.
- Provide guidance not answers for your children when they ask for help – this will help your child to learn to problem solve and learn that someone is not going to do the homework for them when it is challenging.
- Reward your children – when you have seen your child work hard take time to reinforce that behavior whether you get pizza on Friday nights when they finish the school week, take them for ice cream after they have completed a long project, etc.
I hope these tips will help you to find and establish a good routine for homework. Education is a powerful tool in a child’s life by establishing a good routine and a positive attitude we can promote a healthy view and attitude in our children’s lives.
