How To Help Your Child Succeed With Homework

Prepared by the Teachers at Eagle Rock Multi-Age Program

Children need to know that their parents and adults close tot hem think homework is important. If they know their parents care, children have a good reason to complete assignments and turn them in on time. There is a lot that you can do to show that you value education and homework.

Set a Regular Time

Finding a regular time for homework helps children finish assignments. The best schedule is one that works for your child and your family. What works well in one household may not work in another. Of course, a good schedule depends in part on your child's age. For instance, one youngster may work best in the afternoon after an hour of play, and another may be more efficient after dinner. Although late at night, when children are tired, is seldom a good time.

Outside activities, such as sports or music lessons, may mean that you need a flexible schedule. Your child may study after school on some days and in the evening on others. If there isn't enough time to finish homework, your child may need to drop some outside activity. Homework must be a high priority.

You'll need to work with your elementary school child to develop a schedule. An older student can probably make up a schedule independently, although you'll want to make sure it's a good one. It may help to write out the schedule and put it in a place where you'll see it often, such as the refrigerator door.

Some families have a required amount of time that children must devote to homework or some other learning activity each school night. The length of time can vary depending upon the child's age. For instance, if your seventh-grade knows she's expected to spend an hour doing homework, reading, or visiting the library, she may be less likely to rush through assignments so that she can watch television. A required among of time may also discourage her from "forgetting" to bring home assignments and help her adjust to a routine.

Pick a Place

A study are should have lots of light, supplies close by, and be fairly quiet.

A study area doesn't have to be fancy. A desk in the bedroom is nice, but for many youngsters the kitchen table or a corner of the living room works just fine.

Your child may enjoy decorating a special study corner. A plant, a brightly colored container to hold pencils, and some favorite artwork taped to the walls can make study time more pleasant.

Remove Distraction

Turn off the television and discourage social telephone calls during homework time. A call to a classmate about an assignment may, however, be helpful.

Some youngsters work will with quiet background music, but loud noise from the stereo or radio is not OK. If your live in a small or noisy household, try having all family members take part in a quiet activity during homework time. You may need to take a noisy toddler outside or into another room to play. If distractions can't be avoided, your child may want to complete assignments in a nearby library.

Provide Supplies and Identify Resources

For starters, collect pencils, pens, erasers, writing paper, an assignment book, and a dictionary. Other things that might be helpful include glue, a stapler, paper clips, maps, a calculator, a pencil sharpener, tape, scissors, a ruler, index cards, a thesaurus, and an almanac. Keep these items together in one pace if possible.

For books and other information resources, check with your local public library. Some libraries have homework centers designed especially to assist children with school assignments. There may even be tutors and other kinds of individual assistance.

These days many schools have computers in classrooms, and many households have personal computers. However, you don't have to have a computer in your home in order for your child to complete homework assignments successfully.

You may want to ask the teacher to explain school policy about the use of computers or typewriters or any special equipment for homework. Certainly, computers can be a great learning tool and helpful for some assignments. They can be used for word processing and on-line reference resources, as well as educational programs and games to sharpen skills.

Set a Good Example

Children are more likely to study if they see you reading, writing, and doing things that require thought and effort on your part. Talk with your child about what you're reading and writing even if it's something as simple as making the grocery list. Tell them about what you do at work. Encourage activities that support learning. For example, educational games, library visits, walks in the neighborhood, trips to the zoo or museums, and chores that teach a sense of responsibility.

Show an Interest

Make time to take your child to the library to check out materials needed for homework and for fun too. Read to your child as often as you can. Talk about school and learning activities in family conversations. Ask your child what was discussed in class that day. If he doesn't have much to say, try another approach. For example, ask your child to read aloud a story he wrote or discuss the results of a science experiment.

Another good way to show your interest is to attend school activities, such as parent-teacher meetings, shows, and sports events. If you can, volunteer to help in the classroom or at special events. Getting to know some classmates and other parents not only shows you're interested but helps build a network of support for you and your child.

Why Do Teachers Assign Homework?

Teacher assign homework for many reasons. Homework can help children

• review and practice what they've learned
• get ready for the next day's class
• learn to use resources, such as libraries, reference materials, and encyclopedias
• explore subjects more fully than time permits in the classroom

Homework can also help children develop good habits and attitudes. It can

• teach children to work independently
• encourage self-discipline and responsibility. Assignments provide some youngsters with their first change to manage time and meet deadlines.
• encourage a love of learning

Homework can also bring parents and educators closer together. Parents who supervise homework and work with their children on assignments learn about their children's education and about the school.

Homework is meant to be a positive experience and to encourage children to learn. Assignments should not be used as punishment.

Does Homework Help Children Learn?

Homework helps your child do better in school when assignments are meaningful, are completed successfully, and are returned with constructive comments from the teacher. An assignment should have a specific purpose, come with clear instructions, be fairly well matched to a student's abilities, and designed to help develop a student's knowledge and skills.

In the early elementary grades, homework can help children develop the habits and attitudes described earlier. From fourth through sixth grades, small amounts of homework, gradually increased each year, may support improved academic achievement. In seventh grade and beyond, students who complete more homework score better on standardized tests and earn better grades, on average, than students who do less homework. The difference in test scores and grades between students who do more homework and those who do less increases as children move up through the grades.

What's the Right Amount of Homework?

Many educators believe that homework is most effective for the majority of children in first through third grades when it does not exceed 20 minutes each school day. From fourth through sixth grades, many educators recommend from 20 to 40 minutes a school day for most students. For students in seventh through ninth grades, generally, up to 2 hours a school day is thought to be suitable.

Amounts that vary from these guidelines are fine for some students. Talk with your child's teacher if you are concerned about either too much or too little homework.

What's the Best Way to Help?

Monitor Assignments

Children are more likely to complete assignments successfully when parents monitor homework. How closely you need to monitor depends upon the age of your child, how independent she is, and how well she does in school. Whatever the age of your child, if assignments are not getting done satisfactorily, more supervision is needed.

Here are some good ways to monitor assignments.

Ask About the School's Homework Policy

At the start of the school year, ask the teacher

• What kinds of assignments will be given?
• How long are children expected to take to complete them?
• How does the teacher want you to be involved?

Teachers' expectations vary. Ask your child's teacher what you should do. Should you just check to make sure the assignment is done, or should you do something more? Some teachers want parents to go over the homework and point out errors, while others ask parents to simply check to make sure the assignment is completed. It 's also a good idea to ask the teacher to call you if any problems with homework come up.

Be Available

Elementary school students often like to have someone in the same room when working on assignments in case they have questions. If your child will be cared for by someone else, talk to that person about what you expect regarding homework. For an older child, if no one will be around, let him know you want him to begin work before you get home and call to remind him if necessary.

Look Over Completed Assignments

It' usually a good idea to check to see that your elementary school child has finished her assignments. If your junior high school student is having trouble finishing assignments, check his too. If you're not there when an assignment is finished, look it over whey you get home. After the teacher returns completed homework, read the comments to see if your child has done the assignments satisfactorily.

Monitor Television Viewing

American children on average spend far more time watching television than they do completing homework. In many homes, more homework gets done when television time is limited. Once you and your child have worked out a homework schedule, take time to discuss how much television and what programs she can watch. It's worth noting that television can be a learning tool. Look for programs that relate to what your child is studying in school, such as programs on history or science or dramatizations of children's literature. When you can, watch shows with your child, discuss them, and encourage follow-up activities such as reading or a trip to the museum.

Provide Guidance

The basic rule is, "Don't do the assignments yourself." It's not your homework, it's your child's. Doing assignments for your child won't help him understand and use information. And it won't help him become confident in his own abilities.

It can be hard for parents to let children work through problems alone and learn from their mistakes. It's also hard to know where to draw the line between supporting and doing.

Different teachers have different ideas about the best way for parents to provide guidance. Here are a few suggestions.

Figure Out How Your Child Learns Best

If you understand something about the style of learning that suits your child, it will be easier for you to help her.

If you've never thought about this style, observe your child. See if he works better alone or with someone else. If your child gets more done when working with someone, he may want to complete some assignments with a brother or sister or a classmate. Some homework, however, is meant to be done alone. Check with the teacher if you aren't sure.

Help Your Child Get Organized

As mentioned earlier, it's a good idea to set a regular time for children to do homework. Put up a calendar in a place where you'll see it often and record assignments on it. If your child's not able to write yet, then do it for him until he can do it himself. Writing out assignments will get him used to the idea of keeping track of what's due and when. You may want to use an assignment book instead of a calendar.

A bag for books will make it easier to carry homework to and from school. Homework folders in which youngsters can tuck their assignments for safekeeping help many students stay organized.

Encourage Good Study Habits

Teachers generally give students tips on how to study. But it takes time and practice to develop good habits. You can reinforce these habits at home. For example:

• Help your child structure time in order to complete assignments. For example, if your eighth-grade has a biology report due in 3 weeks, discuss all the steps she needs to take to complete it on time, including:
  1. selecting a topic
  2. doing the research by looking up books and other materials on the topic and taking notes
  3. figuring out what questions to discuss
  4. drafting an outline
  5. writing a rough draft
  6. revising and completing the final draft

  Encourage your child to write down how much time she expects to spend on each step.

• Help your child get started when he has to do research reports or other big assignments.

  Encourage him to use the library. Many public libraries have homework centers where there are tutors or other kinds of one-on-one assistance. After your child has done the research, listen while he tells you the points he wants to make in the report.

• Give practice tests.

  Help your third-grader prepare for a spelling test by saying the words while she writes them down. Then have her correct her own test.

• Help your child avoid last minute cramming.

  Review with your fifth-grader how to study for his social studies test well before it's to be given. You can have him work out a schedule of what he needs to do, make up a practice test, and write down answers to the questions he's made up.

• Talk with your child about how to take a test.

  Be sure she understands how important it is to read the instructions carefully and to keep track of the time and avoid spending too much time on any one question.

Talk About the Assignments

Ask your child questions. Talking can help him think through an assignment and break it down into small, workable parts. Here are some sample questions.

• Do you understand what you're supposed to do?

  After your child has read the instructions, ask her to tell you in her own words what the assignment is about. If your child can't read yet, the teacher may have sent home instructions that you can read to her. If your child doesn't understand the instruction, read them with her and talk about the assignment. Are there words she doesn't understand? How can she find out what they mean? If neither you nor your child understands an assignment, call a classmate or contact the teacher.

• What do you need to do to finish the assignment?

  Your child may want to talk through the steps with you or make a written list of them, if he is able to, as described in the section above on good study habits.

• Do you need help in understanding how to do your work?

  See if your child needs to learn more, for example, about subtracting fractions before she can do her assignment, or find out if the teacher needs to explain to her again when to use capital and lowercase letters. If you understand the subject yourself, you may want to work through some examples with your child, but let her do the assignment herself.

• Have you ever done any problems like the ones you're supposed to do right now?

  See if your child has already done similar problems that can guide him in completing these particular ones.

• Do you have everything you need to do the assignment?

  Sometimes your child needs special supplies, such as colored pencils, metric rulers, maps, or reference books. As mentioned before, check with the teacher, school guidance counselor, or principal for possible sources of assistance if you can't provide needed supplies; and check with the local public library or school library for books and other information resources.

• Does your answer make sense to you?

  Sometimes the response to a math problem doesn't seem logical, or the meaning of a paragraph your child has written is unclear. If that's the case, your child may need to check over the math problem or revise the paragraph.

If your child is still confused, ask:

• How far have you gotten on the assignment? Let's try to figure out where you're having a problem.
• Do you need to review your notes or reread a chapter in your textbook before you to the assignment?
• Are you still having problems? Maybe it would help to take a break or have a snack.

Give Praise

People of all ages respond to praise. And children need encouragement from the people whose opinions they value most, their parents. "Good first draft of your book report!" or "You've done a great job!" can go a long way toward motivating your child to complete assignments.

Children also need to know when they haven't done their best work. Make criticism constructive. Instead of telling a third-grader, "You aren't going to hand in that mess, are you?" try, "The teacher will understand your ideas better if you use your best handwriting." Then give praise when a neat version is completed.

What if There's a Problem?

Homework hassles can often be avoided when parents value, monitor, and guide their children's work on assignments. But, sometimes, helping in these ways is not enough. Problems can still come up. If the do, the schools, teachers, parents, and students may need to work together to resolve them.

Share Concerns With the Teacher

You may want to contact the teacher if

• your child refuses to do here assignments, even though you've tried hard to get her to do them
• instructions are unclear
• you can't seem to help your child get organized to finish the assignment
• you can't provide needed supplies or materials
• neither you nor your child can understand the purpose of assignments
• the assignments are often too hard or too easy
• your child has missed school and needs to make up assignments

Work With the School

Communication between teachers and parents is very important in solving homework problems. Here are some important things to remember.

• Talk with teachers early in the school year. Get acquainted before problems arise. and let teachers know that you want to be kept informed.
• Contact the teacher as soon as you suspect your child has a homework problem as well as when you thin he's having any major problems with his schoolwork. Schools have a responsibility to keep parents informed, and you have a right to be upset if you don't find out until report card time that your child is having difficulties. On the other hand, sometimes parents figure out that a problem exists before the teacher, you can work together to solve a problem in its early stages.
• Request a meeting with the teacher to discuss homework problems. Tell him briefly why you want to met. You might say, "Sally is having trouble with her math homework. I'm worried about why she can't finish the problems and what we might do to help her."

  Don't go straight to the principal without giving the teacher a chance to work out the problem with you and your child.

Homework can bring together children, parents, and teachers in a common effort to improve student learning. The younger your child is when you start to do the kinds of activities suggested in this guide, the better.

Helping your child with homework is an opportunity to improve your child's chances of doing well in school and life. By helping your child with homework, you can help him learn important lessons about discipline and responsibility. You can open up lines of communication between you and your child, and you and the school. You are in a unique position to help your child make connections between schoolwork and the "real world", and thereby bring meaning and some fun to your child's homework experience.