Homework Tips
Here are some wonderful suggestions for parents when setting up a homework environment, and how to help your child get the most out of homework.
GENERAL HOMEWORK TIPS FOR PARENTS
• Make sure your child has a quiet, well-lit place to do homework.
Avoid having your child do homework with the television on or in places with
other distractions, such as people coming and going.
• Make sure the materials your child needs, such as paper, pencils and
a dictionary, are available.
Ask your child if special materials will be needed for some projects and get
them in advance.
• Help your child with time management.
Establish a set time each day for doing homework. Don't let your child leave
homework until just before bedtime. Think about using a weekend morning or
afternoon for working on big projects, especially if the project involves
getting together with classmates.
• Be positive about homework.
Tell your child how important school is. The attitude you express about
homework will be the attitude your child acquires.
• When your child does homework, you do homework.
Show your child that the skills they are learning are related to things you
do as an adult. If your child is reading, you read too. If your child is
doing math, balance your checkbook.
• When your child asks for help, provide guidance, not answers.
Giving answers means your child will not learn the material. Too much help
teaches your child that when the going gets rough, someone will do the work
for him or her.
• When the teacher asks that you play a role in homework, do it.
Cooperate with the teacher. It shows your child that the school and home are
a team. Follow the directions given by the teacher.
• If homework is meant to be done by your child alone, stay away.
Too much parent involvement can prevent homework from having some positive
effects. Homework is a great way for kids to develop independent, lifelong
learning skills.
• Stay informed.
Talk with your child's teacher. Make sure you know the purpose of homework
and what your child's class rules are.
• Help your child figure out what is hard homework and what is easy
homework.
Have your child do the hard work first. This will mean he will be most alert
when facing the biggest challenges. Easy material will seem to go fast when
fatigue begins to set in.
• Watch your child for signs of failure and frustration.
Let your child take a short break if she is having trouble keeping her mind
on an assignment.
• Reward progress in homework.
If your child has been successful in homework completion and is working hard,
celebrate that success with a special event (e.g., pizza, a walk, a trip to
the park) to reinforce the positive effort.
READING HOMEWORK TIPS FOR PARENTS
• Have your child read aloud to you every night.
• Choose a quiet place, free from distractions, for your child to do
his nightly reading assignments.
• When your child reads aloud to you and makes a mistake, wait until
they are finished reading the sentence. At the point ask them if what they
read made sense of them. Point out the words she has missed and help her to
read the word correctly.
• After your child has stopped to correct a word he has read, have him
go back and reread the entire sentence from the beginning to make sure he
understands what the sentence is saying.
• Ask your child to tell you in her own words what happened in a story.
• To check your child's understanding of what he is reading,
occasionally pause and ask your child questions about the characters and
events in the story (such as “Why do you think that happened?”, “What do you
think will happen next?”…)
• Ask your child why she thinks a character acted in a certain way and
ask your child to support her answer with information from the story.
• Before getting to the end of a story, ask your child what he thinks
will happen next and why.
MATH HOMEWORK TIPS FOR PARENTS
• Encourage your child to use a daily math assignment book.
• Follow the progress your child is making in math. Check with your
child daily about his homework.
• If you don't understand your child's math assignments, engage in
frequent communication with his or her teacher.
• If your child is experiencing problems in math, contact the teacher
to learn whether he or she is working at grade level and what can be done at
home to help improve academic progress.
• Use household chores as opportunities for reinforcing math learning
such as cooking and repair activities.
• At the beginning of the year, ask your child's teacher for a list of
suggestions that will enable you to help your child with math homework.
Over the years, this is one of the best techniques I have ever found. If
your child is having a hard time getting started and finishing homework, have
them tell you how much time they think it will take for them to do one part
of their homework. This helps because they feel the ownership and the
control. Tell them that the expectation is for them to do their best, the
work is neat, and complete. Have a timer in nearby so they can see it. When
they finish in that specified time frame… PRAISE THEM! If there is more work
to do, use the same method for each of the remaining subjects or tasks! This
helps both parents and students stay relatively stress free!
GENERAL HOMEWORK TIPS FOR PARENTS
• Make sure your child has a quiet, well-lit place to do homework.
Avoid having your child do homework with the television on or in places with
other distractions, such as people coming and going.
• Make sure the materials your child needs, such as paper, pencils and
a dictionary, are available.
Ask your child if special materials will be needed for some projects and get
them in advance.
• Help your child with time management.
Establish a set time each day for doing homework. Don't let your child leave
homework until just before bedtime. Think about using a weekend morning or
afternoon for working on big projects, especially if the project involves
getting together with classmates.
• Be positive about homework.
Tell your child how important school is. The attitude you express about
homework will be the attitude your child acquires.
• When your child does homework, you do homework.
Show your child that the skills they are learning are related to things you
do as an adult. If your child is reading, you read too. If your child is
doing math, balance your checkbook.
• When your child asks for help, provide guidance, not answers.
Giving answers means your child will not learn the material. Too much help
teaches your child that when the going gets rough, someone will do the work
for him or her.
• When the teacher asks that you play a role in homework, do it.
Cooperate with the teacher. It shows your child that the school and home are
a team. Follow the directions given by the teacher.
• If homework is meant to be done by your child alone, stay away.
Too much parent involvement can prevent homework from having some positive
effects. Homework is a great way for kids to develop independent, lifelong
learning skills.
• Stay informed.
Talk with your child's teacher. Make sure you know the purpose of homework
and what your child's class rules are.
• Help your child figure out what is hard homework and what is easy
homework.
Have your child do the hard work first. This will mean he will be most alert
when facing the biggest challenges. Easy material will seem to go fast when
fatigue begins to set in.
• Watch your child for signs of failure and frustration.
Let your child take a short break if she is having trouble keeping her mind
on an assignment.
• Reward progress in homework.
If your child has been successful in homework completion and is working hard,
celebrate that success with a special event (e.g., pizza, a walk, a trip to
the park) to reinforce the positive effort.
READING HOMEWORK TIPS FOR PARENTS
• Have your child read aloud to you every night.
• Choose a quiet place, free from distractions, for your child to do
his nightly reading assignments.
• When your child reads aloud to you and makes a mistake, wait until
they are finished reading the sentence. At the point ask them if what they
read made sense of them. Point out the words she has missed and help her to
read the word correctly.
• After your child has stopped to correct a word he has read, have him
go back and reread the entire sentence from the beginning to make sure he
understands what the sentence is saying.
• Ask your child to tell you in her own words what happened in a story.
• To check your child's understanding of what he is reading,
occasionally pause and ask your child questions about the characters and
events in the story (such as “Why do you think that happened?”, “What do you
think will happen next?”…)
• Ask your child why she thinks a character acted in a certain way and
ask your child to support her answer with information from the story.
• Before getting to the end of a story, ask your child what he thinks
will happen next and why.
MATH HOMEWORK TIPS FOR PARENTS
• Encourage your child to use a daily math assignment book.
• Follow the progress your child is making in math. Check with your
child daily about his homework.
• If you don't understand your child's math assignments, engage in
frequent communication with his or her teacher.
• If your child is experiencing problems in math, contact the teacher
to learn whether he or she is working at grade level and what can be done at
home to help improve academic progress.
• Use household chores as opportunities for reinforcing math learning
such as cooking and repair activities.
• At the beginning of the year, ask your child's teacher for a list of
suggestions that will enable you to help your child with math homework.
Over the years, this is one of the best techniques I have ever found. If
your child is having a hard time getting started and finishing homework, have
them tell you how much time they think it will take for them to do one part
of their homework. This helps because they feel the ownership and the
control. Tell them that the expectation is for them to do their best, the
work is neat, and complete. Have a timer in nearby so they can see it. When
they finish in that specified time frame… PRAISE THEM! If there is more work
to do, use the same method for each of the remaining subjects or tasks! This
helps both parents and students stay relatively stress free!