With the school season underway, the issue of homework throws every household into a tailspin.
Here are some tips from Marilyn on how you can help your child with homework…
Be interested.
Don’t do the homework FOR your child. It’s HIS/HER job. Answer questions, help with directions, etc., but don’t DO it.
Help your child know where to look for help. They need to learn HOW to access resources. Help teach them these skills. Suggest maybe a friend to ask?
Help your child get organized and manage time well.
Have homework rules — a place to study, routine, no TV or screen time, etc.
Talk with the teacher about what is expected.
Consider these things:
- Most children need time to unwind after school.
- We have trouble concentrating when we are tired, hungry, etc.
- Take a short break between assignments.
- It is usually better to study harder subjects first.
Brain research shows a drop in mental alertness at 3:00 p.m. in the afternoon. Would YOU like to do 2 more hours of the same work as soon as you got HOME from work? It happens more than we like to admit, but we don’t like it!
If your child says, “I don’t have any homework,” day after day, there’s something wrong! Call the teacher! Make a trip to school! It may be interesting!
Above all, keep your sense of humor and work to make learning fun for you and your child!
Reference:
“Parent Power: Making it Happen For Your Children” complied by Marilyn Love was printed in 1997. Marilyn gives deep appreciation to the North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching, where she was given the opportunity to complete this project at the Teacher-Scholars-in-Residence program.