Once grade school begins, your child will start to receive homework assignments to build on what they worked on during the school day. There are concrete benefits to doing homework for children which we’d like to cover as well as what you as a parent can do to contribute to homework success.
The benefits of homework
- Independence – homework instills responsibility and accountability.
- Determination and self-esteem – Classroom instruction is loaded with opportunities for kids to raise their hand and ask the teacher at the first sign of trouble. But, at home, they’ll have to learn to solve problems on their own. Most children who learn to solve problems on their own will gain confidence in their knowledge and abilities.
- Time management – While doing homework and managing project due dates, children learn to evaluate and allocate their time. However, at school, every hour and minute can be meticulously planned out by someone else and they merely have to follow instructions.
So now that we know why homework is beneficial, you might still be asking what you can do to set your child up for homework success. Well, from our own experience, we have some tips.
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Set a dedicated homework space
Many kids will simply want or ask to do homework in their rooms, but this isn’t the best idea. Children’s rooms are full of potential distractions such as chatting with friends, video games, or tv. Instead, we suggest setting up a dedicated homework space in a common area such as the kitchen or dining room. This way, you’re nearby if they need help.
Here are some characteristics of an optimized homework space.
- Well lit– natural or daylight balanced lighting improves moods and increases productivity.
- Functional seating – sub-optimal seating or worse yet a sofa or bed can be a major source of distractions. A nice functional chair can improve your child’s posture and help them to stay on task.
- Well-supplied – Having a stash of all the supplies your child needs for their various homework assignments will minimize distractions and time spent looking around for things.
- Distraction free – Perhaps it can’t be entirely offline in today’s connected world, but the best homework space needs to have minimal distractions. Here is a list of apps that help to block social media. We’d also suggest looking into banning and blocking games.
- Review Board – A nice whiteboard to track daily or weekly homework assignments and their completion will help with accountability and for you to understand what your child is doing.
Parents should make sure to:
Be available, but not hover – As we said, homework is an opportunity for kids to develop their sense of independence. Parents need to be available as a resource to help work through problems and interpret the instructions. But resist the temptation to simply provide answers and hover over your child.
Reinforce the importance – As homework becomes difficult or children run into problems, they may push back or question the value of what they’re doing. This is a time to tie homework assignments to the real world and adult responsibilities.
Create a homework routine – Along with creating an optimized homework space, it is ideal to also create a homework routine. A great homework routine will include things like having a set beginning and end time as well as rules such as no messaging or games.
Develop a homework plan – As with the others, this isn’t something to do for your child in perpetuity, but something you can help with and then taper off. Help them to estimate the time it will take them to complete their various assignments, the entire workload and how they approach it. Other things to consider are whether to finish easier assignments first to get the confidence boost of finishing something or if they would benefit more from starting with difficult assignments while their focus and energy are stronger.
Teach organizational skills – We aren’t inherently great at organizing our tasks. It’s something learned. So help your child develop their approach to tracking their homework. Traditionally this meant writing things in a paper planner. These days, it might mean typing things into a calendar app. The ideal approach will depend on your child’s age, workload and how their assignments are typically handed out. Once you identify the best way, help to refine and reinforce their organizational skills.
Stay in touch with teachers – We love teachers, but they can’t do it alone. Setting your child up for success is going to be a team effort so communication is key. We recommend attending every parent-teacher conference possible and actively engaging your child’s teachers. Ask about your child’s strengths, weaknesses, how they act in class and what curriculum they’re covering.
Preparing for struggles
As children get older, the curriculum will become more difficult, extra curricular activities come into play, more homework assignments will come their way and this is when they’ll need you the most.
When there is a heavy workload and your child is struggling to complete assignments. Find out why. Is it poor study habits? Are they not recording assignments correctly? Are they not prioritizing homework over extra-curricular activities? Are they not understanding the assignment or the content? It could be any one or combination of these reasons.
Even with all of the best planning and practices, you still might need a hand. In that case, FLS Tutors is here to help. If you or your child are feeling overwhelmed for any reason, whether it be tackling difficult subject matter, navigating the ever-changing school/university system or any other reason, we’ll tailor a solution for you and your child. FLS Tutors is a concierge tutoring service with expert tutors that caters to the needs of your child rather than following a cookie-cutter approach or simply mimicking classroom instruction. We do this because we believe in the idea of academic success for any student anywhere. We also understand that no two children learn the same way so we adapt our teaching methodology to suit your child’s unique situation. Contact us here to plan for your child’s academic success today.
