Homework Tips for Parents

Homework can be as much work for parents as it is for children! Resistance to homework can cause stress, fights, and at times can drag on for far longer than necessary.  Our staff writer, who just so happens to be a retired grade school teacher and parent herself, shares her experiences, along with some tips from the U.S. Department of Education to help parents work out a homework routine and make the most of their evenings.

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A Retired Teacher Reflects on Homework

In my ten years of teaching grade school, no other topic was more hotly-debated amongst the parents of my students than homework. In any given year, one fourth of my parents would think that I was giving too much homework, one fourth of my parents would think I wasn’t giving enough homework, and I could only assume the silent remainder was satisfied with the amount of homework I assigned. The lesson I learned was that as a teacher, you’ll never please everyone all of the time. Another lesson I learned was that as a parent, even if you don’t agree with the teacher’s homework policy, (as long as the policy isn’t outrageous) your child is still required to follow it.

You can imagine all the different excuses I heard over the years for why homework wasn’t done. There were a couple of incidents when the dog had actually eaten a kid’s homework. They brought in the chewed up worksheets as proof.  But the reasons were often the same old excuses:

• “I forgot.”
• “I lost my paper/book.”
• “I didn’t have a pencil/pen/paper at home.”
• “My mom took me to ______________ and we ran out of time.”
• “I had soccer/gymnastics/baseball/dance practice last night.”

Bigger projects were another story entirely. When I taught third grade, I assigned a monthly book report project to be done entirely at home by my students. The projects could be rather involved, like a diorama or mobile, and I expected that some parents would lend a hand. On book report day, the projects would arrive on different points on the “polished” spectrum. You could always tell which projects were done with absolutely zero parent help and which projects were done almost entirely by the parent. And just so you know, any good teacher will grade a project fairly based on student effort and whether or not the assignment criteria was met—not by how fancy it looks.

Homework Challenges Parents Face

Now that I’m a parent myself, I see even more clearly the challenges parents face when it comes to getting their kids to do homework. The time issue was the biggest for me personally. Between being a working mother, soccer practice, cooking dinner and bath time, where do you even fit in homework? Somehow we make it work, but it’s not always easy.

Another issue is that some kids just aren’t the homework-lovin’ kind! How do you deal with kids who have difficulty concentrating or just can’t sit still? What about the strong-willed child? Remember, she’s been at school all day where people are telling her what to do for 6-8 hours in a row!

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The following tips were taken from the Department of Education and are meant to help parents get a better handle the homework routine.

General Homework Tips for Parents

• Make sure your child has a quiet, well-lit place to do homework.  This space should be free from distractions, like television, noise, and people coming and going. You’ll be surprised how much faster homework goes when the television isn’t on.
• Make sure the materials your child needs, such as paper, pencils, and reference books (like a dictionary) are readily available. Ask your child if special materials are needed to complete the assignments and gather them in advance.
• Be positive about homework. Your attitude about homework is contagious. Have a good attitude about it so they’ll catch it from you! Also, avoid saying things like, “I hated math as a kid!” or “History is boring.” They’ll form their own opinions about what subjects they like.
• When your child does homework, do something similar. Show your child that good study habits and skills actually carry over into adulthood. When they have to read, try to read too. When they are doing math, you can balance your checkbook.
• When your child asks for help, provide guidance, not answers.  Too much help teaches your child that mom or dad will swoop in and save the day anytime anything gets challenging. Children need to be challenged in order to grow intellectually.
• When the teacher asks that you play a role in homework, do it. The education of your children is a collaborative effort between teachers and parents. Do your part!
• NEVER do you the work that is meant for your child. This one seems obvious, but it can be a hard one to manage for well-meaning parents or parents who are strapped for time. Too much parental input will hinder children from acquiring the skills and habits they are meant to learn.
• Stay informed.  Know what’s going on in your child’s class.
• Help your child figure out the more challenging homework from the easier homework. Try to get them to do the harder tasks first when they are fresher. The easier material will go a lot faster after the harder stuff has been taken care of.
• Break up large assignments into smaller, more manageable chunks. Some children will look at an entire worksheet of math problems and will feel so defeated that doing even one problem feels overwhelming. In cases like this, it helps to fold the worksheet in half or fourths, so they only see a portion of the assignment at a time. This helps some students with the anxiety they feel when they see the amount of work they are expected to complete.
• Watch your child for signs of frustration or fatigue.  You know your child best. When you sense your child is growing frustrated or tired, allow them to take a short break and walk away from the assignment until they are ready to tackle it again. Remember, adults need to take breaks when they work. Kids are the same.
• Encourage your child. Often. Offer encouragement to your child throughout the homework to let them know their efforts are appreciated.

All children are different, so not every strategy will work with every child. Some kids do better with light music in the background, while other need to work in complete silence. Some children need to take frequent breaks and others might be distracted by frequent stops and will require uninterrupted work times. Some work faster with snacks on hand, while others should snack before they begin. Be flexible and learn to modify these homework guidelines to suit the individual needs of each of your children.

Here’s to another great school year, Parents! Hopefully these tips will help with homework hassles!

By Pamela Layug Laney