Should Parents Help Their Children With Homework?
Deciding how to help with your child’s homework is a constant struggle for most parents. You don’t want your child to constantly struggle with their homework every day, but you also know that giving them the answers is not going to help them either.
Your goal as a parent should be to provide assistance and guidance without being a crutch they lean on. Being helpful without allowing them to depend on you for the answers will help them learn the necessary skills from the homework they need to succeed in the classroom. Here are a few ways parents can help their children with their homework.
Consult the Lesson Plans
Lesson plans are an essential tool for both students and parents as they help everyone stay prepared and organized throughout the school year. These lesson plans are posted weekly and show the assignments, tests, projects, and homework in detail.
Consulting these lesson plans will allow you to stay informed on everything that your child is learning every day. Knowing when your child needs to start an assignment or study for a test is a great way to plan ahead. The lesson plans, in addition to the school syllabus, may also contain information for parents laying out any projects or ongoing tasks that might need parental help.
Set Up a Homework-Friendly Area
A work environment full of distractions can easily shift a child’s focus away from homework. Working in front of televisions, in busy or loud environments, or surrounded by other activities, can all negatively impact your child’s concentration.
A great way to help your child with homework is to create a friendly area in your home that is distraction-free. Giving them they need tools to foster their own development and growth will allow for your child to develop self-motivation. Make sure the dedicated homework space is always filled with pens, pencils, paper, and other necessary supplies.
Some homework may require an electronic device, like a computer, to complete questions or tasks. When this is required try to keep track of time and be available for any technical help.
Help With Time Management
Time management is one of the toughest skills for a child to learn. It’s easy for a young mind to shift focus to a variety of interests and get distracted. Setting a homework schedule will instantly help them with their time management skills.
Keep the schedule the same every day, and find a way to keep them on task if they start to get distracted. The schedule should have built-in breaks to ensure your child does not get overwhelmed. You also don’t want to force them to be done by a certain time because this will only add extra anxiety and pressure.
Provide Positive Motivation
Children thrive off positive motivation, so you need to make it a regular part of your homework time with them. They will only want to withdraw from the situation if they get frustrated, so you want to stop this from happening.
Congratulate them when they are proud of their work or when you notice they are working exceptionally hard. You also want to provide encouragement if they are struggling to grasp a subject as you want your kid to take pride in their achievements. In addition to improving their schoolwork, this pride will also help them later in life. Once they learn to take joy in small accomplishments, they will always strive to do better.
