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Clearly, children can learn more and get better grades in school when they do their own homework. In addition, children will benefit in many other ways from doing homework.
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They become capable.
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They learn to be self reliant and self
directed.
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Completing homework on time builds responsibility, character, and perseverance.
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It is through doing homework that children practice time management skills, taking initiative, and being resourceful.
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Finally, homework provides the opportunity for children to take pride in their accomplishments.
Whether you as the parent see your role as supervisor, teacher, cheerleader, or mentor, your task is to help your child feel successful and confident about doing homework.
How to Help
Following are some guidelines to keep in mind to support your child, and to help keep evenings a time for positive family interactions.
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Be a motivator. Act positively about homework, about your child's' capabilities, and reinforce the importance of school. Your child will acquire your attitudes. Offer words of encouragement. Try answering questions with a question that would make a child think of the answer on his own.
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Be a monitor. Watch your child for signs of failure and frustration and suggest short breaks. Again, provide guidance, not answers.
Make sure the needed materials are available, such as pencils, paper, and a dictionary.
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Your child also needs a reasonably quiet, well-lit place to do homework.
Creating a Time and Place
Homework needs to fit into the flow of the family. For some, working at the kitchen table while dinner is being prepared can be fine, and for others having a designated place in your house to complete homework, away from family activity is the most productive. It's important to understand how your child is best able to work and concentrate.
Have a regular time for doing homework, but be flexible. Take into account situations, sporting activities, hunger and level of energy.
Have reasonable expectations of his work. Don't expect perfection. If your child asks you to check her homework, go ahead. If you find a mistake, say something like, " You might want to give this problem some more thought," in other words, put the responsibility back on her, but don't condemn her for errors. If there were many mistakes, it would be appropriate to say, "I see a number of mistakes here. I'm sure you'll catch them yourself if you go over the assignment one more time."
Be a role model. When your child does homework, don't sit and watch TV. Read when he reads. Balance your checkbook when she does math to help him see that the math skills relate to things you do as an adult. Remember to be available if your child needs your help.
Help your child plan his time appropriately. For example, suggest he create a timeline for long research reports or projects, remind him to spend longer periods of time on more difficult assignments.
Don't expect too much of yourself
Whether you can or cannot explain something to your child
is not a measure of your success as a parent. Sometimes parents are not the best teachers for their kids when it comes to homework. For example, not explaining things the way their teacher does, can cause frustration. Whether you can or cannot explain something successfully to your child is not a measure of how successful you are as a parent. You could respond by letting your child know that you may not be the person to help with the problem, but he could ask his teacher tomorrow. Remember, let the teacher be responsible for explaining something and your child be responsible for listening and asking the appropriate questions.
The skills and attributes that children learn by doing homework are obviously important in order to be a good student. In addition they also help your kids be life long learners, and they are valuable skills that can serve them well throughout life. Whether your children see homework as a monster and the source of all misery, or take it on with little effort or issue, homework is inevitable. |
