| Utter boredom. Utter frustration.
Utter meltdown. These are the catastrophic results of the
homework battles that happen daily throughout the country.
Homework struggles can create an ugly scene: begging, pleading,
bargaining, demanding…and that’s just us parents!
Avoiding homework struggles has much to do with your family’s
attitudes and routines. Does your attitude convey that learning
is vitally important and can be exciting? Do you set aside
adequate time for homework in your child’s schedule?
Does homework come before extra-curricular activities and
couch potato time?
Set your expectations, then dig in and be prepared to stand
your ground. It may take time, A LOT of consistency, and not
a few battle wounds. If you’ve tried all the tips and
are still fighting your child over homework, don’t hesitate
to request a student evaluation from your school.
Homework Battle Plans
Basic Training: Setting Up the Homework Routine
Discuss expectations about a homework routine with your
child. Together, reach an agreement, including any rewards
or consequences. Write it down, sign it, and post this contract
so that you may refer to it if a battle threatens. Elements
in this contract may include:
- Setting up a regular time and place for homework.
- Turning off the TV, turning down the music, and restricting
phone calls.
- Insisting your child puts finished homework away immediately
in their backpack.
- Going through the homework folder together each day.
- Asking questions about what your child enjoys learning
about at school.
In the Trenches: Offering Support for your Student
Support is the key word here. Do NOT start doing your child’s
homework, unless you want to keep doing their homework until
they graduate! If you do it for them, they will never have
the confidence to do it on their own. To support your child
during homework time, you could:
- Help review what homework needs to be completed each
day.
- Persuade your child to get the tough tasks out of the
way first!
- Check your child’s work as they begin; make sure
they understand the assignment.
- Avoid giving away the answer. Ask questions to help your
child begin to think through the problem. “Tell me
what the directions say again?”
- Encourage your child to take a break if the going gets
tough. Eat a cookie, put on some music, or shoot a few baskets.
Then after15 minutes, try again.
- Make positive suggestions, but don’t nick-pick!
If a child is really struggling with writing good sentences,
don’t pick on their handwriting efforts.
- Keep praising good work habits such as perseverance,
diligence, and effort. Comments could include: “I’m
proud of how you’re not giving up.” Or “You’ve
been working so hard on this paper!”
Away From the Front Lines: Guiding Independent Workers
- When it’s impossible to sit next to your child
during homework time, it’s even more important to
set up an agreement ahead of time about homework routines.
- If your child is with a babysitter or in an after-school
program, be sure to discuss together your child’s
academic strengths and weaknesses. Put a piece of paper
in their homework folder that allows for notes back and
forth from their caretaker about your child’s work
habits and struggles.
- If your child is old enough to be home alone, you may
want to use a phone call to jumpstart the homework time.
Ask what tasks they need to get done and how long they think
they will take. Then, call back after that time period to
see if they’ve finished. If phone calls are impossible,
set out a written reminder along with an after-school snack.
- Either way, be sure that you go through their homework
folder with them later in the evening or the next morning.
The Last Stand: Following Through
- Check finished homework. Look for accuracy, completeness,
and neatness.
- Ask to see graded and returned homework papers. Discuss
mistakes and check for understanding.
- Make contact with the teacher if your child is making
consistent errors in one subject area. Also voice concerns
if homework becomes a ongoing struggle.
- And most importantly, display papers that your child is
proud of in your home. (Not just perfect papers!)
Click on the links below for more Homework Supports!
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