Tips for Homework Success for Kids

Does homework time make you a little bit more anxious as your kids get older? 

Amanda and I joke sometimes on the phone that my expertise ends in 3rd grade, and I actually am quite serious, my degree of early childhood education covers from birth to age 8.

Now that my daughter is working on 4th grade math I’m beginning to discover that there are a few things that have been pushed back into the back of my brain while other talents could surface, or so I tell myself. Practice makes perfect which is the whole concept of homework right?

I’m finding that there are times I need to read up on what she’s working on to be able to support her during homework time, and I’ll be honest it’s what we should be doing to keep track of our student’s academic focus each week.

Homework Tips for Kids & Parents 

During my 10 years of teaching and seeing my oldest off to college in his last year, I’ve observed that there are a few ways to support your child at home during homework, even when you’re not the expert.  

Here are a few tips for homework.  

• Be consistent with homework time
• Snack and Drink before homework, no one thinks well on an empty stomach
• Avoid technology & friends before homework, just makes the world a better place (I speak from experience)  
• Set up a consistent homework spot that is supplied with materials needed
• Find ways for younger siblings to be out of harm’s way, it can get a little intense and it’s also better to have younger ones occupied.  
• Allow them to problem solve and work through the problems.  Address questions by encouraging them to read the question out loud to you or to underline key phrases as the reread the text.  
• Know how to check key terms and phrases from the Unit or Chapter they are working on.  Many schools are starting to provide online books, be sure to have user ids and passwords at your fingertips.  
• Have a homework buddy that you can call, just in case your child skipped a step in writing down the homework. 
• Review your child’s homework to ensure they are grasping the concepts at home too. 
• Have something that your child will look forward to at the end of homework {Outdoor time, playing with friends, screen time, etc)
• Have a designated spot for completed homework and backpack so it’s ready for school the next day. 
• Even if there is no homework assigned, encourage them to at least read for 20 minutes or jump onto a school selected game online to review skills. 
• Most Importantly, don’t be afraid to write a note/email to your child’s teacher if it’s too difficult.  It should be a review of what they have already worked on in their classroom.  You may need to schedule a teacher conference to see what else is going on.  

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