Parents already have tons of work of their own. Helping kids with homework sometimes feels like an added responsibility. They can’t shirk it off because then their child’s future will be at stake. Parents need not become anxious about helping kids with homework.
The goals of homework are:
- Revision of the topics taught in class
- By repeated revision, the topics get etched in the child’s brain and helps him during exams
- Preparation of the lesson which will be taught in the next class
- Use of library and internet for reference, to the fullest
- Detailed study of the topics which could not be discussed in class because of lack of time
- Makes the child feel responsible and confident that he is able to finish the homework on time
Before parents take an initiative towards helping kids with homework, they need to know one thing-the syllabus which they studied in their time was entirely different. The current syllabus is more dynamic. So, they need to study the syllabus in order to upgrade them with the latest syllabus and study their child-the extent to which they have progressed in their course. They need to understand the capacity of their child and teach him accordingly. A child will be able to grasp only that much which is in his capacity.
Parents can help by creating such a home environment which will help the child to focus in his studies and concentrate on his homework. A lot depends on the surrounding in which the child is doing his homework.This is what parents need to take care of while helping kids with homework– they should see to it that the place they choose for their child’s homework is distraction free.
You can help your child to set goals for a particular day or a particular week and help him to achieve those goals by hard work and patience. As every child has a different learning ability so they should not pressurized to do anything beyond their capacity. Their performance should not be compared with their peers. The goals should be set by parents keeping their child’s abilities in mind.
Doing homework at a single place can be boring. So, try to mix it up. Someday the bedroom can be the workplace, someday the dining room. Sometimes, you can tell your child to get up early in the morning and use the garden as a place for doing homework. Mixing up the workplace will provide enthusiasm to the child for doing his homework.
Keep short breaks in between when you are making a study schedule for your child. See to it that one subject is not assigned for a long period of time. If you assign a long span of time to one single subject, it will bore the child. So, try to arrange the schedule in such a way that breaks are given in between the subjects. You can tell your child to keep his cellphone in the next room and these breaks can be converted into text breaks where he can check his phone and text his friends. It indeed will act as a reward for him.
Meet the teachers of your kids frequently and discuss with them your child’s progress. Ask them for details-where your child is lacking and work on those areas.
If parents too don’t have a clear idea about the subject on which their child has been assigned homework, they can take help from numerous online homework services, which provide homework help on a wide variety of subjects at a reasonable rate. These homework providing services assure on time delivery of assignments.
The strategies for dealing with homework of different subjects will be different. For example, for Math, logic and reasoning ability along with the calculation skill needs to be sharpened, for English, parents need to inculcate a habit of enriching the vocabulary in their child. In the same way, different approach should be applied for different subjects.
Innovation is the key for making homework interesting. Say, when your child comes up with a solution to a question, you can help him come up with another alternative approach. This will not only sharpen his skills but also act as a mental challenge for him. Another way to make the homework session interesting is by asking your child to guess the questions which might come in the next test. It will make homework fun and interesting.
Last but not the least, if a child is able to solve a question even after repeated attempts, parents should encourage the child to keep on trying until he is successfully able to arrive at the solution. For a change, he can go to the other questions and come back to the problem at hand after solving the other questions. But that question should be completed, no matter how many attempts it takes. This teaches the child the quality of perseverance. Parents should inculcate these values of patience, perseverance and effective time management in their child, which is going to help them in the long run.
Here is the summarized version of how parents can contribute towards: helping kids with homework
- Parents need to make themselves updated with the latest syllabus
- Provide a proper airy place to their child which should be away from distractions
- Change in workplace
- Set goals and do not pressurize the child
- While making the schedule, arrange for breaks
- Meet teachers and discuss issues that are troubling their child
- Get help in different subjects through online homework services
- Apply different strategies for different subjects
- Parents need to come up with innovative ways to make studies fun for their child
- Parents need to make the child understand the value of patience and perseverance and also effective time management while doing homework.
If your child is struggling with homework and is not able to finish it on time, there is no need to turn the dinner table into a battle ground. Make use of the tips provided above and help your kids in homework with ease.
