Helping with Homework- the Biggest Concern of Parents

Post in Homework Help

Parents are worried about their child’s academics and are always searching for innovative ways to assist them and for helping with homework.

Parents often wonder whether their child really requires the homework which is assigned by the teachers or is it an additional burden on their child. Homework can be a burden if a student does not learn anything from it. But when homework is done in an enjoyable way, it will be beneficial for the students.

These are the benefits of providing homework to the students:

  • The basic reason for providing homework is that the child revises whatever lessons are taught in the class that day.
  • Prepares the child for the topic which will be studied in the next class.
  • Homework serves as a link between parents and teachers. The parents get to know about the syllabus and can know about the development of their child.
  • Sharpens the memory power of the child.
  • Inculcates in the child a feeling of working independently which gives boost to the self-confidence of the child.
  • Doing homework in a systematic manner teaches proper utilization of time.
  • When your child is facing problem in finishing a particular assignment because enough information is not provided in the textbook, it encourages him to do research on his own. He uses the library, reference books and internet for getting details on that topic.

Helping with homework requires a lot of patience on the part of parents. These are the ways which parents can employ and boost their child’s confidence while helping with homework:

  1. Give your child some time for resting after he comes back from school:

When your child returns from school, he must be exhausted from the whole day’s routine. Give him some time to rest before he starts with his homework so that his tiredness gets away and he can pay his full attention to the assignment at hand.

  1. The homework hour is different for children belonging to different age-groups:

The choice of the homework hour should depend on your child. Obviously, forcing him to complete his homework at a time when he doesn’t want to will not help. It has been found that teenage children prefer to take their own decisions than being assigned the time when they have to finish their work. Yes, if your child is below the age of thirteen and is not matured enough to think for himself, you can help him assign the time and helping with homework. A study shows that kids prefer to complete their homework in the afternoon after returning from school and teenagers prefer to sit with their homework at night.

  1. Tell your child to start with the difficult subject first:

The difficult subject should be started first so that he can pay all his attention to it and grasp the concepts of that subject in a fresh state of mind. It will be easier to solve the questions of that difficult subject during that time.

  1. Make sure that all the essential stationery is at the same place:

Keep all the required items of stationery like notebook, paper, pens, markers etc. at the workplace where your child is doing his homework. Getting up from the place every now and then for bringing a piece of stationery will be a disturbance, which will break the concentration and focus of the child from studies.

  1. Keep distractions at bay:

Cell phones should be switched off. It will be better if parents too don’t watch TV during that time, because even though the child might be studying in a different room, but the sound coming from the TV can prove to be a source of distraction.

  1. Provide a healthy snack to your child before he starts with his homework:

It is natural that your child will be famished when he returns from school. So, make sure that you give him a proper balanced diet after he returns from school. It is preferable that you provide him with healthy snacks which he can nibble on, while doing his homework.

  1. Make a schedule:

When you a making a timetable for your child’s homework, make sure that you include the toughest subjects at the beginning so that the child can experience a feeling of relief after having finished the homework of the tough subjects and so he will easily be able to focus on the other subjects. Also, see to it that you mix up the subjects well so that it does not become monotonous. The timetable should maintain a regularity of time, i.e. it should start and end at the same time on a daily basis.

  1. Choose a proper workplace:

When parents are choosing a workplace for their child’s homework, care should be given that it should be away from sources of disturbance.

Parents, do not worry about your child. Follow these steps, start helping with homework and contribute towards the academic achievement of your child.