Now that you’re an adult, you’re done with homework and can spend your nights relaxing, right? While this might be the case for some, it’s definitely not the case for parents of school-aged children who need help with homework! They need to devote their evenings to teaching spelling, helping with math, and filling out homework packets.
If you’re a parent who has to play teacher through the week, you probably face a lot of challenges. Not only can it be difficult to explain to your child how to do something, it can also be hard to figure out the answers to subjects you haven’t seen since grade school!
Should parents help with homework?
Yes, they should! Here are some top homework tips for parents that you may find come in handy all through the week. Use these to make homework time easier and soon you’ll be able to spend your evenings relaxing again.
1. Use the Internet
Let’s face it, sometimes it’s difficult to explain to kids how to solve math, algebra, geometry, or science problems, which cause you a lot of aggravation. Instead of losing your cool, use the internet! There are a lot of tutoring resources available online, including video lessons, which are kid-friendly and extremely useful. In addition to going online for help explaining things, you can also use it to help you learn how to do the homework yourself. This is nothing to be ashamed of! Sometimes we just forget the things that we learned in fifth grade and need a refresher course!
2. Know Your Kid’s Teacher
Teacher In Classroom
If your child is having a lot of trouble doing their homework, then there is likely an issue in the classroom that needs to be addressed. Take an afternoon to set up an appointment with the teacher so that you can discuss what is going on. Tell the teacher what your concerns are, then come up with an action plan together that can help your child be a better student. Is this going to take some time out of your day? Yes, but it will be worth it when you see your son or daughter having an easier time with their nightly homework.
3. Be Positive
Although it can be easy to lose your temper when your child is mad that he or she isn’t doing something right, it’s your job to stay cool. You should be as positive as you can so that your kid is encouraged to keep trying. Give your child advice about how to solve different problems and make sure you don’t yell at him or her for doing something incorrectly.
How parents can help with homework.
4. Set a Time
Homework tips for parents
Stick with a regular schedule each night so that homework is always done at the same time. This should be a time that you can dedicate to the homework as well, so make sure you’re free and able to focus. At least one parent should be helping out, but two is better if both of you are able to dedicate the time.
5. Get Rid of Distractions
Even if your son or daughter isn’t old enough to be texting or talking on their cell phone, they probably still have distractions that will bother them during homework time. The television, the iPad, your cell phone, a tablet or the computer are all things that can put their brain in a different mindset. Keep electronics and other distractions as far away as you can, and even go to a quiet room if you can. This will ensure you’re in a space where focusing is easier!
6. Don’t do it for Them
Even if it hasn’t happened to you yet, there will come a time when you just say “okay here’s the answer”. Although the temptation for this may be strong at the time, don’t let the ease of this get to you. This does absolutely nothing to help your child and will only cause them trouble in the long run. They need to take a few minutes to figure out things for themselves and apply what they learned in school that day.
Homework is going to become a huge part of your life as soon as your child is in school, so get used to it! By using these tips now, you can avoid a lot of issues in the future and enjoy easier homework time with your little one.