How Parents Can Effectively Help Their Kids Do Homework

The question of whether parents should assist their kids while tackling homework assignments is one that has been repeatedly asked by the larger majority. Since students vary in different aspects such as comprehension levels, subject confidence, and independence, it is only imperative that the lesser students should be given the much-needed help to enable them to become more confident in the subject matter.

However, parents need to be careful not to overstep and go to the extent of doing the assignments themselves. We understand how cumbersome it can be to work on a complex and challenging assignment, but this does not give you the right to take over the homework yourself.

While assisting my kids, I usually follow the following basic tips. These can also apply to you, but I recommend that you experiment around to find the best ones that will work for you.

Discuss a course of action – here I purely engage my children in coming up with the most effective strategy to adopt. In the formulation stage, we usually discuss things like if they should start with the most complex tasks first, either do the whole thing once of break it into manageable parts and/or whether to include short intersession breaks. While doing this, be careful not to dictate anything but mutually agree with them.

Formulate rules and guidelines – this makes them aware of what to do and not to do at any specific time. This keeps them focused on the task at hand, allowing them to concentrate more and cover more ground fast. While making homework rules, make sure that they all agree and abide by them.  

Review their schoolwork regularly – reviewing their schoolwork regularly helps you to keep track of their academic progress on a daily basis. To do this effectively, let them explain the homework tips, bylines, and due dates. Thereafter, ask them how they intend to have all that done. In case you get vague answers, this could be an indication that they could be needing help from you.

Set realistic plans and targets – once all systems are ready to go, help them set realistic study routines and homework goals to keep them focused on one thing after another. The trick here is to allow them to become more flexible and to take control of their schedule.

Physically sit with them – always be nearby and in case they seem stranded while doing their homework assignment, pull a chair and sit with them. This assures them of your support and love, making them more confident in tackling the problems themselves.

Constantly communicate with their educator – always strive to maintain constant communication with your kids’ teachers. Since you all want your kids to succeed in their academics as well as life in general, reach out to their teachers as they might have identified areas where they could be needing more help with college homework or have an important resource recommendation for tackling the take-home assignment. Either way, this communication is bound to breed more benefits, especially to your child’s performance later in the term/semester.