Here are some basic guidelines to improve your child’s experience of homework:
- Your child should spend at least 20 minute on homework every day. Do not let homework roll over to have a negative accumulative impact.
- Engage with your child’s teacher. Know the purpose of the homework, and the class rules.
- Show enthusiasm for school and homework. Positive verbal support of homework sets a good example. Do not be dismissive of homework as a parent.
- Set aside time each day for reviewing homework. This might be tough given your own work responsibilities but it shows clear support and interest in your child’s school life.
- Don’t leave homework for just before bedtime, when it’s stressful and all parties are tired.
- Work on big projects over the weekends, especially if they involve getting together with classmates or require sourcing products and projects aids.
- Break assignments into smaller, more manageable bits.
- Provide a quiet study area with paper, markers, a ruler, pencils and a dictionary. Homework time should not include access to a cell phone as this might be distractive.
- Never do your child’s homework! Check with your child’s teacher about correcting homework.
- Practice spelling difficult words with your child every day.
- Always develop a love for reading. It helps your child to work effectively through huge volumes of work as well as assist with reading comprehension.