7 Tips for homework: how parents can help

In 2006, research stated that homework has a strong correlation with student achievement in school. Although there’s still no exact number on how much homework can help, it’s an excellent way to help students make the lessons they learn stick.

As many of my students have heard me say “practice makes perfect”. With maths in particular, there is no shortcut to practicing the subject, homework helps ensure the student properly understands the subject.

But homework can also be frustrating for students when they struggle to do it. That’s why parents step in to help them do homework. Here’s how parents can help!

Schedule a regular study time

One of the best things you can do is to schedule study time with your kids. This could be a couple of hour slots each week after school, or whenever best suits their schedule. This will allow them to know when they can play and when they need to focus on their study. This helps create healthy boundaries between work and play, as well as building time management skills.

Top Tip: if your child constantly says they have “no time for homework”, scheduling in homework time each week might help!

Keep distraction to a minimum

It’s best to ensure the homework environment where they study is as appropriate as possible. This includes removing distractions and stress, and encouraging a calm, peaceful but focussed environment. Let them concentrate to their best ability.

Let them be independent

Encouraging independence helps build problem solving and logical thinking skills. At first, let your child attempt to complete all of the work. Tell them to mark and note any questions they’re confused with and do what they can themselves. You can then step in at the end and work through all the problems together.

Praise their work and efforts

When they’re done, remember to praise their work and effort, regardless of the result. This will keep them motivated and willing to try their best. Positive reinforcement has been shown to lead to improvement. You can bring up any issues in a constructive and fair manner.

Help them understand

For questions they can’t answer, help them understand the concept instead of telling them exactly how to solve them. It can be tempting to just quickly give your child the answer, to save them time and to save you energy! But properly explaining concepts from principles will help improve their comprehension and problem-solving skills. If you’re not confident in your ability to do this, bringing in some extra help for your child might be the solution.

Set breaks

Taking a break has been proven to reduce stress and make you more productive. That’s why instead of telling them to do the homework until it’s done, set a timer for when they need to study and when they can have a break

You can also do this using the ‘Pomodoro Technique’ - the next big trend in the productivity-work sphere.

Seek help

Lastly, if your child is truly stuck and you are unable to help - the best thing to do is to get help for your child.

Having trouble doing homework?

If you’re having trouble doing homework with your kids and need help, NRTutoring is here for you. We’re committed to helping kids not only to excel in school but to have confidence in their studies. Let’s chat today to make a plan to help your kids with their homework.