Making Homework Work By Raising Children Network

What is Homework?

Homework can take many forms: worksheet or project, to do some reading or writing, or to collect interesting objects to share with the class.

Homework helps your child to:

• practise the skills learned in class
• get ready for the next day’s work
• learn time management and organisational skills, such as working to a deadline and finding a balance between work and play.

Homework has benefits for parents, too – it gives you the chance to see what your child is learning about at school.

In the early school years, the main goals of homework might be to help children learn time management and organisational skills, and to involve parents in their child’s education. Later, homework has clear academic benefits – research has shown a clear link between homework and achievement, particularly in secondary school.

Making homework work

Find the right time
For some children, the best time to get homework done will be straight after school. Others might need a break to play and unwind first. No matter what, the optimal time is when you can be around to supervise and give your child a helping hand if needed.

Most children can only concentrate for about 15 minutes at a time before they might need a brief break. Get your child to do some neck stretches, arm shakes and finger wriggles. A favourite activity, like watching TV or playing outside, might be a reward for when the homework has been finished.

Create the right environment
It’s a good idea to set up your child somewhere that has good light, air and enough space for her to spread out with her books, pens and other resources.

Try to minimise distractions by turning off the TV and asking siblings to stay away. No mobile phone around. If he’s using a computer that’s connected to the internet, you might want to keep it in a shared family area so you can keep an eye on the sites he’s visiting.

Help your child get organised
You can show your child how to break down big assignments or projects into smaller, more manageable tasks. 

Help your child develop a positive approach
Schoolwork isn’t always easy. Your job is to help your child develop a positive approach to academic and organisational challenges.

Get him to do ‘easier’ tasks first to build his confidence, then guide him through the more difficult tasks.

If your child’s struggling with a particular assignment, you could help her approach the problem positively by getting her to pinpoint what she’s finding difficult. From there, you can brainstorm some solutions together, weighing up the pros and cons of the different options to find the best one. You can also help your child identify people or resources that could help her further.

Be a coach
It can help to think of yourself as your child’s coach. You can support your child by creating the right time, environment and approach for homework, but doing the work is ultimately your child’s responsibility.

Being the coach might mean you have to let your child ‘fail’ sometimes – but remember that children learn from failure as well as success. What really counts is the attitude you both have to these failures.