Make sure your child has a quiet, well-lit place where studying and quiet reading can occur. Avoid having your child do homework with the TV on or in places with other distractions, such as people coming and going. Monitor the use of the telephone and computer, including the Internet.
Make sure the resources your child needs, such as paper, pencils and a dictionary are available. Ask your child if special materials will be needed for some projects and get them in advance.
Establish a routine time for homework and special projects and allow for balanced leisure activities. Establish a set time each day for doing homework. Don't let the child leave homework until just before bedtime. Think about using a weekend morning or afternoon for working on big projects, especially if the project involves getting together with classmates. Help your child participate in activities outside of school also.
Be positive about homework. Tell your child how important school is. The attitude you express about homework will be the attitude your child acquires.
When your child does homework, you do homework. Show your child that the skills they are learning are related to things you do as an adult. If your child is reading, you read too. If your child is doing math, balance your checkbook.
When your child asks for help, provide guidance, not answers. Giving answers means your child will not learn the material. Too much help teaches your child that when the going gets rough, someone will do the work for him or her.
When the teacher asks that you play a role in homework, do it. Cooperate with the teacher. It shows your child that the school and home are a team. Follow the directions given by the teacher.
If homework is meant to be done by your child alone, stay away. Too much parent involvement can prevent homework from having some positive effects. Homework is a great way for kids to develop independent, lifelong skills.
Stay informed. Talk with your child's teachers. Make sure you know the purpose of homework and what your child's class rules are.
Help your child figure out what is hard homework and what is easy homework. Have your child do the hard work first. This will mean he or she will be most alert when facing the biggest challenges. Easy material will seem to go fast when fatigue begins to set in.
Watch your child for signs of failure and frustration. Let your child take a short break if he or she is having trouble concentrating on an assignment.
Encourage games and leisure time activities that require reasoning, computations and problem-solving skills. Allow your child to participate in building things, fixing things, cooking and related tasks.
