Homework has a simple purpose: reinforcing what was covered in class and building a study habit. When it turns into a daily battle, or an adult finishes it, it loses both. Here's how to support it well.
The place
- Always the same one: a table with good light.
- No television or phone in sight.
- Materials within reach, so they don't get up every minute.
The time
After lunch and a break, but not so late that tiredness wins. The same time every day means it doesn't have to be negotiated.
How much to help, by grade
1st and 2nd grade
Sit nearby. Read the instruction with them, make sure they understood it and let them do it. Check at the end.
3rd and 4th grade
Stay available but not beside them. Let them come to you if they're stuck, and have them tell you what they tried first.
5th and 6th grade
Let them organize their own homework and show it to you finished. Your job is to check that they did it, not how.
When they get stuck
- Don't give the answer: ask what they know and what's missing.
- Have them explain the problem in their own words.
- If it still doesn't come, have them write the question down for the teacher.
- A mistake in homework tells the teacher what to go over again.
Signs it's time to talk to the school
If homework takes far longer than reasonable every day, if they cry or freeze up often, or if you notice they don't understand what they're doing, it's worth talking to the teacher. It may be a matter of habit, of comprehension or of something else, and it's always easier to solve together.
