Homework Hassles

Few things can ruin an evening like homework hassles. Whether it’s a last minute project, math problems your child can’t solve, thirty minutes of reading to your reluctant child, or unfinished classwork, homework eats up precious family minutes and can lead to nightly arguments and tears.

More and more schools are moving towards a No-Homework policy, especially in the younger grades. However, if your child attends a school where homework is still assigned, below are some tips for helping with homework.

First, set up a designated spot for doing homework, whether this is at the kitchen table, in the child’s bedroom, or somewhere else. Children do best when homework becomes a habit. Sitting down at the same place and time each day helps with this.

Make sure all the materials are handy. Each time your child gets up to go find paper, sharpen a pencil, or ask for an eraser is another opportunity for her to lose track of what she was doing and guarantees the entire process will take longer.

In the homework area, minimize distractions. It is a rare child who can study effectively with a television playing in the background, siblings playing nearby, or a cell phone pinging at them.

Second, break up homework sessions. Young children might be able to work for ten or fifteen minutes at a stretch, upper elementary students might be able to focus for thirty minutes or a bit longer. There are different ways to break homework sessions into manageable chunks. Some children respond well to completing a certain number of problems. “After you complete ten problems, you can take a break.” Other students might do best knowing that no matter what, they’ll have a break at a specific time.

A standard expectation is that students will have ten minutes of work per grade level. So if your child is in second grade and after twenty minutes is not done with the work, you should call it quits. Write a note to the teacher explaining that this is what your child accomplished in twenty minutes. No young child should be spending more than ten minutes per grade on homework.

What happens if your child doesn’t know what to do? Well, homework is meant to allow children to practice skills learned in class. So the first question should be, “How did you do this in class?” Sometimes a few prompts are all that are necessary to get your child going again. However, sometimes children can’t remember, weren’t in class for the lesson, or are doing the work incorrectly. If you are comfortable helping, go for it! Provide the minimum amount of explanation needed; sometimes all you have to say is, “check that one again” and the child will correct herself.

There are also websites out there that provide detailed instructions for solving problems (Khan Academy is a well-known one and your child’s teacher can probably provide others). However, if you aren’t sure what the “new method” requires you to do and you don’t want to confuse your child, talk to the teacher about the situation. Perhaps your child can stay after school or come early for a few minutes of extra instruction. If you can attend with your child so the teacher can show you how the class solves these types of problems, even better!

Lastly, and most importantly, this is your child’s homework. If your child cannot do the work, then the teacher needs to know. Immediately. Homework is meant to allow the child to practice skills already learned in class. If your child can’t do the work, contact the teacher, explain the situation, and ask for either modified homework or no homework. Many teachers have no idea how frustrating a homework assignment might be, and are often surprised when they hear from parents about how long the homework took or how much help the child needed.