How to Help Your Child with Homework

Being involved in your child’s education is essential to their success at school. In fact, if your child is having trouble with their homework and you’ve noticed that they are having difficulty with particular subjects, it’s your duty to help them learn good study habits and correct problems to prevent new ones.
This is relatively true not only for kids in Primary School but also for older kids who don’t ask for help when it comes to their assignments. As a parent, you should determine if your child is struggling with their academics and ensure that they develop good study habits.

There are several reasons why your child may be struggling with their homework and this will include the following:

• Homework takes too long to complete

Usually, when the homework takes about 60 minutes or more to complete, students may feel bored.  They might look for other “fun activities” to do rather than completing their assignment. The lack of patience is something you need to deal with and correct in your child’s study habits. Suggest breaks and try to help them when you can.

• Your child is a perfectionist

Your child may have high standards, and they always want to have the most ideal situation to complete their task. But there are times when they encounter difficult concepts and topics. They may walk away from their homework when they feel they will never meet their own standards – and this could lead to poor academic performance.

• Your child is a chronic procrastinator

When you notice that your child finds 100 things to do before he or she sits down and start their homework, then you have a procrastinator. As a parent, you’ll need to help them set their priorities and develop their organisational skills.

• They lack enthusiasm

If your child is an underachiever, you will often hear the words, “I’m dumb” or “It’s just too hard.” Even though they are perfectly capable kids, but their lack of enthusiasm can lead to homework not being done correctly or not at all. You can motivate them by offering simple rewards when they complete their homework or by sitting with them when they’re doing their assignments. Your presence alone can motivate them to do their homework.

4 things parents can do to help

1. Read the instructions given by the teacher – it’s important to familiarise yourself with the assignment by reading the instructions carefully. This will enable you to effectively help your child their homework.
2. Ask your child to explain their homework to you – After you’ve read the instructions, it’s good practice to ask your child about their assignment using their own words. This will ensure that your child knows what their teacher require and what they are being asked to do.
3. Focus on the quality of the effort made – When you noticed that your child is improving over their past assignments, it’s advisable to praise them for things they did well. This will also improve their confidence and they will be more enthusiastic to finish their homework.
4. Take a break when they get stuck – If your child is having trouble with their assignment, take a break for about 10 to 30 minutes to help them refocus. You will notice a significant improvement in how they deal with issues or problems in their homework.

The worst thing you can do when your child is having a problem with their homework is to punish, nag, threaten, or by doing the work for them. This will only make things worse, and it will hurt your child’s enthusiasm. It may even affect their academic performance in the long run.

Another thing we can suggest is to hire a qualified private tutor who can provide direct, targeted and intensive teaching in the comfort of your own home. Our mathematics teachers service the Melbourne area. In fact, a tutor can help your child develop good study habits that will lead to better performance at school.