Homework Strategies

Make sure you study your notes for the quiz on Friday. Start to work on the long-term project using statistics that you will present two weeks from Monday.

Does this sound like your child's work schedule? (Or, perhaps you have a child whose comment concerning homework is "I did it in school," or the more definitive, "we don't have any.") What role do you play in helping your child with homework assignments?

To Help or Not to Help
Where do you fit in the homework picture? Does the school expect you to check the work? What if your child doesn't want any help? And, (yes it happens frequently!), what do you do when the teaching instructions, methods, materials or concepts are completely incomprehensible?

For many children, there is no place for a parent in home assignments. These are the children who enjoy the independence that comes from self-mastery, and whose academic ability and organizational skills enable them to sail through any homework. The only time these students need support is when supplies are needed for projects, or when parent input is specifically sought (family history, opinions, polling). These are the kids who think of homework as their domain: They don't want -- and probably don't need -- any assistance.

For other children, however, parent involvement is vital. They need the support, the structure, or actual hands-on help in order to feel they can manage home assignments.

Smart Strategies
In some cases, parental support may take the form of helping to decipher instructions. Once the child understands the task, he seems able to function on his own, but he needs the boost in order to get started.

For younger children, the best help may be to set aside a regular work time. Many families schedule this time right after dinner. In the old days, children were sent to their rooms to do homework. (In the very old days, of course, they worked around the kitchen table, where it was warm!) For the busy families of the '90s, the evening may be the only time parents and children interact. Besides, those bedrooms, sometimes on another level of the house, may be filled with tempting distractions such as televisions, music systems, or phones. By having the child work at the dining room or kitchen table, there is a better chance, not only for casual parental input, but also a more structured environment. If mom or dad just "happens" to be nearby, it is much easier to be asked a question, or to have the opportunity to "check" the work.

Subtle Moves
For older children, scheduling multiple tasks may be the most difficult management part of homework. Parents can help in making lists, ranking the importance of assignments due on the same day, or even offering to stop and bring home a reference book from the library. This kind of involvement may head off the panic that some children experience before test dates or project deadlines.

And finally, all parents play a vital role in communicating with the school if the assigned homework seems unreasonably difficult, the child appears continually frustrated, or the work takes an inordinate amount of time to complete.

For some children, this business of homework automatically translates into accomplishment and a sense of competence. For others, it's a bumpy journey that sometimes requires a parent's helping hand. Lucky is the child who finds that hand extended.

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