Homework is an important part of the school journey for children, so there may come times when they seek your support. This can often seem overwhelming, as there’s just something about complicated assignments that have the power to spark a cold sweat. While you’re not an expert, you must get involved with your children’s learning to help them achieve good grades.
Homework is not the easiest thing to assist with, and it also requires a meticulous balance. This is because children need to learn how to do things themselves.
If you want to support your children with their homework, but you’re not quite sure how, here are some top tips to help you get started.
#1 Help them change their mindset
Homework is viewed as something negative. This can make it much harder to do and make it feel like a chore. This often leaves children feeling stressed and unmotivated when trying to complete their homework, which can impact their ability to concentrate and think for themselves. It can be a good idea to help your children change their mindset around homework, and make it seem more like an opportunity to learn and progress in their life, as opposed to a tick box exercise. Have meaningful conversations with them about education, and all the valuable skills they can develop by completing it. You should also praise your children, and encourage them to help create a positive approach to homework and a good learning environment.
#2 Ask questions
Helping your children with their homework does not mean doing it for them or giving them the answers. Instead, it is about asking questions and encouraging them to problem solve and think critically. If your children have problems that they cannot solve, you should model positive behaviour by showing them how you would go about solving a problem. Asking questions is a great way to teach your children how to think and learn for themselves.
#3 Create a plan
A plan to approach the homework is a great way to remove any overwhelm and frustration that your children may be struggling with. Sometimes, when there is a problem they cannot solve, it can seem impossible. You can help your children break down the homework and create a plan. Start by reading the tasks to understand what is being asked, break it down into small tasks, attach a time to each one, work back from the deadline, and write it down in your children’s favourite colours. This creates a good visual for them and makes it much easier to achieve.
#4 Find helpful resources
Often when children are struggling with homework it is because they don’t understand the subject or what the homework is about. So you may want to look at finding some helpful resources online from websites like Phoenix Home Education. It may help to get a better understanding of explaining things like math problems, for example. And enabling you to help your child with different concepts.
#5 Seek support
There are often times when your children need a little more support than guiding them to get their homework done. If your children are struggling in a particular area, or perhaps have exams coming up, it can be helpful to seek a tutor. Many tutors specialise in different subjects and can professionally help your children. You can find tutors using an online tutor directory.
Helping your children with homework can seem daunting at first. Follow these top tips to change the narrative and support your children.