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The Homework Battle: How to Get Children to Do Homework

By debbie pincus, ms lmhc.

Teen girl with hands on head frustrated by homework

Parents often feel it’s their job to get their kids to do well in school. Naturally, you might get anxious about this responsibility as a parent. You might also get nervous about your kids succeeding in life—and homework often becomes the focus of that concern.

But when parents feel it’s their responsibility to get their kids to achieve, they now need something from their children—they need them to do their homework and be a success. I believe this need puts you in a powerless position as a parent because your child doesn’t have to give you what you want.

The battle about homework becomes a battle over control. Your child starts fighting to have more control over the choices in their life, while you feel that your job as a parent is to be in control of things. So you both fight harder, and it turns into a war in your home.

Over the years, I’ve talked to many parents who are in the trenches with their kids, and I’ve seen firsthand that there are many creative ways kids rebel when it comes to schoolwork. Your child might forget to do their homework, do their homework but not hand it in, do it sloppily or carelessly, or not study properly for their test. These are just a few ways that kids try to hold onto the little control they have.

When this starts happening, parents feel more and more out of control, so they punish, nag, threaten, and argue. Some parents stop trying altogether to get their children to do homework. Or, and this is common, parents will over-function for their kids by doing the work for them.

Now the battle is in full swing: reactivity is heightened as anxiety is elevated—and homework gets lost in the shuffle. The hard truth for parents is that you cannot make your children do anything, let alone homework. But what you can do is to set limits, respect their individual choices, and help motivate them to motivate themselves.

You might be thinking to yourself, “You don’t know my child. I can’t motivate him to do anything.” Many parents tell me that their children are not motivated to do their work. I believe that children are motivated—they just may not be motivated the way you’d like them to be. Keep reading for some concrete tips to help you guide them in their work without having to nag, threaten, or fight with them.

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Also, keep in mind that if you carry more of the worry, fear, disappointments, and concern than your child does about their work, ask yourself, “What’s wrong with this picture, and how did this happen?” Remember, as long as you carry their concerns, they don’t have to.

Stop the Nightly Fights

The way you can stop fighting with your kids over homework every night is to stop fighting with them tonight. Disengage from the dance. Choose some different steps or decide not to dance at all. Let homework stay where it belongs—between the teacher and the student. Stay focused on your job, which is to help your child do their job. Don’t do it for them.

If you feel frustrated, take a break from helping your child with homework. Your blood pressure on the rise is a no-win for everyone. Take five or ten minutes to calm down, and let your child do the same if you feel a storm brewing.

Create Structure Around Homework Time

Set limits around homework time. Here are a few possibilities that I’ve found to be effective with families:

  • Homework is done at the same time each night.
  • Homework is done in a public area of your house.
  • If grades are failing or falling, take away screen time so your child can focus and have more time to concentrate on their work.
  • Make it the rule that weekend activities don’t happen until work is completed. Homework comes first. As James Lehman says, “The weekend doesn’t begin until homework is done.”

Let Your Child Make Their Own Choices

I recommend that your child be free to make their own choices within the parameters you set around schoolwork. You need to back off a bit as a parent. Otherwise, you won’t be helping them with their responsibilities.

If you take too much control over the situation, it will backfire on you by turning into a power struggle. And believe me, you don’t want a power struggle over homework. I’ve seen many kids purposely do poorly just to show their parents who’s in charge. I’ve also seen children who complied to ease their parents’ anxiety, but these same kids never learned to think and make choices for themselves.

Let Your Child Own the Consequences of Their Choices

I’m a big believer in natural consequences when it comes to schoolwork. Within the structure you set up, your child has some choices. They can choose to do their homework or not. And they can choose to do it well and with effort or not. The natural consequences will come from their choices—if they don’t choose to do their work, their grades will drop.

When that happens, you can ask them some honest questions:

“Are you satisfied with how things are going?”

“What do you want to do about your grade situation?”

“How can I be helpful to you?”

Be careful not to be snarky or judgmental. Just ask the question honestly. Show honest concern and try not to show disappointment.

Intervene Without Taking Control

The expectation is that homework is done to the best of your child’s ability. When they stop making an effort, and you see their grades drop, that’s when you invite yourself in. You can say:

“It’s my job to help you do your job better. I’m going to help you set up a plan to help yourself, and I will check in to make sure you’re following it.”

Set up a plan with your child’s input to get them back on their feet. For example, the new rules might be that homework must be done in a public place in your home until they get their grades back up. You and your child might meet with the teacher to discuss disciplinary actions should their grades continue to drop.

In other words, you will help your child get back on track by putting a concrete plan in place. And when you see this change, you can step back out of it. But before that, your child is going to sit in a public space and you’re going to monitor their work.

You’re also checking in more. Depending on your child’s age, you’re making sure that things are checked off before they go out. You’re adding a half-hour of review time for their subjects every day. And then, each day after school, they’re checking with their teacher or going for some extra help.

Remember, this plan is not a punishment—it’s a practical way of helping your child to do their best.

“I Don’t Care about Bad Grades!”

Many parents will say that their kids just don’t care about their grades. My guess is that somewhere inside, they do care. “I don’t care” also becomes part of a power struggle.

In other words, your child is saying, “I’m not going to care because you can’t make me. You don’t own my life.” And they’re right. The truth is, you can’t make them care. Instead, focus on what helps their behavior improve. And focus more on their actions and less on their attitude because it’s the actions that matter the most.

Motivation Comes From Ownership

It’s important to understand that caring and motivation come from ownership. You can help your child be motivated by allowing them to own their life more.

So let them own their disappointment over their grades. Don’t feel it more than they do. Let them choose what they will do or not do about their homework and face the consequences of those choices. Now they will begin to feel ownership, which may lead to caring.

Let them figure out what motivates them, not have them motivated by fear of you. Help guide them, but don’t prevent them from feeling the real-life consequences of bad choices. Think of it this way: it’s better for your child to learn from those consequences at age ten by failing their grade and having to go to summer school than for them to learn at age 25 by losing their job.

When Your Child Has a Learning Disability

I want to note that it’s very important that you check to see that there are no other learning issues around your child’s refusal to do homework. If they’re having difficulty doing the work or are performing below grade-level expectations, they should be tested to rule out any learning disabilities or other concerns.

If there is a learning disability, your child may need more help. For example, some kids need a little more guidance; you may need to sit near your child and help a little more. You can still put structures into place depending on who your child is.

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But be careful. Many times, kids with learning disabilities get way too much help and develop what psychologists call learned helplessness . Be sure you’re not over-functioning for your learning disabled child by doing their work for them or filling in answers when they’re capable of thinking through them themselves.

The Difference Between Guidance and Over-Functioning

Your child needs guidance from you, but understand that guidance does not mean doing their spelling homework for them. Rather, it’s helping them review their words. When you cross the line into over-functioning, you take on your child’s work and put their responsibilities on your shoulders. So you want to guide them by helping them edit their book report themselves or helping them take the time to review before a test. Those can be good ways of guiding your child, but anything more than that is taking too much ownership of their work.

If your child asks for help, you can coach them. Suggest that they speak with their teacher on how to be a good student and teach them those communication skills. In other words, show them how to help themselves. So you should not back off altogether—it’s that middle ground that you’re looking for. That’s why I think it’s essential to set up a structure. And within that structure, you expect your child to do what they have to do to be a good student.

Focus on Your Own Goals

When you start over-focusing on your child’s work, pause and think about your own goals and what do you need to get done to achieve those goals. Model your own persistence and perseverance to your child.

Believe In Your Child

I also tell parents to start believing in their children. Don’t keep looking at your child as a fragile creature who can’t do the work. I think we often come to the table with fear and doubt—we think if we don’t help our kids, they’re just not going to do it.

But as much as you say, “I’m just trying to help you,” what your child hears is, “You’re a failure; I don’t believe you can do it on your own.”

Instead, your message should be, “I know you can do it. And I believe in you enough to let you make your own choices and deal with the consequences.”

Related content: What Can I Do When My Child Refuses to Go to School? “My Child Refuses to Do Homework” — How to Stop the Nightly Struggle Over Schoolwork

For more information on the concept of learned helplessness in psychology and behavior, we recommend the following articles:

Psychology Today: Learned Helplessness

VeryWell Mind: What Is Learned Helplessness and Why Does it Happen?

About Debbie Pincus, MS LMHC

For more than 25 years, Debbie has offered compassionate and effective therapy and coaching, helping individuals, couples and parents to heal themselves and their relationships. Debbie is the creator of the Calm Parent AM & PM™ program and is also the author of numerous books for young people on interpersonal relations.

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Frank My daughter Nina just turned 8 (Feb 11). She does not like to do homework one bit. Her teacher gives her homework every day except Friday. She loves Fridays because she doesn't like homework. She always hides her homework under her bed, refuses to do her homework, and in the More morning she tells her teacher "I lost it last night and can't find it!". She feels homework is a waste of time, yes, we all feel that way, but poor Nina needs to learn that homework is important to help you stay smart. She needs to start doing homework. How can I make her 2nd-grade brain know that homework is actually good? Is there a way to make her love, love, LOVE homework? Let me know.

Rebecca Wolfenden, Parent Coach We appreciate you writing in to Empowering Parents and sharing your story. Because we are a website aimed at helping people become more effective parents, we are limited in the advice and suggestions we can give to those outside of a direct parenting role. In addition to the tips in More the article above, it may be helpful to look into local resources to help you develop a plan for addressing these particular issues with your cousins, such as their doctor or their teachers. We wish you the best going forward. Take care.

Rebecca Wolfenden, Parent Coach I hear you. Homework can be a challenging, frustrating time in many families even under the best of circumstances, so you are not alone. When kids struggle with a subject, it can be even more difficult to get assignments completed. Although you didn’t indicate that your daughter More has ADHD, you might find some helpful tips in Why School is Hard for Kids with ADHD—and How You Can Help . Author Anna Stewart outlines techniques that can be useful to help make homework more interesting for kids with a variety of learning challenges in this article. You might also consider checking in with your daughter’s teacher, as s/he might have some additional ideas for engaging your daughter in her homework. Please be sure to write back and let us know how things are going for you and your family. Take care.

So, after reading this I get to say…GREAT…You really do not know my child.  We have done 100% of everything listed in this article.  In the end, my son has utterly declared “I DON’T CARE, AND I DON’T NEED SCHOOL”.  We have attempted a “reward” system as well, and that doesn’t work.  He cares about 3 or 4 things.  Nintendo DS, Lego, K’Nex, TV…all of those he has lost over the past year.  Now he reads, ALL the time.  Fine, but that doesn’t get his homework done.  It also doesn’t get anything else he needs to do done.  We’ve done “task boards”, we’ve done “Reward Systems”, we’ve done the “What is on your list to complete”.  EVERYTHING is met with either a full fledged meltdown (think 2 year old…on the floor, kicking and screaming and crying).  His IMMEDIATE response to ANYTHING that may interrupt him is “NO” or worse.  If something doesn’t go his way directly he throws a fit INSTANTLY, even if the response is “Give me a second” it’s NOW OR I’M DESTROYING SOMETHING.  He’s been suspended multiple times for his anger issues, and he’s only 10.  Unfortuantely we have no family history as he was adopted from Russia.  His “formal” diagnosis are ADHD and Anxiety.  I’m thinking there is something much more going on.  BTW: He did have an IQ test and that put him at 145 for Spacial and Geometric items, with a 136 for written and language.  His composite was 139, which puts him in the genius category, but he’s failing across the board…because he refuses to do the work.

Interesting article and comments. Our son (6th grade) was early diagnosed as ADHD and for the first 3 years of elementary school several of his teachers suggested he might require special education. But then the school counseling staff did a workup and determined that his IQ is 161 and from that point forward his classroom antics were largely tolerated as “eccentric”.  He has now moved to middle school (6th grade) and while his classroom participation seems to be satisfactory to all teachers, he has refused to do approximately 65% of his homework so far this school year. We have tried talking with him, reasoning with him, removing screen time, offering cash payments (which he lectures us as being unethical “bribes”), offering trips, offering hobbies and sporting events, and just about anything we can think of. Our other children have all been through the “talented and gifted” programs, but he simply refuses to participate in day-to-day school work. His fall report card was pretty much solid “F” or “O” grades. He may be bored out of his mind, or he may have some other issues. Unfortunately, home schooling is not an option, and neither is one of the $40,000 per year local private schools which may or may not be in a better position to deal with his approach to school.  Do “learning centers” work for kids like this? Paying somebody else to force him to do his homework seems like a coward’s solution but I am nearly at the end of my rope! Thanks..

RebeccaW_ParentalSupport 12yokosuka Many parents struggle with staying calm when their child is acting out and screaming, so you are not alone.  It tends to be effective to set up a structured time for kids to do their homework and study, and they can earn a privilege if they comply and meet More their responsibilities.  What this might look like for your daughter is that if she studies, she can earn her phone that day.  If she refuses, and chooses to argue or scream at you instead, then she doesn’t earn her phone that day and has another chance the next day.  You can read more about this in https://www.empoweringparents.com/article/end-the-nightly-homework-struggle-5-homework-strategies-that-work-for-kids/.  If you are also looking for resources to help you stay calm, I encourage you to check out our articles, blogs, and other resources on https://www.empoweringparents.com/article-categories/parenting-strategies-techniques/calm-parenting/.  Please let us know if you have any additional questions.  Take care.

Scott carcione 

I’m sorry to hear about the challenges you are experiencing with your

son.I also hear the different

approaches you and your ex are taking toward parenting your son.While it would be ideal if you were able to

find common ground, and present a consistent, united response to your son’s

choices, in the end, you can only https://www.empoweringparents.com/article/parenting-after-divorce-9-ways-to-parent-on-your-own-terms/.At

this point, it might be useful to meet with the school to discuss how you can

work together to hold your son accountable for his actions, such as receiving a

poor grade if he refuses to do his work.Janet Lehman discusses this more in https://www.empoweringparents.com/article/when-your-child-has-problems-at-school-6-tips-for-parents/.Take care.

It can be so challenging when your child is acting out at school, yet does

not act that way at home.One strategy I

recommend is talking with your son at home about his behavior at school.During this conversation, I encourage you to

address his choices, and come up with a specific plan for what he can do differently

to follow the rules.I also recommend

working with his teachers, and discussing how you can assist them in helping

your son to follow the rules.You might

find additional useful tips in our article, https://www.empoweringparents.com/article/acting-out-in-school-when-your-child-is-the-class-troublemaker/.Please be sure to write back and let us know

how things are going for you and your son.Take care.

I hear you.It can be so challenging

when your young child is having outbursts like this.A lot of young children tend to act out and

have tantrums when they are experiencing a big transition, such as starting a

new school or adjusting to having a younger sibling, so you are not alone.Something that can be helpful is to set up

clear structure and expectations around homework, as Janet Lehman points out in

https://www.empoweringparents.com/article/my-child-refuses-to-do-homework-heres-how-to-stop-the-struggle/.I also encourage you to set aside some time

for you to have https://www.empoweringparents.com/article/attention-seeking-behavior-in-young-children-dos-and-donts-for-parents/ with your daughter as well.Please be sure to write back and let us know

how things are going for you and your family.Take care.

JoJoSuma I am having the exact same problem with my 9 year old son. His grades are quickly falling and I have no idea why or where to begin with helping him turn things around. When he applies himself he receives score of 80% or higher, and when he doesn't it clearly shows and he receives failing scores. He, too, says that he doesn't do or want to do the work because it is boring, or that he "Forgot" or "lost it". He has started to become a disruption to the class and at this rate I am afraid that he will have to repeat 5th grade. I am also a single parent so my frustration is at an all time high. You are not alone and I wish you and your family the best.

Thank you so much for these tips RebeccaW_ParentalSupport because I SERIOUSLY had nowhere to turn and no clue where to begin. I have cried many nights feeling like I was losing control. I will try your tips and see where things go from here.

It’s not uncommon

for kids to avoid doing homework, chores or other similar tasks.  After

all, homework can be boring or difficult, and most people (both kids and adults

alike) tend to prefer activities which are enjoyable or fun.  This does

not mean that you cannot address this with your daughter, though. 

Something which can be helpful for many families is to set up a structured

homework time, and to require that your daughter complete her homework in order

to earn a privilege later on that evening.  You can read about this, and

other tips, in https://www.empoweringparents.com/article/end-the-nightly-homework-struggle-5-homework-strategies-that-work-for-kids/. 

Please be sure to write back and let us know how things are going for you and

your daughter.  Take care.

Thestruggleisreal I'm just now signing up for these articles, I'm struggling with my 12 year and school work, she just doesn't want to do it, she has no care I'm world to do, she is driving me crazy over not doing, I hate to see her More fail, but I don't know what to do

FamilyMan888 

I can hear how much your

daughter’s education means to you, and the additional difficulties you are

facing as a result of her learning disabilities.  You make a great point

that you cannot force her to do her work, or get additional help, and I also

understand your concern that getting her teachers to “make” her do these things

at school might create more conflict there as well.  As James Lehman

points out in his article, https://www.empoweringparents.com/article/stop-the-blame-game-how-to-teach-your-child-to-stop-making-excuses-and-start-taking-responsibility/, lowering your expectations for your daughter due to her

diagnosis is probably not going to be effective either.  Instead, what you

might try is involving her in the https://www.empoweringparents.com/article/the-surprising-reason-for-bad-child-behavior-i-cant-solve-problems/, and asking her what she thinks she needs, and what she will do

differently, to meet classroom expectations.  Please be sure to write back

and let us know how things are going for you and your family.  Take care.

tvllpit Very effective to  kids age of 5, 7, and 11 years old. Thank you for sharing your idea.

Thank you for

your question.  You are correct that we recommend setting up a structured

time for kids to do homework, yet not getting into a power struggle with them

if they refuse to do their work during that time.  It could be useful to

talk with your 11 year old about what makes it difficult to follow through with

doing homework at that time, and perhaps experimenting with doing homework at

another time to see if that works more effectively.  In the end, though,

if your child is simply refusing to do the work, then we recommend giving a

consequence and avoiding a power struggle.  Megan Devine details this

process more in her article, https://www.empoweringparents.com/article/end-the-nightly-homework-struggle-5-homework-strategies-that-work-for-kids/. 

Please let us know if you have any additional questions.  Take care.

jovi916 I'm a mother to a 10 year old 5th grader. Since 3rd grade I've been struggling with homework. That first year, I thought it was just lack of consistency since my children go between mine and dad's house. I tried setting some sort of system up with More the teacher to get back on track, but the teacher said it was the child's responsibility to get the hw done. This year has been esp. Difficult. He stopped doing hw, got an F, so I got on him. He stared turning half done work, but same grades so I still got on him. Grades went up, I loosened up, then he stopped with in school work. Now it's back to not turning anything in, even big projects and presentations. He had never really been allowed to watch tv, but now it's a definite no, I took his Legos away, took him out of sports. Nothing is working. He's basically sitting at the table every night, and all weekend long in order to get caught up with missing assignments. I'm worried, and next year he'll be in middle school. I try setting an example by studying in front of him. My daughter just does her homework and gets good grades. Idk what to do.

I can hear your concern. Academic achievement is important

to most parents and when your children seem to be struggling to complete their

work and get good grades, it can be distressing. Ultimately, your childrens’

school work and grades are their responsibility. You shouldn’t have to quit

your own studies in order to help them improve theirs. The above article gives

some great tips for helping motivate your children to complete their homework.

We do have a couple other articles you may also find useful: https://www.empoweringparents.com/article/10-ways-to-motivate-your-child-to-do-better-in-school/ & https://www.empoweringparents.com/article/sinking-fast-at-school-how-to-help-your-child-stay-afloat/. We appreciate you

writing in and hope you find the information useful. Take care.

RNM I have the exact same issues with my 8 year old. It makes me feel like I'm doing something wrong. He's a smart kid, he just doesn't seem to care to do his homework let alone if he gets a bad grade as a result. He hates reading, but does More very well in spelling and science. Homework is an issue nightly and the teacher pulled me aside today to tell me again how much he talks in class and that now he isn't writing down his assignments and is missing 3 assignments this week. SMH, I don't know what to do anymore other than to coach him (some more) and take away basketball if he doesn't do his homework.

What?  "Let homework stay where it belongs—between the teacher and the student. Refuse to get pulled in by the school.."  I do not see the logic or benefit of this advice.  Homework, by definition, is the responsibility of the student and parent (NOT the teacher).  The teacher does not live at the student's home or run the house.  

In my opinion, the lack of parental involvement with academics often causes the low student performance evident across the U.S.  I do not agree with advocating for even LESS parental involvement.

I completely agree with you. Parental, or adult, engagement at home can be a deal-maker/breaker when it comes to student performance. I subscribe to theories that differ from the author's.

First, if an adult is involved with the child and his activities, then the child will commonly react with "hey, somebody cares about me" leading to an increased sense of self-worth. A sense of caring about one's-self leads to caring about grades and other socially acceptable behaviors (Maslow).

Secondly, I am a FIRM believer in the techniques of behavior modification through positive reinforcement (Karen Pryor). It's up to an invested adult to determine what motivates the student and use those motivators to shape and reinforce desirable behavior such as daily homework completion. A classroom teacher has too many students and too little time to apply this theory.

Letting a child sink or swim by himself is a bad idea. Children have only one childhood; there are no do-overs.

And yes, children are work.

Many experience similar feelings of being at fault when

their child fails, so, you’re not alone. Truth of the matter is, allowing your

child to experience natural consequences of their actions by allowing them to

fail gives them the opportunity to look at themselves and change their

behavior.  We have a couple articles I think you may find helpful: When You Should Let Your Child Fail: The Benefits of Natural Consequences & 5 Natural Consequences You Should Let Your Child Face . Good luck to you and

your family moving forward. Take care.

hao hao It is so true, we can't control our children's home. It is their responsibility. But they don't care it. What can we do it?

indusreepradeep

How great it is that you want to help your brother be more

productive with his homework. He’s lucky to have a sibling who cares about him

and wants him to be successful. Because we are a website aimed at helping

parents develop better ways of managing acting out behavior, we are limited in

the advice we can offer you as his sibling. There is a website that may be able

to offer you some suggestions. http://www.yourlifeyourvoice.org/

is a website aimed at helping teens and young adults figure out ways of dealing

with challenges they may be facing in their lives. They offer several ways of

getting support, such as by e-mail or text, through an online forum and chat,

and also a call in helpline. You can check out what they have to offer at http://www.yourlifeyourvoice.org/. Good luck

to you and your family moving forward. Take care.

Kathleenann indusreepradeep

Thank you so much for your humble support....

It sounds like you have done a lot

of work to try to help your daughter achieve her educational goals, and it’s

normal to feel frustrated when she does not seem to be putting in the same

amount of effort.  It can be useful to keep your focus on whether your

daughter is doing her work, and to keep that separate from whether she “cares”

about doing her work.  Ultimately, it is up to your daughter to do her

work, regardless of how she appears to feel about it.  To that end, we

recommend working with the various local supports you have in place, such as

her therapists and others on her IEP team, to talk about what could be useful

to motivate your daughter to do her school work.  Because individuals with

autism can vary greatly with their abilities, it’s going to be more effective

to work closely with the professionals who are familiar with your daughter’s

strengths and level of functioning in order to develop a plan to address this

issue.  Thank you so much for writing in; we wish you and your daughter

all the best as you continue to address her difficulties with school. 

is there a blog for parents that went to Therapeutic boarding schooling for their adolescent?

Responses to questions posted on EmpoweringParents.com are not intended to replace qualified medical or mental health assessments. We cannot diagnose disorders or offer recommendations on which treatment plan is best for your family. Please seek the support of local resources as needed. If you need immediate assistance, or if you and your family are in crisis, please contact a qualified mental health provider in your area, or contact your statewide crisis hotline.

We value your opinions and encourage you to add your comments to this discussion. We ask that you refrain from discussing topics of a political or religious nature. Unfortunately, it's not possible for us to respond to every question posted on our website.

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Helping kids with homework

Wondering how to help your kids with their homework this year? Psychologist Eleanor Mackey has some tips.

Mother helping daughter do homework

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Now that school is back in full swing, many households are dealing with how to handle homework. Helping your child be successful at homework is very important because it is a very critical part of children’s academic success. Homework helps children in several ways, including:

  • continues learning after the school day
  • teaches responsibility
  • helps parents stay aware of what their child is learning in school

Being involved in your child’s homework is important. As with all parenting endeavors, though, there is a fine line between being too involved and not being involved enough.

So, what’s a parent to do?

Step 1: Set expectations

Set up appropriate expectations for your child and their homework responsibilities. For example, depending on the age of your child, they might be responsible for determining which homework needs to be done, doing the actual homework and putting their completed homework into their backpack. 

It is very important that the child take responsibility for the actual homework, not the parent. A parent might commit to finding a quiet space for the child to do the homework, checking answers, double checking that everything has been done, as well as being on hand to answer questions.

Step 2: Set up a good study space

There must be a designated homework space in the house free of noises and distractions. If possible, try to make this fun. For instance, a colleague of mine mentioned she got her kindergarten-aged son a “homework box” that has everything he needs including pencils, erasers, scissors, etc. He puts his homework folder by the box when he comes home and then has everything he needs. I think this is a great idea to help with organization for any age.

Step 3: Schedule when homework will be done

It is important to teach kids that homework must be done on time. Set aside a certain time of the evening for homework to be completed. Put it in the calendar like any other activity so that there is always time for it. Younger kids will need the schedule made for them. Children older than 10 years of age may be able to take charge of putting homework and specific assignments into the schedule and then have a parent check it for them.

For younger grades, there is usually homework that is shorter-term and due in quick succession, which can be easier to manage and plan. 

For older kids, often there is advanced planning that needs to be done, for example a term paper. Help your kids learn how to break up long-term assignments into chunks and assist in planning when each section will be completed. 

Step 4: Motivate! 

Your encouragement goes a long way towards motivating your child to do homework. Praise your child for steps along the way, not just successful completion of homework. For example, praise them for remembering their homework, for stopping other activities without complaint when it is homework time, for continuing a challenging task or for good grades. 

It is best to build internal motivation for homework, or the desire to complete it for their feelings of pride in good work done and for caring about their academics. However, some kids may benefit from external motivators, such as earning a pass from other chores in exchange for doing homework or earning the ability to engage in preferred activities when homework is done.

Still having homework challenges?

If your child is still having difficulty with homework, there are some additional steps you can take. For more pointers, I like the book “ Homework Without Tears ” by Canter and Hausner. It may also be important to talk with your child’s teacher to strategize on how to help your child. You may also want to consult a psychologist to determine if educational testing may benefit your child. 

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Homework Help for Reluctant Children

  • Posted October 15, 2018
  • By Heather Miller

mother and two daughters doing homework at kitchen table

It’s hard to fault the child who resists doing homework. After all, she has already put in a long day at school, probably been involved in afterschool activities, and, as the late afternoon spills into evening, now faces a pile of assignments. Parents feel it, too — it’s no one’s favorite time of day.

But despite its bad rap, homework plays an important role in ensuring that students can execute tasks independently. When it’s thoughtfully assigned, homework provides deeper engagement with material introduced in class. And even when it’s “just” worksheets, homework can build the automatic habits and the basic skills required to tackle more interesting endeavors. Finally, homework is a nightly test of grit. Adult life brings its share of tasks that are both compulsory and unenjoyable. Developing the discipline to fulfill our responsibilities, regardless of whether they thrill us, begins in middle childhood.

So how to help the avoidant child embrace the challenge, rather than resist it?

The first step, especially with kids 13 and under, is to have them do their homework at a communal space, like a dining room or kitchen table. If other children are in the home, they can all do their homework at the same table, and the parent can sit nearby to support the work effort. This alleviates some of the loneliness a reluctant child might associate with assignments. The alternative — doing homework at a bedroom desk — can result in the child guiltily avoiding the work for as long as possible. Like all forms of procrastination, this has the effect of making the entire process take much longer than it needs to.  

When parents turn the homework ritual into a series of conversations about what needs to be done, how, and for how long, children feel less “alone” with their nightly work, they relish the company and support of their parent, and they work better and more efficiently.

Many parents are under the impression that they shouldn’t have anything to do with their children's homework. This comes from schools emphasizing that homework is a child's responsibility, not the parents'. While it is absolutely true that parents should not do their children's homework, there is a role for parents — one that's perhaps best described as “homework project manager.” Parents can be monitoring, organizing, motivating, and praising the homework effort as it gets done. And yes, that means sitting with your child to help them stay focused and on task. Your presence sends the message that homework is important business, not to be taken lightly.

Once you’re sitting down with your child, ask him to unload his school bag and talk you through his various assignments. Maybe he has a school planner with all his homework listed, or a printout from school, or perhaps his work is listed on the classroom website. Many children attend an afterschool program where, in theory, they are doing homework. They’ll often claim that they’ve done all their homework, even though they’ve only done some. Together, make a quick and easy “Done/To Do” list. Writing down what she has finished will give her a sense of satisfaction. Identifying what she still needs to do will help her to focus on the remaining assignments. Over time, this practice will help your child build an understanding that large tasks are completed incrementally.

Next, ask your child to put the assignments in the order he’d like to do them. Encourage him to explain his thinking. Doing this helps a child feel in control of the evening’s tasks and prompts him to reflect on his work style. Discuss the first task of the night together. Ask your child to think about the supplies he is likely to need, and ensure they’re at the ready. This “pre-work” work helps a child think through a task, understand it, and prepare to execute it with gusto.

Last but not least, introduce a timer to the evening’s proceedings. Challenge your child to estimate how long the first assignment will take. Then ask, “Do you want me to set the timer for the full amount of time you think you’ll need, or a smaller amount?” Then, set the timer with the understanding that the child must work without interruption until the timer goes off. Even questions are verboten while the timer runs. The goal here is to enable the child to solve problems independently, through concentration. This not only builds concentration powers, it builds creativity, critical thinking, resilience, and resourcefulness. In my experience, the theatricality of being timed helps relax children who would otherwise feel daunted by a mountain of homework.

As each piece of work gets done, parents can add meaningful positive reinforcement. Exclaiming, “Another assignment done! And done well!” helps your child feel like what they are doing matters.

By turning the homework ritual into a series of conversations about what needs to be done, how, and for how long, children feel less “alone” with their nightly work, they relish the company and support of their parent, and they complete the work much more efficiently and at a higher standard than they might otherwise.

Helping the Homework Resisters

  • Have children do their work at a communal table. Stay nearby, to alleviate the loneliness that some kids feel — and to prevent procrastination.
  • Ask your child to unload her backpack and talk through assignments.
  • Help your child make a "Done/To Do" list.
  • Ask your child to put the assignments in the order he’d like to do them. Encourage him to explain his thinking — fostering a sense of control.
  • Use a timer. Challenge your child to estimate how long an assignment will take, and ask if she wants to set the timer for that full amount of time, or less. 
  • Your role: To monitor, organize, motivate, and praise the homework effort as each piece is done. 

Additional Resource

  • More about Heather Miller's work to help parents create healthy routines on weeknights

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How to Help Your Kids Succeed in School

Verywell / Zackary Angeline

Set Positive Expectations

Establish a homework routine, reach out to their teachers, foster healthy sleep habits, helping vs. hindering, trust your student, let them make mistakes.

  • Foster Independence

Focus on Solutions

Many parents wonder what they can do to help their kids succeed in school. Knowing how much support to offer can be a delicate balance—and depends on your child's age. Too much help can easily result in you taking over or doing it for them and too little can leave them struggling, frustrated, or overwhelmed.

Learn more about the best ways to support your child's academic endeavors, including when to offer help and how much to give, when to communicate with teachers, and how to foster your child's self-advocacy, time management , and organizational skills.

It helps for parents and their children to set some good expectations, routines, and school year goals, suggests Maleka Allen, a Portland, Oregon school counselor with over 18 years of experience working with children of all ages in grades K-12. She recommends both parties think about what outcomes the student wants to work towards, whether that is reading chapter books, finishing homework on time, speaking up more in class, getting all As, or getting passing grades. 

Keep in mind that parent and student expectations and goals may be different, says Allen. That's OK. Aim to find common ground and age-appropriate, student-specific goals so that your child feels listened to, motivated, and realistic about their school-related goals . "Have routine check-ins to make sure that everyone is on the same page," advises Allen.

Also, note that smartness and A's don't always go together . Focusing too much on grades or performance can be very stressful—and impede your child's learning and your family dynamic, says Allen. Instead, honor your child where they are. "Really seeing the gifts that your child brings can be transformative," says Allen. "They'll truly get an opportunity to be who they are—and you'll have a better relationship."

It also helps to have a good routine of how, where, and when to do schoolwork. "Setting up a time and a good workspace is also very important," says Allen. She adds that homework done in a dedicated, distraction-free area (ideally out of the bed and bedroom) can foster improved homework completion as well as better sleep for kids.

Note that despite much hype about the presumed positive link between messy, chaotic workspaces and creativity, researchers have failed to find a significant difference in creative output between those with a messy or clean workspace.

Homework quantity and quality will vary quite a bit from student to student depending on their grade, learning style, and the school they go to. Generally, younger kids may have no homework or under an hour of homework nightly, with more added with each passing year.

Research is mixed on the efficacy of homework. However, excessive amounts are often found to detract from student sleep, family time, extracurricular activities, and social lives—and aren't always shown to improve achievement.

Be sure your child is set up with all the homework supplies they need; ask their school if you need help accessing materials. Teach them to use a planner to track assignments, keep them organized, and manage their time wisely. Practice writing down assignments and checking off items when completed to reinforce these skills.

If you have concerns about the amount of homework your child is assigned or how long the homework is taking for them to complete, check with their teacher. If you think it's too much, let their teacher know. Also, communicate concerns about learning differences or social-emotional issues that may also be impacting school success. In fact, effective parent-teacher communication has been shown to be instrumental in elevating student achievement.

In most cases, teachers and staff encourage parent communication at all grade levels, says Allen. For older children, many teachers will prompt the student to reach out first, but even for high schoolers, parents can contact the school with any questions or concerns. "Teachers and staff want to create relationships early with families so that when there are challenges, they know how to help," explains Allen.

Plus, some kids aren't as forthcoming with teachers as others, so it can help when parents step in to share pertinent information, such as any difficulties at home, illness, issues with peers, or specific homework problems. 

For kids to succeed in school, they need to be well-rested (as well as well-fed). Studies show that students who get adequate amounts of nightly sleep do better in school. Interestingly, both those who get too little and too much sleep tend to underperform academically.

How Much Sleep Do They Need?

The American Association of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends the following sleep hours for school-aged children:

  • 3 to 5 year-olds : 10 to 13 hours (including naps)
  • 6 to 12 year-olds : 9 to 12 hours
  • 13 to 18 year-olds : 8 to 10 hours

Additionally, the AAP recommends avoiding screen time (including for homework) for a minimum of 30 minutes before bedtime in order to promote healthy sleep . Other positive sleep habits include using a consistent bedtime routine , sleeping in a cool, comfortable, quiet, dark room, and limiting non-sleep activities in the bedroom.

With younger kids, parents may need to offer more direct assistance with homework, including reviewing instructions or working through assignments side-by-side with their child. Additionally, research shows that one of the most impactful things you can do for your child's education is read to them and encourage them to read independently—and this holds true for babies all the way up to high schoolers.

As students advance in school, they typically become more able to do their schoolwork independently. However, they still may need some guidance on getting started and making a plan, as well as supervision to keep them on task, says Allen.

At any grade level, if more help is needed than you think should be required, you don't understand their homework, or your help is not resolving the issue, then it's time to contact their teacher for added support. You can also ask your child for their ideas. "Hold that space by asking what is your unmet need," says Allen. Aim to listen to your child with curiosity and without judgment.

Research on the impact of parental involvement with their child's schoolwork often has contradictory or muddled results. Some studies show that more parent engagement equals greater student success, while other evidence points to adverse outcomes, particularly when the supervision is perceived as controlling, strict, or overbearing.

According to researchers in a 2017 study on the link between academic achievement and parental involvement, the key may be how the parents help: "Whereas perceived parent-child conflicts about homework were negatively associated with educational outcomes, perceived parental competence and support for students’ self-direction were positively related to achievement," the study says.

So, how can a parent find the right balance between being engaged and helpful and not being overbearing or controlling? "This is a great question," says Allen. "I am not sure that there is a good answer except that communicating with your student about what their goals are, how they need support, and then letting go of the outcome is important."

Often, says Allen, parents are afraid of letting kids make mistakes. This fear can lead parents to micromanage or take over the homework to such an extent that their child is not learning, says Allen. Additionally, aim to limit the pressure you put on your child. Excessive academic stress can backfire causing burnout, frustration, lower self-esteem, lower academic achievement, or even mental health issues like depression and anxiety.

"When I think of the biggest learning curves I have had, it is when I have made mistakes," says Allen. Parents are afraid of letting students learn from natural consequences and but that is often when kids learn the most, she says. Instead of being fear-based, aim to let your child learn from whatever situation they are in.

Knowing when to step back is key. "If you are working harder than your student, you need to let go. Your child is saying that they are not ready for all the work," says Allen. In these cases, although a parent can still have high expectations. it's important for parents to listen to the messages their child is sending.

Focus on communication and uncovering what need your child has that they could use help with, whether that is reaching out to their teacher, getting organized, learning to break down a project into smaller chunks, avoiding procrastination, removing distractions, or simply taking a break.

Maleka Allen

If they are sharing that a class is stressful or something else is happening, it is important to listen and see how to work through that. This is the lesson, and that is when the student learns.

Foster Independence and Self-Advocacy

Communicating with your child regarding work expectations is key, but it's equally important to then hold them accountable, says Allen. Encourage them to ask their teacher for help or to brainstorm solutions to any school-related issues. Be their sounding board rather than telling them what to do. However, focus more on good habits like time management, organization, and self-advocacy as well as learning rather than simply grades.

"Parents worry about the grades but most 'superstars' (kids who have balanced their work and other commitments such as sports , work, volunteering, etc.) do not worry as much about the grades and really have good habits that lead them to good grades," says Allen. Additionally, successful, well-balanced students tend to communicate what they are capable of doing and ask for support for schoolwork that they are not able to do, Allen explains.

Instead of fixating on what your child has done wrong (such as forgotten their books at school or missed a deadline), aim to help them come up with a path forward. "I can't stress enough about communication that is solution-focused," advises Allen. "Ask questions of what is needed and what are the unmet needs." It's also vital to know that every challenge is not meant to be "fixed," she says. "It could be that time is also needed for the student to mature."  

Take the time to discover what obstacles your child may have and which solutions work best for them. Most importantly, don't expect your student to be like all the rest of their classmates or achieve to a standard that doesn't match their unique talents. Instead, recommends Allen, focus on fostering their love of learning and the skills that will help them reach their goals .

Suárez N, Regueiro B, Estévez I, del Mar Ferradás M, Guisande MA, Rodríguez S. Individual precursors of student homework behavioral engagement: the role of intrinsic motivation, perceived homework utility and homework attitude .  Front Psychol . 2019;10:941. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00941

Fadzil A. Factors affecting the quality of sleep in children .  Children (Basel) . 2021;8(2):122. doi:10.3390/children8020122

Manzi A, Durmysheva Y, Pinegar SK, Rogers A, Ramos J. Workspace disorder does not influence creativity and executive functions .  Front Psychol . 2019;9:2662. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02662

Fernández-Alonso R, Álvarez-Díaz M, Suárez-Álvarez J, Muñiz J. Students' achievement and homework assignment strategies .  Front Psychol . 2017;8:286. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00286

Yusuff KB. Does personalized goal setting and study planning improve academic performance and perception of learning experience in a developing setting?   J Taibah Univ Med Sci . 2018;13(3):232-237. doi:10.1016/j.jtumed.2018.02.001

Buchanan R, Clark M. Understanding parent-school Communication for students with emotional and behavioral disorders .  Open Fam Stud J . 2017;9(Suppl 1 M5):122-131. doi:10.2174/1874922401709010122

Zeek ML, Savoie MJ, Song M, et al. Sleep duration and academic performance among student pharmacists .  Am J Pharm Educ . 2015;79(5):63. doi:10.5688/ajpe79563

American Association of Pediatrics. AAP supports childhood sleep guidelines .

Xia T, Gu H, Li W. Effect of parents' encouragement on reading motivation: the mediating effect of reading self-concept and the moderating effect of gender .  Front Psychol . 2019;10:609. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00609

Núñez JC, Epstein JL, Suárez N, Rosário P, Vallejo G, Valle A. How do student prior achievement and homework behaviors relate to perceived parental involvement in homework?   Front Psychol . 2017;8:1217. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01217

Nguyen DT, Wright EP, Dedding C, Pham TT, Bunders J. Low self-esteem and its association with anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation in Vietnamese secondary school students: a cross-sectional study .  Front Psychiatry . 2019;10:698. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00698

Angell AM, Carroll TC, Bagatell N, et al. Understanding self-determination as a crucial component in promoting the distinct value of occupational therapy in post-secondary transition planning .  J Occup Ther Sch Early Interv . 2019;12(1):129-143. doi:10.1080/19411243.2018.1496870

By Sarah Vanbuskirk Sarah Vanbuskirk is a writer and editor with 20 years of experience covering parenting, health, wellness, lifestyle, and family-related topics. Her work has been published in numerous magazines, newspapers, and websites, including Activity Connection, Glamour, PDX Parent, Self, TripSavvy, Marie Claire, and TimeOut NY.

Don’t Help Your Kids With Homework

Focus on prioritization and process, not the assignment itself.

A stressed-out person with a pencil

So much of the homework advice parents are given is theory-based, and therefore not entirely helpful in the chaos of day-to-day life. People are told that students should have “ grit .” They should “ learn from failure .” But it’s hard to know how to implement these ideas when what you really need is to support a kid who has a chemistry test and two papers due in the next 48 hours but seems to be focused only on Instagram.

Some parents manage to guide their kids through these moments with relative ease. Others hire tutors. The large majority of us, however, are stuck at home alone, trying to stave off our own breakdowns in the face of our children’s.

While reprimanding your child for not having started her homework earlier may be your natural instinct, in the midst of stress, it will only make her shut down or lash out. In our experience as teachers, tutors, and parents, the students who feel terrible about procrastinating are more likely to have anxiety and negative feelings that will only fuel their continued procrastination. So instead of admonishing your procrastinator, take a deep breath and try to figure out how she’s going to manage the tasks at hand. Help her make a realistic plan to manage her time. Try to model understanding, even when you’re upset.

Having tolerance for challenges will allow her to approach future frustrations from a more positive perspective. Easier said than done, to be sure, but try to work with your child to identify not only how but why her homework habits are suffering. This understanding will be crucial to helping her transform these habits into more effective ones.

Read: The cult of homework

The cover of Freireich and Platzer's new book

Because most of us are programmed to focus on present rather than future fulfillment, it’s easy to put off something we dread. Kids who procrastinate almost always do so because they have negative associations with or feelings about a particular task. Unfortunately, avoiding assignments usually lowers students’ self-esteem and makes them dislike the topic that much more, resulting in a vicious cycle of procrastination. Therefore, it’s important both to address why students are procrastinating—what’s upsetting them about the work at hand—and to give them practical tools to manage their time and set priorities.

If you’re worried that your child is the only one in her class who takes ages to get started on her homework, fear not. Students in our classes—and our own kids too, just like many of us adults—have found every which way to put off sitting down to tackle the one thing they know they need to get done. There are all kinds of reasons kids avoid doing their homework. Maybe they’re concerned about what a teacher will think, or that their work won’t measure up to a friend’s. Maybe they’re distracted by something that happened in school that day.

Whatever the case may be, the first step here is determining out what’s stressing your child out in the first place.

If your child fears what her teacher will think if she makes mistakes: She should start off by independently reviewing the material that she feels unsure of, and then reach out to her teacher for further help if she needs it. Assure her that asking questions and making an effort are important to her teacher. Take it from us: Teachers see questions as a sign of an engaged, conscientious, and curious student. No matter the teacher’s temperament or reputation, she will respond positively to your child coming to her with sincere questions and hard work.

If your child fears parental judgment due to bad grades: Remember that although high marks may be important to you, focusing on process and effort is key to your child’s success, not to mention that putting too much pressure on her can lead to resentment. Help your child create a process she can rely on for her work. Better effort will help your child engage with the material and yield better results in the long run.

If your child fears her best friend’s judgment: Start by encouraging your child not to discuss grades with her friends. Middle schoolers in particular tend to share their marks with one another, and it usually just makes kids feel lousy. The “What did you get?” question is tough for all students, especially in the middle grades, when they are looking for affirmation from their peers. Your child’s grades are no one else’s business. While her best friend may do well in history, he may have more trouble with math than your child does. Or maybe he seems great at everything now, but he actually struggles in art class, and in the future he’ll be a terrible driver or have an awkward first date. In other words, we all have subjects—or areas of our lives—that come more or less easily than others. Challenges are inevitable. What matters most is how we approach them.

If your child fears she isn’t capable: First acknowledge how painful this feeling must be. Then reassure her that she is capable and give concrete anecdotes so she doesn’t roll her eyes. Share with her a moment when you thought you couldn’t do something, but you learned to conquer the task. And be honest! Your kid will know that you didn’t really wrestle that champion alligator. Emphasize the importance of determination, effort, and persistence in whichever example of your successes you choose to share.

If your child is exhausted: Prioritize only what’s really essential. Try to help your child go to bed earlier. She can always wake up early to complete smaller assignments if need be. Getting major work done while exhausted is a losing battle for everyone. Help her plan ahead. Create a schedule for completing small portions of a larger assignment over the course of several days or weeks to make overwhelming work seem more manageable.

Read: My daughter’s homework is killing me

Once you figure out what’s driving your child’s procrastination, you can strategize with her about logistics. Start by removing temptation when possible. Of course she’d rather see where her friends went this afternoon than stare at a blinking cursor, and if all it takes is a simple click or swipe for your child to access social media, it’s going to take her eons to finish an assignment. It will be almost impossible for her to develop an argument that flows if she’s tempted by her phone. So all possible impediments to success should be removed. Disabling social-media and messaging apps and having a conversation about the purpose of setting technology limits is an important first step. Putting her phone aside will also help her compartmentalize time so that she can get her work done more thoroughly and then have free time afterward. Technological boundaries may lead to major pushback—especially now, when kids rely on technology for most forms of socializing—but this temporary misery is undoubtedly worth it in the long run.

And emphasize that short-term pleasure equals long-term pain. Empathize with children who do not want to do something that’s hard. Then remind them that the immediate instinct to procrastinate and play video games will make life miserable later. While they may resist and grumble, helping establish rules will ultimately prevent suffering tonight, tomorrow, and next week. Kids thrive in the comfort, reliability, and safety of a structured, focused work environment. It’s never easy, but on evenings when you want to tear your hair out because your child won’t sit down to work, reinforce the message that short-term gratification will only get in the way of long-term goals.

Finally, explain the relevance of the assignment. If kids don’t understand why they’re doing the work, they’re more likely to be frustrated. For example, your child might ask, “Why do I need to know algebra? I’ll never use it when I’m older.” You can tell the truth: “You probably won’t need to know about variables in everyday life, but learning algebra will give you a framework for understanding how to break down and solve complex tasks down the road.”

Learning to work independently, without a teacher’s direct counsel, is key to building academic and personal autonomy. So when your child is overwhelmed, help her figure out why, and then model strategies that foster independence, confidence, and well-being.

This piece is adapted from Freireich and Platzer’s new book, Taking the Stress out of Homework . Every Tuesday, they answer education-related questions . Have one? Email them at [email protected].

An illustration of school supplies: Notebooks, a globe, a laptop, scissors, a pencil, a clock, a planet, a calculator, and geometry tools.

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How to make school life a little less difficult for kids

Actually useful ways to help children with homework, bullying, and mental health.

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In early 2020, around the onset of Covid-19 lockdowns, Jessica Mungekar noticed her seventh grade honor student, Layla, retreat. “I knew that she felt really uncomfortable and she wanted to fall into the background,” Mungekar says. “She didn’t want to be noticed and I didn’t quite understand it.”

Meanwhile, Layla was keeping the source of her pain secret from her mother: She was being bullied and was struggling with her identity as a biracial teen in a predominantly white town. Layla feared if she told her mom about the extent of the bullying, Jessica would have called the school, making the problem even worse.

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Things came to a head the summer before Layla’s first year of high school when she shared with her mom details of a traumatic event. Layla urged her mother not to make decisions on her behalf in the aftermath. Instead, Jessica went into what she calls “mama bear mode” and made demands of her daughter: Cut off contact with these friends, join these extracurricular activities, you are only allowed out of the house during these hours. Layla felt like her autonomy was being taken away.

Over the course of a few months, mother and daughter worked to repair their relationship and communication. Now, Jessica says she is sure to listen to Layla instead of immediately offering advice, validates her daughter’s feelings, and gives her freedom to express herself. For her part, Layla confides in her mother all the time, even about her dating life. Her friends often seek out Jessica for counsel, too. “She’s become a safe place where people go to get advice,” Layla, now 16, says. “She’s joyous and doesn’t pass judgment.”

Students are faced with a daily barrage of potential stressors: a demanding course load, tricky social dynamics, managing both their time and emotions. In a four-year study designed to estimate the prevalence of mental disorders in kindergarteners through 12th graders, findings showed one in six students exhibited enough symptoms to meet the criteria for one or more childhood mental disorders, such as anxiety disorders and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. According to a 2019 Pew Research Center report, 61 percent of teens said they felt a lot of pressure to get good grades. About 22 percent of 12- to 18-year-old students reported being bullied during the school year in 2019, per a National Center for Education Statistics survey . None of these statistics takes into account the toll of the pandemic, which set students back academically and had negative effects on their mental health .

Once kids leave the house, parents and other adults in their lives have little influence on their students’ school days. Unable to witness or guide children through the difficulties in and out of the classroom, parents often get piecemeal or incomplete views of how their kids spent the last hours, especially if the child is young and can’t adequately verbalize their struggles or frustrations. Signs that a student may be experiencing hardship at school include increased irritability, difficulty sleeping or lack of sleep, and changes in appetite, says Jessica Kendorski , the chair of the school psychology department and professor at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. They may also say they feel sick in order to stay home, when in reality they may be stressed or anxious about school, Kendorski says.

Another indicator of a struggling child includes extreme people-pleasing, says Meredith Draughn , the school counselor at B. Everett Jordan Elementary School in Graham, NC, and the 2023 American School Counselor Association Counselor of the Year. High school students may also exhibit a “freeze” response, Draughn says. “It’s like well, that kid just doesn’t care, right? That kid’s super apathetic,” she says. “What we find when we dig into it more is they’re so overwhelmed by everything that’s happening that they just choose to do nothing because they don’t know how to address it.”

What, then, is the right way to support the students in your life? The tactics will vary based on the age of your child and the issues they’re facing. Regardless of your approach, experts say to always keep your kids in the loop of any decisions you’re making about their emotional and academic success.

Encourage growth mindset tactics for academic achievement

From homework to challenging classes, students experience a number of academic hurdles. Sometimes, they may fail a test or drop the ball on a project. While some students may criticize themselves (“I’m not smart enough”) or claim the material was too difficult, parents should promote a growth mindset : the ability to learn from setbacks, implement new processes, and improve. “You want to praise the effort and the strategies that they used,” Kendorski says. “If they fail something, you want to talk through ‘Why did you fail this? Let’s talk about what you can do to be successful next time.’”

A fixed mindset is one where people believe their skills are set in stone and they have no possibility of improving. When students in his classroom share fixed mindset sentiments like “I can’t do this,” elementary school teacher Josh Monroe is quick to amend the statement: “You can’t do this yet .” The power of yet helps students “understand that you don’t have to know it all right now — and it’s important that you don’t, that’s how you grow,” he says.

While it’s crucial to encourage a growth mindset with students who use negative self-talk, like “I’ll never learn this” or “I’m not good enough,” a fixed mindset can also backfire if you constantly tell a student “You’re so smart,” Kendorski says. “When things start to get really difficult, you might find kids that don’t want to take chances,” she says, “because they think that if I fail, I’m going to lose that ‘I’m so smart’ title.” Instead, she says, focus on accomplishments based on effort and strategies: “I’m really proud of you for organizing a study group with your friends.”

To help ensure your kids get their homework done and prepare for tests, Kendorski encourages a routine: dedicating a time and a place for schoolwork. If your student retains information more effectively if they study for a little bit each day instead of cramming, offer that as an option.

When the kid in your life asks for help with homework and you’re a little rusty on, say, algebra, don’t feel ashamed to admit you don’t know how to solve the problem, Draughn says. Monroe recommends the online educational tool Khan Academy , which features videos that guide both parents and students through all levels of educational concepts and lessons. For additional academic resources, reach out to your student’s teacher who will know about after-school tutoring sessions or extra guidance, Draughn says. “Going to teachers early and often, when help is needed, is the most crucial part of it,” she says, “because there are those programs, but they do fill up pretty quickly.”

Empower students to navigate difficult social situations with confidence

School can be a social minefield, with kids learning how to independently interact with peers and regulate their emotions. If your child shares that they’re being picked on or ostracized in school, Draughn suggests that you first validate their experience and never downplay their emotions. Ask them what level of support they want: Do they think it would be helpful to talk to a school counselor or a teacher? Or do they prefer you to reach out to the teacher directly? In Layla Mungekar’s experience, she would have opted for her mother to not interfere with her social life. “Letting them lead the way on that is important,” Draughn says. “They may say, I feel like I have the tools to handle this — and that’s great. Then you check in. But doing nothing and just not mentioning it again is not going to help anything.”

You might also start counseling your kid on self-advocacy and assertiveness at home, too, Draughn says, helping them identify moments where they should speak out against bad behavior and pointing out trustworthy adults to whom they can report issues, regardless of whether they are on the receiving end or have witnessed another student being bullied. “If someone is making you feel socially or physically unsafe, that’s the time to speak up,” says Tracee Perryman , the author of Elevating Futures: A Model For Empowering Black Elementary Student Success . Again, only reach out to the school yourself after talking it over with your kid.

However, your child may simply be shy and reserved, not the victim of bullying. Perryman says to help build confidence with the kids in your life by reminding them that what they have to say is important and they have valuable interests and insights worth sharing with others.

When it comes to social media, Jessica Mungekar discovered teens will “do what they’re going to do, whether you want them to or not,” she says. It’s better to listen if your child is involved with social media-related conflict, remind them they are not in trouble, and support them as you work to create a plan together. “I think it’s important in this day and age for kids to have social media because otherwise they get [alienated] by their peers,” Layla Mungekar says. “But it’s a lot safer when parents have those conversations, like yeah, this is going to happen and when it does happen, you should feel safe to come to me and not be blamed for that.”

Experts emphasize the transitory nature of school. While it’s crucial for students to apply themselves academically and make strides socially, remind them that one speed bump, fight with a friend, blunder, or bad grade will not drastically alter the trajectory of their lives. “It’s better that I make those mistakes now,” Layla says, “while I have someone there to help me.”

Promote balance to minimize stress

Just like adults, kids can get stressed due to the demands of school and extracurriculars, as well as conflicts with friends and family. If kids are sleeping very late on weekends or too tired to do activities they typically enjoy, like spending time with friends, they might need more balance in their schedules, Perryman says.

Ask your kid directly: “Are you playing T-ball three nights a week because you like it or you feel like you have to?” or “You had three extracurriculars last semester and it was really overwhelming for you. Do you want to pick two for this coming semester?” Draughn suggests. Remind your kid that just because they step away from a hobby now doesn’t mean they can’t come back to it in the future. Make sure students have one weeknight and one weekend day solely devoted to downtime, too, Draughn says. However, don’t discount the fact that sports and other activities can be rejuvenating for kids, even if they’re not resting.

Parents and supportive adults are quick to problem-solve for the kids in their lives, but Kendorski stresses the importance of asking, “Do you want me to listen? Or do you want me to help?” Your child might just want to vent about a tough baseball practice. When Layla wants validation and a hug from her mom, she asks her “to be a waterfall.” When she’s feeling less emotionally charged, then Layla and her mom can problem-solve.

For high-achieving students who may be stressed about grades and college applications, Kendorski suggests asking your kids what story they’re telling themselves about success. For example, they might worry that a bad test grade means they’ll never get into their dream college. Help them map more realistic outcomes by thinking about the absolute worst-case scenario and alternative paths. For example, the worst that could happen if they fail a single test is maybe they get a C for the quarter. But reinforce how if they study and complete all their homework, the likelihood of failing is minimized.

Remember not to make your stress their stress. Children are intuitive and can pick up on how the adults in their lives are feeling, Kendorski says. Instead of turning away from uncomfortable emotions, encourage open communication. If you’re disappointed in a mediocre grade, try saying, “I’m feeling a little bummed about the C on that test, but that’s my issue. I know you work hard and with some more practice, I know you’ll do better next time.”

Parents should always validate their child’s struggles and encourage caring for their mental health. Whether they’re seeking support from a trusted teacher or you think they’d benefit from speaking with a therapist — ask them how they’d feel about chatting with a professional before scheduling an appointment — remind them that “mental health is health,” Draughn says. That matters more than any test score.

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A parent’s guide to homework: tips to help kids achieve school success

Lyndsey Frey - Writer September 21, 2022

A parent’s guide to homework: tips to help kids succeed

Monitoring homework can be a challenge. How do you strike the right balance when it comes to helping or prodding your child to successfully complete homework?

Katrina Hermetet, PhD , a pediatric clinical psychologist, nationally certified school psychologist and program director of Akron Children’s School Success Clinic , recommends families start with a designated homework area. Make sure this area is as distraction-free as possible and has all the materials that may be needed during homework.

In addition, she encourages families to have a scheduled “homework time” that stays relatively consistent throughout the school year. A printed schedule is helpful for younger kids to visually see their schedule for the evening. She recommends no more than a half-hour break after school, with no technology during that break. Start as early in the afternoon as possible; attention, working memory and frustration tolerance all diminish as the day goes on.

This will hopefully create a homework habit for the child and, in turn, lead to less frustration when starting school work.

“Research has shown that it takes about 30 days to change a child’s habit,” said Dr. Hermetet. “So if you start a homework habit now, by Halloween it should be a consistent family routine.”

Still struggling to get your children to complete their homework successfully? Dr. Hermetet answers your top questions to offer some guidance and reduce frustration when it comes to the “H” word.

How much parental help is appropriate?

Encourage your children to start homework independently. I recommend parents set the boundary that they will check work and help with difficult problems at the end of each assignment. This will encourage the child to independently problem-solve and self-regulate when feeling overwhelmed with a problem.

If a child is stuck on a problem, encourage your child to look back through notes, homework or the book to find a similar problem to use as a guide. This may also be a good time to take a short break. Sometimes a break will help refresh, decrease frustration, and improve problem-solving abilities once your child has calmed down.

During times when a child truly does not appear to understand and has attempted to solve the problem, it is OK to help work through the problem.

Should a parent review homework once completed?

It is good to review homework so that you are aware if your child is struggling in a particular area.

If there seems to be ongoing concerns related to comprehension, it’s a good idea for a parent to communicate challenges your child is having and discuss additional support with the teacher. Otherwise, the teacher will have no way of knowing if kids are struggling.

guide to homework

If homework becomes overwhelming, visually break down work into manageable chunks and encourage quick breaks to help your child reset.

What advice can you offer for kids that always complain about homework, or struggle with it?

Visually break work down into manageable chunks. You can fold the paper into thirds, or use a folder to cover part of the page. This can decrease the feeling of being overwhelmed and prevent them from focusing on upcoming homework problems.

Once homework has started, breaks throughout are good if your child is becoming overwhelmed or frustrated. Breaks should be 2-3 minutes and include some kind of motor activity (i.e., walk, snack, restroom break). If a child struggles to come back to homework after breaks, try switching assignments rather than leaving the table. This gives the child a break from a frustrating problem or difficult subject, and typically helps reset and refresh.

Lastly, set accuracy goals to encourage your child to give their best effort rather than rushing through work. Instead of saying, “You can have a break when you’re done with math” say, “You can have a break when you get five right in a row.”

If homework assignments become overwhelming, should parents speak up?

There are various strategies, such as starting earlier in the evening and taking breaks throughout, that may improve time management and decrease frustration during homework.

In addition, you can check to see if your school offers a homework club. Changing a child’s environment by coming home could be a problem. Some kids, especially those with underlying issues, may do better staying in school to complete their work and come home afterwards.

However, if there are ongoing problems related to your child’s comprehension of the material or ability to complete the work, talk to the teachers and explore possible problems or barriers. The child may need a hearing or sight evaluation, or may fit the criteria for a 504 or individual education plan (IEP) to address learning disorders or other behavioral concerns.

It’s a good idea to discuss the workload with the teacher if strategies to improve time management and frustration tolerance have been implemented and homework continues to negatively impact sleep and the ability to engage in enjoyable activities. As a parent, the teacher is your partner in your child’s school success. Don’t hesitate to reach out for any reason.

For more information or to schedule an appointment in Akron Children’s School Success Clinic , call 330-543-8050.

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About Lyndsey Frey - Writer

Lyndsey Frey is a freelance writer based in Cleveland, Ohio. She specializes in blogging and content publishing, search engine optimization and social media marketing. Her work has been published online and in regional and national publications, such as Inside Business, Cleveland, Akron Life and Internet Retailer magazines.

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Here’s what you need to know about homework and how to help your child

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Professor of Education, University of Florida

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Many parents and educators view homework as an important indicator of classroom rigor. The Back-to-Basic movement , which emphasizes the need for schools to teach basic academic skills in particular, has increased the emphasis on homework as a measure of a school’s success.

In fact, many parents and students judge the difficulty of a course or teacher by the amount of homework assigned. Furthermore, many educators believe that asking parents to help their children with homework is a particularly effective strategy for enhancing children’s achievement.

Many parents, too, agree that their involvement will make a positive difference. In a 2014 study conducted by the US Department of Education, 90% of parents reported that they set aside a place at home for their child to do homework, and 85% reported that they checked to see that homework had been completed.

But does helping with homework really improve student achievement? As a high school and college teacher who has assigned homework, and a mother of two sons who were not always too enthusiastic about completing homework, I have studied the many ways that families from different income levels support their children’s academic success.

I have come to believe that homework can not only enhance children’s achievement but can be a powerful opportunity for parent-child nurturing. But research also tells us that it is not just any homework assignment that will have that kind of impact.

Here is what we are learning about homework.

When parent involvement helps

Despite a widespread belief that parent involvement in homework is good for kids, researchers are discovering that it can have both positive and negative effects.

In 2008, three researchers – Erika A Patall , Harris Cooper and Jorgianne Civey Robinson – conducted an extensive review of research on the effects on students of parent involvement in homework. They found that the effects of parent involvement appear to be strongly influenced by four factors:

  • the nature of the homework assignment
  • the particular involvement strategy used by the parent
  • the child’s age and ability level
  • the time and skill resources in the home.

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The researchers found that homework assignments in which students are expected to memorize facts, and the parent is expected to teach school skills, provide less meaningful opportunities for parent and student interaction in the learning process.

In contrast, homework assignments in which students choose a project that requires in-depth investigation, thought and some creative license enable meaningful parent participation. Parents can play supportive roles in discussing the project with their child, which is more enjoyable both for the child and parent.

For example, students may demonstrate math skills; share ideas and obtain reactions to written work; conduct surveys or interviews; gather parents’ memories and experiences; apply school skills to real life; or work with parents or other family partners in new ways.

Strategies for parents

In addition, how parents help their child with homework appears to have distinct effects on student achievement.

Most parents engage in a wide variety of involvement strategies, such as creating “school-like routines” in which they make rules about when, where or how homework is done. They also interact with the teacher about homework and provide general oversight or monitoring of homework completion.

In some instances, parents control these structures; in others, parents follow the student’s lead.

For instance, parents may engage in the learning processes with the child (eg, engage in homework tasks with the child or in processes that support the child’s understanding of homework). Parents may also help their child learn self-management skills (eg, coping with distractions).

The strategies that parents use may vary depending on their beliefs about child-rearing and broader cultural values. Yet these different parent involvement strategies appear to have distinct effects on student achievement.

Strategies that support a child’s autonomy and also provide structure in the form of clear and consistent guidelines appear to be the most beneficial.

For example, in a 2001 study , researchers reported that parent homework involvement that supported autonomy was associated with higher standardized test scores, class grades and homework completion.

In contrast, direct aid (doing the homework for the student) was associated with lower test scores and class grades.

In another study , parent involvement in homework was reported by students to have a detrimental effect if the parent tried to help without a request from the child or was perceived as intrusive or controlling by the child.

Age matters

Researchers have also noted that the age and ability level of a child strongly influenced the amount of help with homework that parents provided and its subsequent benefits to the child.

Parents reported spending more time helping their elementary-age children with homework than their secondary school-age children. Parents of low-ability students reported spending more time helping with homework than did parents of high-ability students.

need help with child's homework

While teachers and parents of elementary-aged children were more likely to work together to help students complete their assignments, parents of secondary school students often did not monitor their adolescents’ homework as faithfully as when their children were younger. This, in part, is because they were not expected or asked to do so by secondary teachers.

As a result, low-ability students in middle and high school were less likely to complete homework or to achieve academically.

Another factor was that parents of older students often reported feeling increasingly less able to help with homework.

What can educators do?

These research findings have important implications for how teachers design homework assignments and how parents and teachers might participate in the homework process.

First, students (and parents) need to know why they should be doing a particular homework assignment. What skill is to be practiced/reinforced? Why does this skill matter?

Teachers need to explicitly communicate the purpose of a particular homework assignment and emphasize how the skills they are learning in a homework assignment can be applied in the real world.

Second, educators should design homework assignments that are more meaningful and allow for creativity. Students should be able to have a choice in how they carry out an assignment.

Third, students have different learning styles, and educators need to consider how they might need to express their learning differently (via audiotapes, videotapes, posters and oral presentations rather than the standard written report).

Fourth, teachers should design interactive homework assignments that involve students in interactions with peers and with family and community members. For example, authors Alma Flor Ada and F Isabel Campoy have developed an approach of creating family storybooks that are used as reading and writing texts in the classroom.

Another group of researchers designed “interactive” homework assignments that guided students on how to conduct conversations with family members in math, science and language arts.

Another team of educators worked with teachers and parents to develop curricular approaches that brought students’ cultural backgrounds and families’ “funds of knowledge” into the classroom. For example, class lessons and homework were based on how parents use math in cooking or sewing or how workers use reading and math to build a house.

Homework is a daily activity for most students that takes time, energy and emotion, not only for students but for their families as well. Given these investments, it is important that homework be a more beneficial learning experience, in which parents too can bring their interesting and enriching skills.

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Getting Homework Help

Does it seem like all the fun stuff has to wait until your homework is done? There's a good reason why adults make a big deal out of homework. Homework helps you learn. And getting a good education can help you build the kind of future life that you want. So homework is important, but how can you get it done?

First, you need a quiet place without clutter and confusion. Writing on top of potato chip crumbs while talking on the phone is not going to help you finish your history lesson. Turn off the TV and other distractions. You'll be better able to concentrate, which usually means you'll finish your work more quickly and it's more likely to be correct.

Set aside enough time to finish your work without rushing. You can't just squeeze your science assignment into the commercials during your favorite TV show. Really learning something takes time. But if you find that you're struggling even after putting in the time, you'll want to ask for help.

Why Do Some Kids Need Homework Help?

Aside from just not understanding the lesson or assignment, kids might need homework help for other reasons. Some kids are out sick for a long time and miss a lot of work. Others get so busy that they don't spend enough time on homework.

Personal problems can cause trouble with your work, too. Some kids may be dealing with stuff outside of school that can make homework harder, like problems with friends or things going on at home.

Kids whose parents are going through a divorce or some other family problem often struggle with getting homework done on time.

Even students who never had a problem with homework before can start having trouble because of problems they face at home. But whatever the reason for your homework struggles, there are many ways to get help.

Who Can Help?

Talk to someone (parents, teachers, school counselor , or another trusted adult) if you're having problems with schoolwork. Speak up as soon as you can, so you can get help right away before you fall behind.

Your parents are often a great place to start if you need help. They might be able to show you how to do a tough math problem or help you think of a subject to write about for English class. But they also can be helpful by finding that perfect spot in the house for you to do your homework and keeping supplies, like pencils, on hand. Parents also can cut down on distractions, like noisy younger brothers and sisters!

Teachers also are important resources for you because they can give you advice specific to the assignment you're having trouble with. They can help you set up a good system for writing down your assignments and remembering to put all the necessary books and papers in your backpack. Teachers can give you study tips and offer ideas about how to tackle homework. Helping kids learn is their job, so be sure to ask for advice!

Many schools, towns, and cities offer after-school care for kids. Often, homework help is part of the program. There, you'll be able to get some help from adults, as well as from other kids.

You also might try a local homework help line, which you would reach by phone. These services are typically staffed by teachers, older students, and other experts in school subjects.

You can also use the Internet to visit online homework help sites. These sites can direct you to good sources for research and offer tips and guidance about many academic subjects. But be cautious about just copying information from an Internet website. This is a form of cheating, so talk with your teacher about how to use these sources properly.

Another option is a private tutor. This is a person who is paid to spend time going over schoolwork with you. If cost is a concern, this can be less expensive if a small group of kids share a tutoring session.

Do It Together

Some kids will hardly ever need homework help. If you're one of them, good for you! Why not use your talent to help a friend who's struggling? You might offer to study together. Going over lessons together can actually help both of you.

Information is easy to remember when you're teaching it to someone, according to one fifth grader, who says she helps her friend, Jenny, with multiplication tables. "It helps me to learn them, too," she says. "I practice while she's practicing."

You might want to create a regular study group. You could set goals together and reward yourselves for completing your work. For example, when you finish writing your book reports, go ride your bikes together. Looking forward to something fun can help everyone get through the work.

Still Having Trouble?

Sometimes even after trying all these strategies, a kid still is having trouble with homework. It can be tough if this happens to you. But remember that everyone learns at a different pace. You might have to study for 2 hours instead of 1, or you might have to practice multiplication tables 10 times instead of 5 to really remember them.

It's important to put in as much time as you need to understand the lessons. Ask your mom or dad to help you create a schedule that allows as much time as you need.

And keep talking about the problems you're having — tell your parents, teachers, counselors, and others. That way, they'll see that you are trying to get your homework done. And when it is done, make sure you find time to do something fun!

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8 Tips to Help Your Child With Homework

We get it—no matter your child’s age, getting homework done can be a challenge. Even for children in elementary school, their homework takes time, focus, and energy to complete. So here are 8 essential tips to help a child with their homework:

Minimize Distractions

Make it as easy as possible for your child to focus during homework time. Don’t have the television on in the background and make sure phones, tablets, and games are put away. This will also help signal to them that homework is a priority!

Create a Homework Space

Designating one place for homework helps establish a routine for your child. They will know to take their assignment from their backpack, bring it to the homework space, and return it to their backpack when they’re finished.

Recognize Your Child’s Abilities

Some children need to come home and work on their homework right away before they start playing and lose track of time. Others need a break after a long day at school and benefit from a little down time at home before starting their assignments.

Connect It To the Real World

If your child complains of homework being boring, try to emphasize how they will use what they’re learning outside of school. Not only can this help increase motivation, but it also shows how what they are learning this year builds on what they learned last year and already know.

Review, Review, Review

Remind your child that checking their work is part of doing homework. Reviewing after completing problems is not optional, and is actually part of every assignment.

Don’t Get Frustrated

You may need to give your child multiple reminders about the steps involved in doing homework. Especially when starting a new school year or coming back from long breaks, it can take a little time to get back into an after-school routine.

Remember Who the Student Is

Find the line between helping your child with their homework and completing it for them. Remember that sometimes the takeaway from the lesson isn’t the answer to the problem, but your child learning how to problem solve and find the answer.

Talk With the Teacher

If your child is working on their homework all night and can’t get it done before bedtime, set up a meeting to talk with their teacher. Many teachers are able to alter assignments to make the amount of homework each night more manageable for your child. It’s better to talk sooner to ensure your child gets the help they need before falling too far behind.

Try these ways to help support your child as they do their homework. Use these ideas to help make homework time easier!

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Helping Kids with Homework: 11 Easy & Do-Able Tips for Parents

Tips for Smart Parenting 09/21/2021 11 minute read

Homework is the bane of every student, as it is for the parents.

As a matter of fact, homework is not even necessary in the first place.

Before you react, there are countless studies to validate this claim. But even if we go on a hard-fought, well-thought, debate on whether homework is important or not, homework is here to stay. 

That said, helping kids with their take-home assignments is a duty we have to fulfill. But how exactly do we do it?

Below are actionable parenting tips to help your kids with their homework without doing it for them!

You might be interested:  How to Support Kids Learning Science and Why it Matters?

Parenting Tips on How to Do Homework with Kids

We used to believe that parental availability and support while kids do their assignments is key for their class success. "The more involved parents are, the better off they would be," so to speak. 

But that is a misconception and sometimes may even be counterproductive. As Kathleen Reilly said:

“When parents are overly immersed in homework, they deny kids the chance to become more independent and confident. Worse, it can breed anxiety along the way.” 

Helping kids with homework means that you offer your support but never treat the assignment like it's your responsibility. It's challenging, but kids need to do homework on their own because the assignments deal with lessons already discussed in class. Plus, answering homework by themselves is a good way to teach independent learning .

With that in mind, here are the homework tips for parents:

1. Work Out a Working Routine

Believe it or not, children love routines because they create structure .

This helps children feel more secure because they know what to do and what's expected of them.

Face it, nobody likes homeworks. But make it easier for your kids to do their's by doing routines such as below:

What time should they start? Set a definite time when they should do their homeworks. Will it be right after they arrive from school? Should they play for an hour first? Would they do it after shower time or after dinner?

Where is their homework place? The place they choose is likely the area they feel most comfy working in. That element adds extra help when doing homework. Find a place and stick with it.

If you have multiple kids, distinct routines for each are fine. What matters is that you enforce discipline and commitment to the schedule. Write the details on a sheet of paper and post their routines on the wall!

2. Make a Homework Plan

The routine simply tackles the when and where kids do their assignments. A homework plan focuses on how they do it. 

Doing homework needs to be systematic , both for you and the child. Approach homework from a systematic point of view and you save yourselves time and whine.

The example below is the system I found most suited for my children. You can follow it or fashion your own process, whichever works best. Here's what my kids do:

Read  the directions of the homework, twice.

Determine the goal and the steps needed to achieve it.

Divide the assignment into several chunks (if logically possible).

Set time limits for each portion and mark each as complete when finished.

Helping kids with homework is not about giving them all the answers. It's about  strategizing on how to finish the homework effectively and efficiently.

3. Monitor, Don't Correct

Let's get back to basics .

What is the purpose of homework?

Homework allows teachers to gauge what the students understood in class. That said, mistakes are welcomed.

But since most parents dread the idea of making mistakes, they try to  correct each flaw too often all for a perfect remark.

Word of advice: Teachers are well-aware of how your kids perform in class, so they know the truth.

My point is, remove the notion of absolute perfection from your kids.

It's okay to make mistakes, as long as they learn how to correct them on their own ! There should be no pressure on them to avoid mistakes at all costs. Encourage an atmosphere of growth. But, make it clear to your kids they should resolve their mistakes the next time around, once they understand the correct answer.

Do this instead:

Allow your kids to ask you up to 3 questions on their homework. But, be stingy on answering their questions right away.

When they ask, reply to them something like "I can help you once I finish my chores" or "Read it again, I'll be back in a sec."

You might not realize it, but this is one subtle way to help kids with homework. When you delay your aid, you gently force them to reread the directions and rework the problem on their own.

Monitor and ask them probing questions on the reason behind their homework answers.

4. Set an Example to Imitate

Helping kids how to do homework can also mean modeling the behavior to them. This is a parenting hack that most parents fail to practice.

It can be a good motivating factor for the kids if you do chores like budgeting or computing household expenses at the same time they do their assignments.

This is one indirect way to teach kids how to do homework. Set a good example and you'll find them following your footsteps.

5. Don't Sit Beside Them

Sitting and closely monitoring your kids as they answer homework is not at all helpful.

Behind the scenes, it sends a message to their brains that you might think they can't do the work without direct supervision.

Would you like that? Of course not!

Helping kids with their homework should also tap into the emotional aspect of learning. Show them that you trust their brains by letting them do their assignment on their own. Otherwise, you shatter their self-confidence leading to feelings of inferiority.

Here are my suggestions:

Stay nearby, do chores, balance your checks, wash dishes. Basically, just be there for them, without literally sitting beside them.

6. Establish the No-Nonsense Responsibility

Make the duties of each member in the family clear.

Of course, both you and your partner have work responsibilities, and so do the kids! They're expected to be diligent with their responsibilities:

Attend classes

Work with their teachers

And of course... do their homeworks

Once they agreed to a working routine and a homework plan , then there is no turning back. Tell them to buckle their seats until they finish their tasks. Discipline matters just as much as intellect and system when dealing with homework.

7. Teach Them Time Management 

Time management is the one of the most important tools for productivity.

Once your kids learn the benefits of being in control of their time, they position themselves to a life of success. Time management is not only relevant for homework. Instilling this behavior is a must from the get-go.

One tip is using an old analog wall clock and coloring in the hour when they should do answer their homework. Once the short arm reaches it, teach them to take initiative to do their tasks.

Help them in sorting the time out too, especially, if there are multiple homework in one seating.

8. Positive Reinforcement is a Great Hack

They say the best way to man's heart is through their stomach. Well, the best way to a child's heart is through snacks and treats . (I made that up)

Instead of threatening them to limit their TV watching time or call their teachers, why not compensate their efforts with some good ol' sweets? 

Reinforcing their diligence pushes them more to do it. Scare tactics are not as good as rewards to encourage a behavior. Although, do the positive reinforcement practice sparingly.  

Appreciating their efforts is another way to help kids with homework as this motivates them. You can do this by:

Posting their aced assignments or exams

Displaying their art projects on the fridge

It showcases how much you value their efforts and how proud you are of them.

9. Walk Away Once the Whine Fest Starts

How does walking away help kids on how to do homework? Well, it doesn't. It's more for your benefit than them.

Having a rough day at work is physically and mentally exhausting . Add another layer of whining because kids don't want to do their assignments, and you enter a whole new level of stress .

If they keep on complaining, check their homework progress.

If they are only being grumpy even when they can do it, then try to motivate them. Tell them that the sooner they finish, the more time they'd have to watch their favorite TV shows .

If the homework is indeed truly difficult, then lend them a hand.

Ask their teacher about it, especially if the homework is beyond the kid's level of understanding. Inquire if it's appropriate to give kids complex problems. Their teachers would love to hear feedback from parents, on top of that, to aid the pupils with their homework!

10. Let Them Take the Lead

Their Homework is not only a test of one's learning but also of a kid's sense of responsibility .

Their answers should be theirs and they must own up if they fail to do it. If they left their homework at home, then parents shouldn't bail their kids out by bringing their assignments to class.

Matt Vaccaro, a first-grade teacher, says that he makes students do their assignment during recess if they forget to do it at home.

According to him "Once she starts missing playtime, she gets the message."

This seemingly harsh yet rightful way to deal with their negligence actually motivates the kids to be responsible in the succeeding homework. 

Helping them how to do homework is as necessary as teaching them to be responsible for it.

11. Keep Your Composure and Carry On

Homework meltdowns do occur, so be ready!

These are children's ways of saying they're overwhelmed . And sometimes these kids are indeed struggling so bad. 

Parents, please keep your composure. Breathe and stay calm . You risk compromising their progress if you too burst out in frustration. Remember that homework is an opportunity to cultivate better parent-child relationships .

Here are ways to address homework meltdowns:

A simple hug might do

Speak words of affirmation like "we'll figure it out"

Let them vent out to you while you listen calmly

Sometimes, kids just need to blow off some steam. Catering to these needs are subtle ways of helping kids with homework. See the mood change after they've burst the bubble.

If ever you did lash out (although we hope not). Apologize immediately and tell your child that you both need a timeout for 10 minutes. They can play for within that period and resume working on the homework once the time is up.

Helping kids with homework is a dual purpose. You make homework accomplishment more manageable for them and you make life easier for you. Consider the above homework tips next time your kids have assignments.

The How-to-do-Homework Hack!

Some kids might still see learning as a chore, and that's okay. I mean, who likes to wake up early and be in class when they can play at home all day?

Making the most out of their curiosity helps transform their perception of learning — from a tedious and boring chore to a fun and interactive learning experience. We believe that the way to encourage kids to do their homework is by making them see the fun in learning.

The best way to do this is using educational toys! 

The STEMscope portable microscope is a good tool to cultivate your child's curiosity. This handheld science gadget is an all-around partner for your kid's best learning! 

Once they activate their curiosity, they develop the insatiable desire to learn, after that, they will see homework as fun learning opportunity!

Check out our complete catalog of science toys to find the best toy for your kid!

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Home » My child's education » How to help your child with homework

How to help your child with homework

When you show interest in your child’s homework, you are letting your child know that you value learning and education.

Mother and son in kitchen looking at homework

  • Establish a routine so homework becomes a regular part of their day/week.
  • Understand how your child learns.
  • Help them get organised.
  • Encourage your child when they make an effort.
  • Seek help from the school if your child needs it.

When your child doesn’t want to do their homework, it can be tempting to nag and hassle them. Things can get quite worked up and it can start to feel like a never-ending cycle of conflict. But there is a way out of this cycle. The key is to gradually put some structure in place and then guide your child without taking away their opportunity to learn for themselves.

Benefits of homework

Homework can help your child practise the skills they are learning at school and learn time management and organisational skills. Homework also gives you the chance to see what your child is learning about at school. When you show interest in your child’s homework, you are letting your child know that you value learning and education.

Establish a routine

A big part of encouraging your child to do their homework is to make it a regular part of home life. Complete this checklist so you can better understand how your child learns. Use this knowledge to work out the best time for them to do their homework, stick with it, and make it part of their daily or weekly routine. Routines bring structure and predictability to a child’s world and can help them feel less anxious. Make sure your child’s had something to eat, is not too tired, and has a quiet space to work in. For older kids, encourage them to put their phone out of sight so they are not distracted.

Connect with the school

Finding out how much and what kind of homework your child is being given will help you know early if your child is falling behind or not doing their homework. By connecting with your child’s teacher, you can work together to support your child. If being around to help your child is difficult due to your work commitments, talk to your child’s teacher about flexible ways to get homework done so you can be around to guide your child when they need you. From Term 3, 2021, Homework centres are available in up to 120 state schools around Queensland.  The centres provide sessions supervised by teacher aides to support students to complete their homework before they go home. To find out more including available locations, check out Homework Centres .

Contact the school

Help them get organised

  • Suggest they take a moment to answer these questions – either on their own or with you depending on their age – so they can organise their learning in a way that works for them.
  • Encourage them to break down their homework into manageable tasks and do the bit they feel comfortable with first so they can get a little win before tackling the rest. It doesn’t matter if they don’t get it all done; just doing some of it will show their teacher that they tried and indicate where they might need more help at school.
  • Suggest they use a homework planner, a white board calendar, or study app to help them keep track of everything they need to do.
  • Encourage them to make a to-do list of their tasks so they can check them off as they complete them.
  • Help them work out milestones (like submitting an assignment) and celebrate when they achieve them.

Take breaks

Help your child maintain their concentration by taking regular breaks. Every child is different and will be able to concentrate for different lengths of time, so encourage your child to adopt a routine that works for them. Such a routine could involve 30 minutes homework followed by ten minutes down time when they can go for a walk or have a snack. Avoid screen time in the breaks and encourage your child to move around. Research has found that physical activity during study provides the brain with the oxygen-rich blood needed for higher performance and can improve your child’s alertness, attention and motivation.

Model learning behaviour

If your teen has a problem they can’t work out, show them how you would approach the problem. Don’t do it for them, but explain the questions you would ask, where you might go to research the problem, and how you would approach completing the work. Then try your approach together or let them do it on their own if they are ready, and see how they go. If your teen is reading a novel at school, consider reading it too. That way, when they have homework on the novel, you can talk to them about it and help stimulate their thinking.

Thinking

And if you don’t understand your child’s homework (we all know what that feels like!), that’s okay too. What matters more is supporting them, letting them know you value homework as a way for them to learn and become more independent, and talking to their teacher to seek help when they need it.

Problem solve

Believe in them

Let your child know you believe in them and praise them when they do the right thing, however small. It’s important to reward effort, not just results. Celebrate little wins like these:

  • Your child uses their homework planner to record their tasks for the week.
  • Your child gets all the tasks done on their homework ‘to do’ list.
  • Your child does their homework on their own when they usually need help.
  • Your child finishes an assignment before its due date.

Tried everything and homework is still a struggle?

If you’ve tried everything and your child is still struggling with their homework, let their school know .

  • If your child is spending more time on their homework than seems reasonable, they may have underlying learning issues they need help with.
  • If your child doesn’t understand their homework even though you know they’ve been learning it at school, their teacher may need to go over it with them again.
  • If your child cannot concentrate while doing their homework, find out if being able to focus on a task is something they also struggle with at school or whether it’s just a problem at home.

And if you’ve tried speaking to the school about your child’s struggles with homework and things still aren’t working out, please contact your Department of Education local regional office to seek help.

Children with learning needs

If your child has additional needs such as autism, an intellectual disability or other health concerns, talk to the team at your child’s school about how their homework can be adapted to suit your child’s needs. You can also visit the  Autism Hub and Reading and Writing Centre  and the Queensland  Department of Education  for more information.

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6 tips to help your kid establish good homework habits.

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Homework. It’s often a dreaded word for kids and parents alike. While there’s been debate about the value of homework and whether students have too much these days, homework is still expected in most schools. And it has its good points.

Some teachers use homework to reinforce what has been covered in class or to give children practice in a particular subject area. Homework can also help children develop good study habits, self-discipline, confidence and organizational skills.

As parents, we want our kids to succeed in school. Some kids don’t need much encouragement to get down to work, but others need some help diving in. How do you help put your child on a path to good homework and study habits?

To get started, let your child have some say in the decision-making about how homework gets done, such as a regular time and place for homework. Also remember, it’s your child’s job to do the work, not yours. Giving them the responsibility will also give them confidence in themselves.

Here are 6 tips to help your child develop good homework habits:

  • Designate a homework spot – Find a well-lit, quiet location in your home for your child to work on daily assignments. If your child doesn’t have a desk or workspace in his/her bedroom, the kitchen table may work just fine. Have available supplies nearby, like pencils, pens, erasers, writing paper, etc. Just make sure the area is free from distractions like the TV or chatter.
  • Set a regular time (if possible) – Many parents find it helps to set a consistent time for their child to do homework, such as right after school. Other kids need some time to wind down and play or are involved in after-school activities, so homework comes after dinner. Do what works for your child and your family.
  • Make homework guidelines – Establish a rule in the house that there will be no electronics or other distractions during homework time. For kids who respond poorly to a set homework time, make a guideline such as no TV or no video games until homework is done. Monitor and supervise screen time , including computer and internet use.
  • Provide help, but don’t take over – Your child may need help getting focused, approaching an assignment, or organizing his/her work. Just make sure not to do the work for them. You may also want to monitor assignments to make sure your child is finishing them. If you find he/she routinely needs your help, speak to the teacher about it.
  • Be encouraging – Be sure to praise your child for his/her efforts — it can go a long way toward motivating them. Take time to talk with your child about school activities in family conversations. Ask about what was discussed in class that day. Try to attend school activities, such as parent-teacher conferences, concerts and open houses.
  • Keep your child’s teacher in the loop – Keep the lines of communication open with your child's teacher regarding homework assignments. If he/she seems to be struggling to understand assignments, let the teacher know. For some homework problems that can’t be worked out, a tutor may help.

Once you discover what works best for your child and your family, stick with it. Also, even if there isn’t assigned homework, try to get in the habit of reading with your child after school or at night before bed. This shared time provides quality time together and will reinforce good study habits — and may even help your child learn to love reading, which is a win!

While good homework habits are important, so is play time . The American Academy of Pediatrics states that play is essential to the social, emotional, cognitive, and physical well-being of children and youth. As with any parenting decision, balance is key to a healthy upbringing.

Anne Schneider, D.O. is a family medicine physician with Edward Medical Group. View her profile and schedule an appointment online .

Explore children’s services at Edward-Elmhurst Health .

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Should Kids Get Homework?

Homework gives elementary students a way to practice concepts, but too much can be harmful, experts say.

Mother helping son with homework at home

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Effective homework reinforces math, reading, writing or spelling skills, but in a way that's meaningful.

How much homework students should get has long been a source of debate among parents and educators. In recent years, some districts have even implemented no-homework policies, as students juggle sports, music and other activities after school.

Parents of elementary school students, in particular, have argued that after-school hours should be spent with family or playing outside rather than completing assignments. And there is little research to show that homework improves academic achievement for elementary students.

But some experts say there's value in homework, even for younger students. When done well, it can help students practice core concepts and develop study habits and time management skills. The key to effective homework, they say, is keeping assignments related to classroom learning, and tailoring the amount by age: Many experts suggest no homework for kindergartners, and little to none in first and second grade.

Value of Homework

Homework provides a chance to solidify what is being taught in the classroom that day, week or unit. Practice matters, says Janine Bempechat, clinical professor at Boston University 's Wheelock College of Education & Human Development.

"There really is no other domain of human ability where anybody would say you don't need to practice," she adds. "We have children practicing piano and we have children going to sports practice several days a week after school. You name the domain of ability and practice is in there."

Homework is also the place where schools and families most frequently intersect.

"The children are bringing things from the school into the home," says Paula S. Fass, professor emerita of history at the University of California—Berkeley and the author of "The End of American Childhood." "Before the pandemic, (homework) was the only real sense that parents had to what was going on in schools."

Harris Cooper, professor emeritus of psychology and neuroscience at Duke University and author of "The Battle Over Homework," examined more than 60 research studies on homework between 1987 and 2003 and found that — when designed properly — homework can lead to greater student success. Too much, however, is harmful. And homework has a greater positive effect on students in secondary school (grades 7-12) than those in elementary.

"Every child should be doing homework, but the amount and type that they're doing should be appropriate for their developmental level," he says. "For teachers, it's a balancing act. Doing away with homework completely is not in the best interest of children and families. But overburdening families with homework is also not in the child's or a family's best interest."

Negative Homework Assignments

Not all homework for elementary students involves completing a worksheet. Assignments can be fun, says Cooper, like having students visit educational locations, keep statistics on their favorite sports teams, read for pleasure or even help their parents grocery shop. The point is to show students that activities done outside of school can relate to subjects learned in the classroom.

But assignments that are just busy work, that force students to learn new concepts at home, or that are overly time-consuming can be counterproductive, experts say.

Homework that's just busy work.

Effective homework reinforces math, reading, writing or spelling skills, but in a way that's meaningful, experts say. Assignments that look more like busy work – projects or worksheets that don't require teacher feedback and aren't related to topics learned in the classroom – can be frustrating for students and create burdens for families.

"The mental health piece has definitely played a role here over the last couple of years during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the last thing we want to do is frustrate students with busy work or homework that makes no sense," says Dave Steckler, principal of Red Trail Elementary School in Mandan, North Dakota.

Homework on material that kids haven't learned yet.

With the pressure to cover all topics on standardized tests and limited time during the school day, some teachers assign homework that has not yet been taught in the classroom.

Not only does this create stress, but it also causes equity challenges. Some parents speak languages other than English or work several jobs, and they aren't able to help teach their children new concepts.

" It just becomes agony for both parents and the kids to get through this worksheet, and the goal becomes getting to the bottom of (the) worksheet with answers filled in without any understanding of what any of it matters for," says professor Susan R. Goldman, co-director of the Learning Sciences Research Institute at the University of Illinois—Chicago .

Homework that's overly time-consuming.

The standard homework guideline recommended by the National Parent Teacher Association and the National Education Association is the "10-minute rule" – 10 minutes of nightly homework per grade level. A fourth grader, for instance, would receive a total of 40 minutes of homework per night.

But this does not always happen, especially since not every student learns the same. A 2015 study published in the American Journal of Family Therapy found that primary school children actually received three times the recommended amount of homework — and that family stress increased along with the homework load.

Young children can only remain attentive for short periods, so large amounts of homework, especially lengthy projects, can negatively affect students' views on school. Some individual long-term projects – like having to build a replica city, for example – typically become an assignment for parents rather than students, Fass says.

"It's one thing to assign a project like that in which several kids are working on it together," she adds. "In (that) case, the kids do normally work on it. It's another to send it home to the families, where it becomes a burden and doesn't really accomplish very much."

Private vs. Public Schools

Do private schools assign more homework than public schools? There's little research on the issue, but experts say private school parents may be more accepting of homework, seeing it as a sign of academic rigor.

Of course, not all private schools are the same – some focus on college preparation and traditional academics, while others stress alternative approaches to education.

"I think in the academically oriented private schools, there's more support for homework from parents," says Gerald K. LeTendre, chair of educational administration at Pennsylvania State University—University Park . "I don't know if there's any research to show there's more homework, but it's less of a contentious issue."

How to Address Homework Overload

First, assess if the workload takes as long as it appears. Sometimes children may start working on a homework assignment, wander away and come back later, Cooper says.

"Parents don't see it, but they know that their child has started doing their homework four hours ago and still not done it," he adds. "They don't see that there are those four hours where their child was doing lots of other things. So the homework assignment itself actually is not four hours long. It's the way the child is approaching it."

But if homework is becoming stressful or workload is excessive, experts suggest parents first approach the teacher, followed by a school administrator.

"Many times, we can solve a lot of issues by having conversations," Steckler says, including by "sitting down, talking about the amount of homework, and what's appropriate and not appropriate."

Study Tips for High School Students

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How to Help Your Child with Homework

As a parent of a child with ADHD, you’re no stranger to the challenges that come with homework time. Distractions, disorganization, and frustration can make the process overwhelming for both you and your child. However, with the right strategies and a supportive approach, you can transform homework time into a more manageable and productive experience.

In this blog, we will explore practical tips on how to help your child with ADHD succeed in their homework assignments.

1. Create a Consistent Homework Routine

One of the most effective ways to support your child with ADHD is to establish a consistent homework routine. Set aside a specific time each day for homework and stick to it. Consistency helps your child know what to expect, making the transition into homework mode smoother.

2. Designate a Distraction-Free Workspace

Create a homework environment that minimizes distractions. Choose a quiet, clutter-free space with good lighting. Remove electronic devices, TV, and other potential distractions to help your child stay focused.

3. Break Tasks into Manageable Chunks

Homework assignments can sometimes feel overwhelming for children with ADHD. Break down tasks into smaller, manageable chunks. Provide clear instructions and use a timer to encourage your child to work on one part of the assignment at a time.

4. Use Visual Aids and Timers

Visual aids, like charts and schedules, can be incredibly helpful for children with ADHD. Timers can also be beneficial for time management. Encourage your child to set a timer for work periods and short breaks, helping them stay on track and maintain focus.

5. Be a Homework Partner, Not a Director

While it’s essential to offer guidance and support, avoid taking over your child’s homework. Be a partner, not a director. Ask open-ended questions, provide encouragement, and offer suggestions rather than doing the work for them. This approach fosters independence and problem-solving skills.

6. Positive Reinforcement

Acknowledge your child’s efforts and successes during homework time. Positive reinforcement, such as praise or small rewards, can motivate them to stay engaged and complete tasks.

You can learn more about positive parenting in this blog: 5 Criteria for Positive Parenting.

7. Communicate with Teachers

Maintain open communication with your child’s teachers. They can provide insights into your child’s strengths and weaknesses and may be able to offer additional support or accommodations in the classroom.

8. Break Up Work Periods with Physical Activity

Physical activity can help children with ADHD release pent-up energy and enhance their focus. Encourage short breaks for physical movement between work periods.

9. Teach Organizational Skills

Children with ADHD often struggle with organization. Teach your child strategies for staying organized, such as using a planner, setting priorities, and creating to-do lists.

10. Encourage Homework Independence

As your child matures, encourage them to take more responsibility for their homework. Gradually decrease your involvement and guide them towards becoming a self-sufficient learner.

Need Help Managing ADHD?

Helping your child with ADHD succeed in homework is a collaborative effort. By establishing a consistent routine, creating a conducive workspace, breaking tasks into manageable chunks, using visual aids and timers, and fostering independence, you can make homework time less daunting and more productive. Remember to maintain open communication with teachers, offer positive reinforcement, and be patient and understanding as your child develops valuable skills for success. With your support, your child can overcome the challenges of ADHD and thrive academically.

If you’re seeking additional guidance and support in managing your child’s ADHD, our team at NextStep4ADHD is here to help. We offer personalized solutions and comprehensive strategies to empower your child’s learning journey. Don’t hesitate to reach out for an ADHD consultation and discover how we can make a positive impact on your child’s education. Click here to schedule an appointment with us today to explore the possibilities of a brighter academic future for your child.

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Does Homework Really Help Students Learn?

A conversation with a Wheelock researcher, a BU student, and a fourth-grade teacher

child doing homework

“Quality homework is engaging and relevant to kids’ lives,” says Wheelock’s Janine Bempechat. “It gives them autonomy and engages them in the community and with their families. In some subjects, like math, worksheets can be very helpful. It has to do with the value of practicing over and over.” Photo by iStock/Glenn Cook Photography

Do your homework.

If only it were that simple.

Educators have debated the merits of homework since the late 19th century. In recent years, amid concerns of some parents and teachers that children are being stressed out by too much homework, things have only gotten more fraught.

“Homework is complicated,” says developmental psychologist Janine Bempechat, a Wheelock College of Education & Human Development clinical professor. The author of the essay “ The Case for (Quality) Homework—Why It Improves Learning and How Parents Can Help ” in the winter 2019 issue of Education Next , Bempechat has studied how the debate about homework is influencing teacher preparation, parent and student beliefs about learning, and school policies.

She worries especially about socioeconomically disadvantaged students from low-performing schools who, according to research by Bempechat and others, get little or no homework.

BU Today  sat down with Bempechat and Erin Bruce (Wheelock’17,’18), a new fourth-grade teacher at a suburban Boston school, and future teacher freshman Emma Ardizzone (Wheelock) to talk about what quality homework looks like, how it can help children learn, and how schools can equip teachers to design it, evaluate it, and facilitate parents’ role in it.

BU Today: Parents and educators who are against homework in elementary school say there is no research definitively linking it to academic performance for kids in the early grades. You’ve said that they’re missing the point.

Bempechat : I think teachers assign homework in elementary school as a way to help kids develop skills they’ll need when they’re older—to begin to instill a sense of responsibility and to learn planning and organizational skills. That’s what I think is the greatest value of homework—in cultivating beliefs about learning and skills associated with academic success. If we greatly reduce or eliminate homework in elementary school, we deprive kids and parents of opportunities to instill these important learning habits and skills.

We do know that beginning in late middle school, and continuing through high school, there is a strong and positive correlation between homework completion and academic success.

That’s what I think is the greatest value of homework—in cultivating beliefs about learning and skills associated with academic success.

You talk about the importance of quality homework. What is that?

Quality homework is engaging and relevant to kids’ lives. It gives them autonomy and engages them in the community and with their families. In some subjects, like math, worksheets can be very helpful. It has to do with the value of practicing over and over.

Janine Bempechat

What are your concerns about homework and low-income children?

The argument that some people make—that homework “punishes the poor” because lower-income parents may not be as well-equipped as affluent parents to help their children with homework—is very troubling to me. There are no parents who don’t care about their children’s learning. Parents don’t actually have to help with homework completion in order for kids to do well. They can help in other ways—by helping children organize a study space, providing snacks, being there as a support, helping children work in groups with siblings or friends.

Isn’t the discussion about getting rid of homework happening mostly in affluent communities?

Yes, and the stories we hear of kids being stressed out from too much homework—four or five hours of homework a night—are real. That’s problematic for physical and mental health and overall well-being. But the research shows that higher-income students get a lot more homework than lower-income kids.

Teachers may not have as high expectations for lower-income children. Schools should bear responsibility for providing supports for kids to be able to get their homework done—after-school clubs, community support, peer group support. It does kids a disservice when our expectations are lower for them.

The conversation around homework is to some extent a social class and social justice issue. If we eliminate homework for all children because affluent children have too much, we’re really doing a disservice to low-income children. They need the challenge, and every student can rise to the challenge with enough supports in place.

What did you learn by studying how education schools are preparing future teachers to handle homework?

My colleague, Margarita Jimenez-Silva, at the University of California, Davis, School of Education, and I interviewed faculty members at education schools, as well as supervising teachers, to find out how students are being prepared. And it seemed that they weren’t. There didn’t seem to be any readings on the research, or conversations on what high-quality homework is and how to design it.

Erin, what kind of training did you get in handling homework?

Bruce : I had phenomenal professors at Wheelock, but homework just didn’t come up. I did lots of student teaching. I’ve been in classrooms where the teachers didn’t assign any homework, and I’ve been in rooms where they assigned hours of homework a night. But I never even considered homework as something that was my decision. I just thought it was something I’d pull out of a book and it’d be done.

I started giving homework on the first night of school this year. My first assignment was to go home and draw a picture of the room where you do your homework. I want to know if it’s at a table and if there are chairs around it and if mom’s cooking dinner while you’re doing homework.

The second night I asked them to talk to a grown-up about how are you going to be able to get your homework done during the week. The kids really enjoyed it. There’s a running joke that I’m teaching life skills.

Friday nights, I read all my kids’ responses to me on their homework from the week and it’s wonderful. They pour their hearts out. It’s like we’re having a conversation on my couch Friday night.

It matters to know that the teacher cares about you and that what you think matters to the teacher. Homework is a vehicle to connect home and school…for parents to know teachers are welcoming to them and their families.

Bempechat : I can’t imagine that most new teachers would have the intuition Erin had in designing homework the way she did.

Ardizzone : Conversations with kids about homework, feeling you’re being listened to—that’s such a big part of wanting to do homework….I grew up in Westchester County. It was a pretty demanding school district. My junior year English teacher—I loved her—she would give us feedback, have meetings with all of us. She’d say, “If you have any questions, if you have anything you want to talk about, you can talk to me, here are my office hours.” It felt like she actually cared.

Bempechat : It matters to know that the teacher cares about you and that what you think matters to the teacher. Homework is a vehicle to connect home and school…for parents to know teachers are welcoming to them and their families.

Ardizzone : But can’t it lead to parents being overbearing and too involved in their children’s lives as students?

Bempechat : There’s good help and there’s bad help. The bad help is what you’re describing—when parents hover inappropriately, when they micromanage, when they see their children confused and struggling and tell them what to do.

Good help is when parents recognize there’s a struggle going on and instead ask informative questions: “Where do you think you went wrong?” They give hints, or pointers, rather than saying, “You missed this,” or “You didn’t read that.”

Bruce : I hope something comes of this. I hope BU or Wheelock can think of some way to make this a more pressing issue. As a first-year teacher, it was not something I even thought about on the first day of school—until a kid raised his hand and said, “Do we have homework?” It would have been wonderful if I’d had a plan from day one.

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Senior Contributing Editor

Sara Rimer

Sara Rimer A journalist for more than three decades, Sara Rimer worked at the Miami Herald , Washington Post and, for 26 years, the New York Times , where she was the New England bureau chief, and a national reporter covering education, aging, immigration, and other social justice issues. Her stories on the death penalty’s inequities were nominated for a Pulitzer Prize and cited in the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision outlawing the execution of people with intellectual disabilities. Her journalism honors include Columbia University’s Meyer Berger award for in-depth human interest reporting. She holds a BA degree in American Studies from the University of Michigan. Profile

She can be reached at [email protected] .

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There are 81 comments on Does Homework Really Help Students Learn?

Insightful! The values about homework in elementary schools are well aligned with my intuition as a parent.

when i finish my work i do my homework and i sometimes forget what to do because i did not get enough sleep

same omg it does not help me it is stressful and if I have it in more than one class I hate it.

Same I think my parent wants to help me but, she doesn’t care if I get bad grades so I just try my best and my grades are great.

I think that last question about Good help from parents is not know to all parents, we do as our parents did or how we best think it can be done, so maybe coaching parents or giving them resources on how to help with homework would be very beneficial for the parent on how to help and for the teacher to have consistency and improve homework results, and of course for the child. I do see how homework helps reaffirm the knowledge obtained in the classroom, I also have the ability to see progress and it is a time I share with my kids

The answer to the headline question is a no-brainer – a more pressing problem is why there is a difference in how students from different cultures succeed. Perfect example is the student population at BU – why is there a majority population of Asian students and only about 3% black students at BU? In fact at some universities there are law suits by Asians to stop discrimination and quotas against admitting Asian students because the real truth is that as a group they are demonstrating better qualifications for admittance, while at the same time there are quotas and reduced requirements for black students to boost their portion of the student population because as a group they do more poorly in meeting admissions standards – and it is not about the Benjamins. The real problem is that in our PC society no one has the gazuntas to explore this issue as it may reveal that all people are not created equal after all. Or is it just environmental cultural differences??????

I get you have a concern about the issue but that is not even what the point of this article is about. If you have an issue please take this to the site we have and only post your opinion about the actual topic

This is not at all what the article is talking about.

This literally has nothing to do with the article brought up. You should really take your opinions somewhere else before you speak about something that doesn’t make sense.

we have the same name

so they have the same name what of it?

lol you tell her

totally agree

What does that have to do with homework, that is not what the article talks about AT ALL.

Yes, I think homework plays an important role in the development of student life. Through homework, students have to face challenges on a daily basis and they try to solve them quickly.I am an intense online tutor at 24x7homeworkhelp and I give homework to my students at that level in which they handle it easily.

More than two-thirds of students said they used alcohol and drugs, primarily marijuana, to cope with stress.

You know what’s funny? I got this assignment to write an argument for homework about homework and this article was really helpful and understandable, and I also agree with this article’s point of view.

I also got the same task as you! I was looking for some good resources and I found this! I really found this article useful and easy to understand, just like you! ^^

i think that homework is the best thing that a child can have on the school because it help them with their thinking and memory.

I am a child myself and i think homework is a terrific pass time because i can’t play video games during the week. It also helps me set goals.

Homework is not harmful ,but it will if there is too much

I feel like, from a minors point of view that we shouldn’t get homework. Not only is the homework stressful, but it takes us away from relaxing and being social. For example, me and my friends was supposed to hang at the mall last week but we had to postpone it since we all had some sort of work to do. Our minds shouldn’t be focused on finishing an assignment that in realty, doesn’t matter. I completely understand that we should have homework. I have to write a paper on the unimportance of homework so thanks.

homework isn’t that bad

Are you a student? if not then i don’t really think you know how much and how severe todays homework really is

i am a student and i do not enjoy homework because i practice my sport 4 out of the five days we have school for 4 hours and that’s not even counting the commute time or the fact i still have to shower and eat dinner when i get home. its draining!

i totally agree with you. these people are such boomers

why just why

they do make a really good point, i think that there should be a limit though. hours and hours of homework can be really stressful, and the extra work isn’t making a difference to our learning, but i do believe homework should be optional and extra credit. that would make it for students to not have the leaning stress of a assignment and if you have a low grade you you can catch up.

Studies show that homework improves student achievement in terms of improved grades, test results, and the likelihood to attend college. Research published in the High School Journal indicates that students who spent between 31 and 90 minutes each day on homework “scored about 40 points higher on the SAT-Mathematics subtest than their peers, who reported spending no time on homework each day, on average.” On both standardized tests and grades, students in classes that were assigned homework outperformed 69% of students who didn’t have homework. A majority of studies on homework’s impact – 64% in one meta-study and 72% in another – showed that take home assignments were effective at improving academic achievement. Research by the Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA) concluded that increased homework led to better GPAs and higher probability of college attendance for high school boys. In fact, boys who attended college did more than three hours of additional homework per week in high school.

So how are your measuring student achievement? That’s the real question. The argument that doing homework is simply a tool for teaching responsibility isn’t enough for me. We can teach responsibility in a number of ways. Also the poor argument that parents don’t need to help with homework, and that students can do it on their own, is wishful thinking at best. It completely ignores neurodiverse students. Students in poverty aren’t magically going to find a space to do homework, a friend’s or siblings to help them do it, and snacks to eat. I feel like the author of this piece has never set foot in a classroom of students.

THIS. This article is pathetic coming from a university. So intellectually dishonest, refusing to address the havoc of capitalism and poverty plays on academic success in life. How can they in one sentence use poor kids in an argument and never once address that poor children have access to damn near 0 of the resources affluent kids have? Draw me a picture and let’s talk about feelings lmao what a joke is that gonna put food in their belly so they can have the calories to burn in order to use their brain to study? What about quiet their 7 other siblings that they share a single bedroom with for hours? Is it gonna force the single mom to magically be at home and at work at the same time to cook food while you study and be there to throw an encouraging word?

Also the “parents don’t need to be a parent and be able to guide their kid at all academically they just need to exist in the next room” is wild. Its one thing if a parent straight up is not equipped but to say kids can just figured it out is…. wow coming from an educator What’s next the teacher doesn’t need to teach cause the kid can just follow the packet and figure it out?

Well then get a tutor right? Oh wait you are poor only affluent kids can afford a tutor for their hours of homework a day were they on average have none of the worries a poor child does. Does this address that poor children are more likely to also suffer abuse and mental illness? Like mentioned what about kids that can’t learn or comprehend the forced standardized way? Just let em fail? These children regularly are not in “special education”(some of those are a joke in their own and full of neglect and abuse) programs cause most aren’t even acknowledged as having disabilities or disorders.

But yes all and all those pesky poor kids just aren’t being worked hard enough lol pretty sure poor children’s existence just in childhood is more work, stress, and responsibility alone than an affluent child’s entire life cycle. Love they never once talked about the quality of education in the classroom being so bad between the poor and affluent it can qualify as segregation, just basically blamed poor people for being lazy, good job capitalism for failing us once again!

why the hell?

you should feel bad for saying this, this article can be helpful for people who has to write a essay about it

This is more of a political rant than it is about homework

I know a teacher who has told his students their homework is to find something they are interested in, pursue it and then come share what they learn. The student responses are quite compelling. One girl taught herself German so she could talk to her grandfather. One boy did a research project on Nelson Mandela because the teacher had mentioned him in class. Another boy, a both on the autism spectrum, fixed his family’s computer. The list goes on. This is fourth grade. I think students are highly motivated to learn, when we step aside and encourage them.

The whole point of homework is to give the students a chance to use the material that they have been presented with in class. If they never have the opportunity to use that information, and discover that it is actually useful, it will be in one ear and out the other. As a science teacher, it is critical that the students are challenged to use the material they have been presented with, which gives them the opportunity to actually think about it rather than regurgitate “facts”. Well designed homework forces the student to think conceptually, as opposed to regurgitation, which is never a pretty sight

Wonderful discussion. and yes, homework helps in learning and building skills in students.

not true it just causes kids to stress

Homework can be both beneficial and unuseful, if you will. There are students who are gifted in all subjects in school and ones with disabilities. Why should the students who are gifted get the lucky break, whereas the people who have disabilities suffer? The people who were born with this “gift” go through school with ease whereas people with disabilities struggle with the work given to them. I speak from experience because I am one of those students: the ones with disabilities. Homework doesn’t benefit “us”, it only tears us down and put us in an abyss of confusion and stress and hopelessness because we can’t learn as fast as others. Or we can’t handle the amount of work given whereas the gifted students go through it with ease. It just brings us down and makes us feel lost; because no mater what, it feels like we are destined to fail. It feels like we weren’t “cut out” for success.

homework does help

here is the thing though, if a child is shoved in the face with a whole ton of homework that isn’t really even considered homework it is assignments, it’s not helpful. the teacher should make homework more of a fun learning experience rather than something that is dreaded

This article was wonderful, I am going to ask my teachers about extra, or at all giving homework.

I agree. Especially when you have homework before an exam. Which is distasteful as you’ll need that time to study. It doesn’t make any sense, nor does us doing homework really matters as It’s just facts thrown at us.

Homework is too severe and is just too much for students, schools need to decrease the amount of homework. When teachers assign homework they forget that the students have other classes that give them the same amount of homework each day. Students need to work on social skills and life skills.

I disagree.

Beyond achievement, proponents of homework argue that it can have many other beneficial effects. They claim it can help students develop good study habits so they are ready to grow as their cognitive capacities mature. It can help students recognize that learning can occur at home as well as at school. Homework can foster independent learning and responsible character traits. And it can give parents an opportunity to see what’s going on at school and let them express positive attitudes toward achievement.

Homework is helpful because homework helps us by teaching us how to learn a specific topic.

As a student myself, I can say that I have almost never gotten the full 9 hours of recommended sleep time, because of homework. (Now I’m writing an essay on it in the middle of the night D=)

I am a 10 year old kid doing a report about “Is homework good or bad” for homework before i was going to do homework is bad but the sources from this site changed my mind!

Homeowkr is god for stusenrs

I agree with hunter because homework can be so stressful especially with this whole covid thing no one has time for homework and every one just wants to get back to there normal lives it is especially stressful when you go on a 2 week vaca 3 weeks into the new school year and and then less then a week after you come back from the vaca you are out for over a month because of covid and you have no way to get the assignment done and turned in

As great as homework is said to be in the is article, I feel like the viewpoint of the students was left out. Every where I go on the internet researching about this topic it almost always has interviews from teachers, professors, and the like. However isn’t that a little biased? Of course teachers are going to be for homework, they’re not the ones that have to stay up past midnight completing the homework from not just one class, but all of them. I just feel like this site is one-sided and you should include what the students of today think of spending four hours every night completing 6-8 classes worth of work.

Are we talking about homework or practice? Those are two very different things and can result in different outcomes.

Homework is a graded assignment. I do not know of research showing the benefits of graded assignments going home.

Practice; however, can be extremely beneficial, especially if there is some sort of feedback (not a grade but feedback). That feedback can come from the teacher, another student or even an automated grading program.

As a former band director, I assigned daily practice. I never once thought it would be appropriate for me to require the students to turn in a recording of their practice for me to grade. Instead, I had in-class assignments/assessments that were graded and directly related to the practice assigned.

I would really like to read articles on “homework” that truly distinguish between the two.

oof i feel bad good luck!

thank you guys for the artical because I have to finish an assingment. yes i did cite it but just thanks

thx for the article guys.

Homework is good

I think homework is helpful AND harmful. Sometimes u can’t get sleep bc of homework but it helps u practice for school too so idk.

I agree with this Article. And does anyone know when this was published. I would like to know.

It was published FEb 19, 2019.

Studies have shown that homework improved student achievement in terms of improved grades, test results, and the likelihood to attend college.

i think homework can help kids but at the same time not help kids

This article is so out of touch with majority of homes it would be laughable if it wasn’t so incredibly sad.

There is no value to homework all it does is add stress to already stressed homes. Parents or adults magically having the time or energy to shepherd kids through homework is dome sort of 1950’s fantasy.

What lala land do these teachers live in?

Homework gives noting to the kid

Homework is Bad

homework is bad.

why do kids even have homework?

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12 Best (and Cheapest) Ways to Help your Kids with their Homework

in Education & Learning , Homeschooling on 08/12/22

Last Updated on August 30, 2022 by Marie Bautista

12 Best (and Cheapest) Ways to Help your Kids with their Homework

It’s no secret that kids need help with their homework.

And it’s also no secret that parents want to be able to help their kids as much as possible.

But sometimes, it can be tough to know how to go about helping your child with their homework.

That’s why we’ve put together this list of the best (and cheapest) ways to help your kids with their homework (PLUS A HOMEWORK TRACKER AND OTHER EXTRAS YOU CAN DOWLOAD FOR FREE!)

Check it out below!

Here are 12 Best (and Cheapest) Ways To Help Your Kids With Their Homework

1. make a schedule for homework time..

Download our FREE Homework Tracker here ! It includes a Homework Tracker , Reading Tracker , Assignment Tracker , “Things I Want to Learn” , Project Ideas , and “ My To Do’s ” (School To Do’s and Personal To Do’s)

One of the best ways to help your kids with their homework is to make a schedule for homework time.

  • Let them know when it is time to start working on homework and when they can take breaks. This will help them to focus and not get overwhelmed.
  • It is also important to have a quiet, distraction-free area for them to work in. If possible, try to do your own work in the same area so you can be available if they need help.
  • Another great way to help your kids with their homework is to provide them with resources. Make sure they have a good dictionary, thesaurus, and other reference materials. It is also helpful to have a list of websites that they can use for research.
  • Finally, don’t forget to praise their efforts. A little encouragement goes a long way!

2. Create a homework station for your kids.

homework-station

  • One of the best ways to help your kids with their homework is to create a dedicated homework station. This can be as simple as setting up a desk in a quiet corner of the house, equipping it with all the supplies your kids will need, and making sure there are no distractions like TVs or devices nearby. Having a dedicated space for homework will help your kids stay focused and on task. It will also make it easier for you to supervise and offer assistance when needed.
  • Another great way to help your kids with their homework is to establish routines and limits around screen time. Too much time spent on devices can interfere with concentration and make it difficult to focus on schoolwork. By setting firm limits on device usage, you can help your kids stay focused and make the most of their study time.
  • Finally, don’t forget the power of incentive. Offering rewards for completing homework can be a great motivator for kids, especially if they are struggling with a particular subject. You can offer small rewards for each completed assignment, or larger rewards for meeting broader goals like getting good grades or finishing all of their homework for the week.
  • Whatever system you choose, make sure to praise your child’s efforts and achievements along the way. With a little bit of planning and effort, you can help your kids make the most of their homework time.

3. Get organized with a planner or calendar.

As a parent, you want to do everything you can to help your child succeed in school . But sometimes it can be hard to know how to best provide support.

  • One of the simplest and most effective ways you can help your child is to get them organized. A planner or calendar can help them keep track of upcoming assignments and tests, and ensure that they are completing their work on time. You can also use these tools to help you stay up-to-date on your child’s progress, and identify any areas where they may need extra help.
  • In addition to being organized, it is also important to create a calm and supportive environment at home. This means setting aside a dedicated space for homework, and providing snacks and drinks to keep energy levels up. It can also be helpful to establish set times for homework each day, so that your child knows when they can take breaks and when they need to focus.

By taking these simple steps, you can create an environment that will allow your child to thrive academically.

4. Set rules and limits for homework time.

One of the best ways to set up your child for success in school is to establish rules and limits around homework time. By creating a regular routine and setting clear expectations, you can help your child focus and stay on track.

  • Start by setting aside a specific time each day for homework.
  • Then, create a quiet and distraction-free environment for your child to work in.
  • Finally, provide encouragement and support as needed, but be sure to respect your child’s need for independence.

By following these simple steps, you can create a positive and productive homework environment for your child.

5. Make learning fun with educational games.

Homeschoolers can also take advantage of the many benefits of educational games. Games are a fun and interactive way to learn new things, and there are educational games available for every subject.

This makes them a versatile tool for homeschoolers, who can use them to supplement their coursework or simply to have some fun.

So if you’re looking for a fun and educational way to homeschool your children, consider using educational games. You may be surprised at how much they enjoy learning!

6. Encourage kids to read for pleasure .

One of the best ways to encourage kids to read is to offer them books that they will enjoy.

This means finding books that are interesting, age-appropriate, and at the right level for your child.

It can also be helpful to provide incentives for reading, such as allowing them to choose a book from the library or offering a small reward for every book they read.

By making reading fun and engaging, you can encourage your child to develop a love for reading that will last a lifetime.

7. Help kids develop good study habits.

One of the best ways to help kids succeed in school is to teach them good study habits. This means helping them find a quiet and distraction-free place to work, setting aside regular times for homework and studying, and teaching them how to take breaks and manage their time.

Additionally, it is important to model good study habits yourself, so that your child can see what it looks like to be a successful student.

By taking these simple steps, you can help your child develop the skills they need to succeed in school and in life.

8. Get involved in your child’s education

One of the best ways to ensure that your child succeeds in school is to get involved in their education. This means attending school functions, such as open houses and parent-teacher conferences, and staying up to date on your child’s progress.

Additionally, it is important to be an advocate for your child, both at home and at school.

By taking an active role in your child’s education, you can make sure that they have the support they need to succeed.

9. Be patient and encourage kids when they struggle

One of the most important things you can do as a parent is to be patient and encouraging when your child struggles.

It is important to remember that everyone learns at their own pace, and that some children require more time and support than others.

Additionally, it is important to provide encouragement and praise when your child does succeed, as this will help them to feel motivated and confident.

By being patient and encouraging, you can help your child to overcome any challenges they face and reach their full potential.

10.Take advantage of online resources

If your kids are struggling with their homework, you’re not alone.

Fortunately, there are a number of ways you can help them get back on track.

One of the best (and cheapest) ways to get started is to take advantage of online resources. There are a number of websites that offer free tutorials and tips for tackling tough assignments. One of my favorites is Course Hero . I have gotten legit homework help on this site, seriously

You can also find online calculators and converter tools that can make tricky math problems a lot easier to solve.

In addition, there are dozens of educational games and apps that can help your kids learn while they’re having fun.

So before you start shelling out for expensive tutors or after-school programs, why not explore the wealth of free resources that are available online? With a little patience and effort, you should be able to help your kids get the most out of their homework time – without breaking the bank.

11. Ask for help when you need it.

No matter how much you try to help your child with their homework, there may come a time when they need a little extra assistance.

If this happens, don’t be afraid to ask for help.

There are a number of ways you can get the support you need, without spending a lot of money. You can start by talking to your child’s teacher, who may be able to offer advice or provide additional resources. You can also check out your local library, which may offer homework help programs or free tutoring services.

Finally, don’t forget to reach out to family and friends for help. Just remember, when it comes to homework help, you don’t have to go it alone.

12. Seek professional help if needed

If you’ve tried all of the above tips and your child is still struggling with their homework, it may be time to seek professional help.

This can be a costly option, but it may be worth it if your child is having serious difficulty with their schoolwork.

There are a number of ways to find a qualified tutor or educational therapist, so be sure to do your research before making a decision. With a little help, your child can get back on track and succeed in school.

FAQ on why kids need help with homework:

homework struggle

1. Why do kids need help with homework?

Homework is an important part of a child’s education, and it can be beneficial for kids to get help when they need it. By seeking assistance when they are struggling, kids can get back on track and improve their academic performance.

2. How can parents help their kids with homework?

There are a number of ways that parents can help their kids with homework. One of the most important things is to be patient and encouraging when your child struggles. Additionally, it can be helpful to take advantage of online resources and seek professional help if needed.

3. What are some of the benefits of homework?

Homework can help kids to learn and practice important academic skills. Additionally, it can be a way for kids to get extra help when they need it. By completing their homework, kids can improve their grades and academic performance.

4. How much homework is too much?

There is no definitive answer to this question. However, it is important to make sure that your child is not feeling overwhelmed by their homework load. If you are concerned that your child may be struggling, talk to their teacher or seek professional help.

5. What are some of the common problems kids have with homework?

Some of the most common problems kids have with homework include not understanding the material, procrastinating, and feeling overwhelmed. Additionally, some kids may struggle with specific assignments or topics. If your child is having difficulty with their homework, talk to their teacher or seek professional help.

6. What are some tips for helping kids with their homework?

Some helpful tips for assisting kids with their homework include being patient, encouraging them when they struggle, and taking advantage of online resources. Additionally, it can be beneficial to seek professional help if needed. By following these tips, you can help your child to succeed in school.

7. What are some of the consequences of not doing homework?

If kids do not complete their homework, they may struggle in school and receive lower grades. Additionally, they may miss out on important academic skills. Not doing homework can also lead to disciplinary action from school personnel. Finally, kids who do not complete their homework may feel overwhelmed and stressed.

8. What are some of the signs that a child is struggling with their homework?

Some signs that a child is struggling with their homework include procrastinating, complaining, and appearing anxious or stressed. Additionally, kids may have difficulty concentrating or completing their assignments. If you notice any of these signs, talk to your child’s teacher or seek professional help.

9. How can I tell if my child needs professional help?

If you’ve tried all of the above tips and your child is still struggling with their homework, it may be time to seek professional help. This can be a costly option, but it may be worth it if your child is struggling significantly. Be sure to do your research to find a qualified professional who can help your child.

10. Where can I find more information about homework help?

There are a number of online resources that can provide you with more information about homework help. Additionally, you can talk to your child’s teacher or school counselor for more assistance. Finally, you can seek professional help if needed. By taking advantage of these resources, you can ensure that your child gets the help they need to succeed in school.

Homework can be a hassle, but there are ways to make it easier – and cheaper

Homework can be a hassle for kids and parents alike, but it’s important. The good news is that there are plenty of ways to make homework easier—and cheaper—for everyone involved.

We hope the tips in this post have given you some ideas on how to help your kids succeed in school without breaking the bank.

And don’t forget, we have a free alphabet printable waiting for you (Plus a FREE printable Affirmation Deck Card to get your child to beat homework overload! Download it now and get started making homework time more fun and productive for everyone.

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This Northern Va. woman grew up hungry. She’s working to make sure no kids have the same experience.

Scott Gelman | [email protected]

February 22, 2024, 8:25 PM

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Elizabeth Ford didn’t have food at school, so she would tell other students that she was on a diet, something she considers easy for a girl to get away with.

On most days in her Reston, Virginia, neighborhood, she sat outside 7/11, hoping to gather enough quarters to buy a hot dog or nachos, or whatever else she may have wanted to eat.

Lacking a clear path, a mentor and access to a food pantry, Ford dropped out of high school in the ninth grade. She made sure to get her GED and then became a hostess at a Chili’s restaurant.

She eventually went to college and got a degree in IT, but in 2016, Ford decided she wanted to make sure kids in Northern Virginia didn’t have experiences similar to hers. So, she launched BetterALife , with the goal of feeding any child that says they’re hungry.

Now, the group has a food pantry in Purcellville and recently expanded to the Cathy Hudgins Community Center in Reston. Its volunteers offer homework help and cooking classes, as Ford strives to make sure students have food security.

“We experience these children that are missing meals every day,” Ford said. “Whether it be breakfast, lunch or dinner, they typically are without one of those meals per day, (in Purcellville) and in Reston.”

At the time BetterALife launched, Ford learned that Loudoun County schools had a rule that if a student was past due two lunch accounts, they got a nut butter sandwich instead of a hot meal. They also received a sticker that said they needed lunch money, Ford said.

The organization started paying off the past due lunch accounts to make sure they had a positive balance. Then, when the pandemic hit, Ford went door-to-door to help in some communities.

The Purcellville food pantry opened in 2022, but Ford always aspired to help the Reston community that she grew up in. BetterALife was approved to move into the community center and bring food every Wednesday at noon. About 40 families line up there before noon, and they “come with little children, they come with babies, just waiting for food,” Ford said.

The demand is generally high, Ford said.

Recently, a 9-year-old girl walked into the Purcellville location around 2 p.m. The girl’s mom said she could stop by because it was within walking distance, Ford said. When Ford asked if she had eaten that day, the girl said no.

“Just very nonchalant about it, like this is normal,” Ford said. “I cooked her a box of mac-and- cheese in our little kitchen here at the pantry.”

BetterALife also has a homework club, during which about 40 kids each week work with police officers or high schoolers. They arrive early for a hot meal, and then find a mentor or officer who can help them. On Tuesday night, multiplication was a big topic. But the impact goes beyond math skills.

“We had one little girl that started the year last year not being able to read, and at the end of the year, she read me a book,” Ford said. “It was amazing, and that’s the kind of progress that we’re making with these children.”

The organization’s cooking club meets once a month on Saturdays, and its volunteers teach kids how to hold a pan and which parts to touch, in addition to safety skills. They learn how to make things such as ramen noodles or scrambled eggs.

Now, the group is seeking more volunteers.

“The children can grow, the children can thrive,” Ford said. “They’re no longer the one that thinks they’ve been missed and lost in the shuffle there.”

BetterALife operates with funding from grants and donations and hosts an annual gala, which Ford said is the biggest fundraiser of the year. It’s also gathering funding for a thrift store, “so that we can have that continual income coming in to keep growing and opening up more food pantries around the area,” Ford said.

Despite the expansion, the group still goes door to door, making sure every child has something to eat.

“There’s nothing better than knowing that you’ve made a child’s entire weekend because now they don’t have to struggle, worry or have any concerns,” Ford said. “They can just have fun and be a kid.”

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Scott Gelman is a digital editor and writer for WTOP. A South Florida native, Scott graduated from the University of Maryland in 2019. During his time in College Park, he worked for The Diamondback, the school’s student newspaper.

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GameRant

The Sims 4: Best Mods That Improve Child Gameplay

C hildren are a core part of The Sims 4 , yet the things that the player can do with them aren't as varied as one could think. The game has many strong points, but its long-time players have discovered that there are some aspects in which it could improve. For example, the children's school life and aspirations are limited to a certain degree.

RELATED: Every Essential The Sims 4 Pregnancy Mod You'll Need For Your Family Gameplay

Luckily, plenty of creative players have come up with mods that solve this problem and offer richer, more realistic child gameplay. From new school interactions to updated personality traits to a larger selection of hobbies, these mods help significantly improve child gameplay in The Sims 4 . Players who love the various stages of life but want this gameplay to be more fleshed-out can achieve the same, with the toddler and child stages being enhanced significantly with these TS4 child gameplay mods .

Updated on July 12, 2023, by Ritwik Mitra: The Sims 4 is a great life simulation game, and it's easy to see why players can sink hundreds of hours into these games with ease. The gameplay loop of this title is quite addictive and has been improved upon quite a bit after a rather poor launch, with EA doing a good job of listening to player complaints and making the title's gameplay more rife and engaging than ever before. The fact that the entire toddler phase was completely removed from the game before being added in a later patch is a great example of how this game tried to pick up the ball after dropping it.

People who still feel like the toddler and child phase isn't really fleshed out all that well can try out a bunch of mods to help alleviate the experience. There are many ways that players can augment their experience with this fan-made content, and players who love the toddler-child phase in this game can enjoy it even more with a wealth of great mods.

The interactions that a child has in The Sims 4 have increased quite a bit since the early days of the game when the toddler phase wasn't even a part of the game. EA has addressed many complaints with this game , but there are still some people who feel that children don't really have too many interactions to mess around with in the game, which doesn't really feel all that great to mess around with.

Thankfully, modders have picked up the slack and added their fair share of unique and custom interactions into the game to make it easier for players to enjoy this phase of a Sim's life. The Child Life mod does exactly that and allows players to help these children feel more lifelike and engaging, talking about stuff and engaging in activities that are appropriate for someone their age.

Faster Homework

Homework is a crucial part of any child's life, with these Sims needing to do well in school by completing their homework regularly and improving their grades. Failing to do so can lead to a poor graduation that doesn't really benefit a developing Sim in any way and can actively hamper their development in the long run.

However, homework is always a chore, and The Sims 4 is no exception to this golden rule. Watching a child sit down and do homework for hours on end as their needs become critical is never fun, and players would ideally like a way to improve their time management by letting children do their homework faster and more efficiently. The Faster Homework mod achieves precisely this task, allowing children to focus their task on more fun activities that players can actually be invested in.

Memorable Events

There are many mods that add a bunch of events for Sims to engage with in the game, and Memorable Events is one such mod that players can download to make their virtual families all the more realistic and joyful to interact with. It adds a whopping 40 unique events to the game that players can initiate for an added sense of realism.

RELATED: The Sims 4: The Best Aspirations, Ranked

There are some events that include children as well, such as an invitation to meet a newborn or a family camping trip. It's a great way to help families bond and let kids engage with each other in wholesome and hearty activities.

To get kids used to money management, some families might put into place an allowance system. This is also possible in The Sims 4 thanks to this Allowance mod . Players can have the household family kids receive a weekly allowance of a specific amount.

Better yet, the allowance will be dependent on how well the child is doing at school and if they're showing good behavior. The allowance is stored in a separate money account, which further increases immersion for this mod.

Spend The Weekend With

Those playing a legacy might like the idea of sending their household children out for the weekend to visit grandparents for instance. However, playing this out separately doesn't really have the same effect, since it forces players to actually play out the weekend away as a child, which gets tedious.

This mod lets players simply summon a family member, or anyone really, to pick up someone from the household. They can then stay indefinitely and will be added to that household's roster until they return. It's definitely a great gameplay mod for children in The Sims 4 for those who want to focus on other household members for a bit.

Adult Skills For Kids

There are a ton of skills that kids on The Sims 4 simply don't have access to until they age up. This isn't realistic, however, since many of these "adult" skills like fishing are actually very doable for children to learn in real life.

RELATED: The Sims 4: How To Use The Calendar

The Adult Skills For Kids mod fixes this oversight in the game. This gameplay mod for children in The Sims 4 allows kids to access any adult skills, while also developing the unique child skills in the game. Learning instruments, writing, video gaming, and even robotics, are now completely possible for children, too.

Foster Family

One thing that's lackluster in The Sims 4 is the variety in the types of families players can have. Foster families are simply not a thing in the game unless players simulate it using the adoption system.

The Foster Family mod allows players to foster not just toddlers and children, but pets as well. It's a fantastic and pretty immersive and storytelling-friendly mod for players who want to play out those foster family stories in a realistic manner.

Grow Up Aspiration

A lot of people might not know what they want to focus on in their future when they're still children. That's why the aspirations for children in The Sims 4 can feel a bit narrow and limiting. They usually focus on developing one skill, such as artistic abilities or athleticism. The Grow Up aspiration mod fixes this.

If the player gives this aspiration to a child Sim, they will be asked to develop multiple skills instead of just a single one. What's more, they even get valuable aspiration points for doing their homework, which always comes in handy.

Spellcaster Children Can Use Magic

For The Sims 4 players who love Harry Potter and want to have their own child wizard, this mod gives them the opportunity to achieve it . Under normal circumstances, children can't use magic in the game, even when they're spellcasters just like their parents. They have to wait until their teen years, and only then can they start using magic.

RELATED: The Weirdest Sims 4 Mods

This gameplay mod for children in The Sims 4 allows the children to use magic as well. They can't do every single thing that adult spellcasters are capable of , but the range of their powers is still wide enough to make for fun gameplay with the young wizards.

Random Traits And Aspirations

In the game, the players choose what aspirations and character traits children will have when they age up from toddlers to kids. But those players who would like to randomize the process can use this mod .

The child will get randomly chosen traits as well as a random aspiration. As a result, the child may be very different from their parents, which will lead to some interesting interactions. This mod also adds more realism to the game since, in real life, parents don't get to choose what their children will be like and what they will want to do.

Sleepover Event

A lot of children love having sleepovers with their friends. Unfortunately, The Sims 4 didn't include this event, but a mod adds it in . It allows the children to organize a new event: a sleepover with their friends. It not only allows kids to have more fun but also to build better friendships with other children.

It's a valuable integration that will allow players to help their children form great memories with their friends. After all, what Simmer hasn't been a part of a sleepover where they've goofed around with their friends and talked at length about a variety of topics? This mod just aims to bring that experience into The Sims 4 and does so pretty effectively.

Children Can Walk Dogs

Taking care of a pet as a young child is a good way to learn some more responsibilities. Yet The Sims 4 doesn't allow children to walk their family dogs. A mod exists that gives children the option to walk their dogs .

RELATED: Sims 2 Mods We Hope To Never See In The Sims 4

Walking dogs helps build the relationship between the child and their pet. It also gives parents some extra alone time, as they might appreciate the fact that their kid is helping them to take care of their family dog. It also helps that children get additional responsibility points for walking their dogs.

Bicycle For Kids And Toddlers

Another hobby that children cannot do in The Sims 4 is riding bikes. This mod fixes them and gives the children the chance to have fun riding their bikes around. Not only does the mod make them happier but it also allows them to do something good for their health.

Once the child gets on a bike, the player then chooses where they should ride. That's how simple it is, and toddlers can join in the fun too. Learning how to ride a bike is a formative experience that many children have gone through, and it's great that this mod tries to bring over this activity to the game for kids and toddlers to enjoy.

Homeschooling

Going to school can be amazing, but it's not for everyone. Not every child feels challenged in school or can find friends easily. This mod takes this into consideration and allows both children and teenagers to be homeschooled instead.

This will give the family the chance to design their own schedule to a certain degree. It also means the child will be much more physically present in the household than before. As a result, the player will get the chance to enjoy playing with the young Sim's character more.

The Sims 4 was released on September 2, 2014, and is available on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One .

MORE: The Sims 4: Mods That Make Building Easier

The Sims 4: Best Mods That Improve Child Gameplay

Child Tax Credit: When Will the IRS Send Your Tax Refund?

It could take longer than the standard 21 days to get your refund if you're claiming certain credits.

katie-conner

The IRS has already issued more than $13 billion in refunds to people who have already  submitted their tax returns . If you've filed your taxes but haven't received your refund yet, here's how to check the status . 

Also, if you're still waiting on your refund, it could be because you claimed the  child tax credit  or the earned income tax credit. By law,  the IRS  is required to wait till the middle of February at the earliest to process and send credit money.

With lots of news around the child tax credit this year -- including 15 states that also have a credit , and Congress working on an expanded credit -- we'll explain when you can expect your refund if you are claiming a credit. For more, here's our essential cheat sheet for filing this year . Need more help filing your taxes? Here's how to file for free . 

Read more: Best Tax Software for 2024

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What is the child tax credit and additional child tax credit?

The child tax credit is a tax break families can receive if they have qualifying children . The amount a family can receive is up to $2,000 per child, but it's only partially refundable. That means if not all is applied to any taxes you owe to lower your tax bill, you may not receive the additional money left over. 

The refundable portion is called the additional child tax credit, and this year the refundable amount is $1,600. 

When can you expect your child tax credit refund this year

The IRS told CNET that most child tax credit and earned income tax credit refunds should be available in bank accounts or on debit cards by Feb. 27 for taxpayers who have filed and chose  direct deposit  -- there are no other issues with their tax return. 

As of Feb. 17, the IRS told CNET, tax filers claiming the credit should be able to see their projected deposit dates by checking the agency's Where's My Refund tool . 

The delay, according to the IRS, is because the agency cannot issue refunds involving the additional child tax credit (and the earned income tax credit) before mid-February. The agency, by law , is required to use the extra time to prevent fraudulent refunds.

For more tax information, here's why you should file as soon as possible . Also, here's how to submit your tax return to the IRS for free .

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    When it comes to intervening with your child's homework, Dr. Mudd said parents can help with different assignments but should refrain from doing all the work. ... Parents should wait until their child reaches out to them to say they need help with a certain problem," Dr. Mudd said. "You want to create that relationship where your kids ...

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    So here are 8 essential tips to help a child with their homework: Minimize Distractions Make it as easy as possible for your child to focus during homework time. Don't have the television on in the background and make sure phones, tablets, and games are put away. This will also help signal to them that homework is a priority!

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    1. Work Out a Working Routine Believe it or not, children love routines because they create structure. This helps children feel more secure because they know what to do and what's expected of them. Face it, nobody likes homeworks. But make it easier for your kids to do their's by doing routines such as below: What time should they start?

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    Key points Establish a routine so homework becomes a regular part of their day/week. Understand how your child learns. Help them get organised. Encourage your child when they make an effort. Seek help from the school if your child needs it. When your child doesn't want to do their homework, it can be tempting to nag and hassle them.

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    To help children do their homework, we need some persuasive strategies. Last update: 13 February, 2020. These days, it's more and more common for parents to help children with their homework. However, the way they do it will influence the child's perception of schoolwork, either positively or negatively.

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