Should Parents Help their Kids with Homework? A fine question indeed. Homework has been a part of the students’ lives ever since formal education became a norm in our country. In the last century, the mind was seen as a muscle that could be strengthened through intense mental exercise.
What is Homework
Before we discuss homework further let’s understand what is homework. So it is the extension of the school / classwork given by school teachers to their students as some work to be done at home. It is mainly to reinforce the new skill just acquired by the child. Thus developed the concept of doing school exercises / assignments / projects at home or homework exercises, exercises that had the potential to increase the learning speed of children.
Benefits of Homework
Homework by itself has many benefits. It helps young children to improve their remembering and understanding of the concepts they learned in the classroom. It also develops important skills in young children that will even help them even after they leave their school. However, these effects of homework can be further improved by one simple thing. By parents’ involvement in homework.
Many pieces of research in the past have shown that parent involvement in homework can have a positive impact on the value of not only the child’s homework but also their learning speed and progress. Homework gives the parents a chance to show their positive attitude about the progress their child has made in school while at the same time, it also allows them to teach them about the value of obtaining success in school.
It Improves Communication
When a child’s mother and father get involved in a child’s homework, it not only improves the communication between the child and its parents but also improves the communication between the child’s parents and teacher. Getting involved with the child’s homework gives the parents an idea of what is being taught to their child and gives them an idea of the school’s expectations for its students. Moreover, it also tells the parents how well their child is performing in school.
Helps to Gauge Where the Child is Lacking
When parents get involved in a child’s homework, they get an idea of the difficulties the child is facing in their studies. A child may have difficulty explaining to its teacher where they are facing difficulties in their studies. On the other hand, a parent can better explain their child’s problems to the teacher.
Is Beneficial for the Child’s Learning Speed
You don’t need to be an expert to know that every child is unique and that no two children have the same learning speed. Every child’s learning speed is as unique as their DNA. If your child is a slow learner, you can communicate with their teacher to develop more flexible teaching programs. In case the child is a fast learner, parents and teachers can work alongside the child to develop unique ways to solve existing problems.
These tips can greatly boost the positive effects of homework on your child’s learning progress.
To further improve their learning speed, read on to know some general tips that will further boost their academic performance.
Some Practical Homework Tips for Parents
- Make sure that your child has a well-lit and quiet place to study and do homework
Doing homework in front of a television, or in a room with many distractions will hamper your child’s learning progress. Make sure that they have a quiet, well-lit and openly ventilated room to study and do their homework in. This will also improve their focus in their studies and also develop their concentration powers.
- Never let the stationary run out
Make sure that your child always has an ample amount of stationary i.e., pencils, pens, notebooks, and erasers. This will boost their morale and make them love their studies more. If they have a special project coming up, always ask in advance if they need any special materials just in case.
- Develop a fixed routine
Try developing a daily schedule for your child. This is even more important for homework. Set a fixed time each day for doing homework. Even more important is not letting your child leave homework until they complete it. The hour before bedtime is the preferred hour. Furthermore, you can devote weekend afternoons for school projects like holiday homework and assignments. This will help develop the extremely important skill of time management in your child.
- Embrace Positivity
It is extremely crucial for your child to understand how important school is for their growth. You understand the value of homework is one thing, it is important that your child understands the importance of doing homework too. A child’s perception of something is greatly influenced by its parents. If you wish for your child to have a positive outlook towards homework, you should also have a positive outlook towards it. The attitude and outlook you have towards homework is the outlook and attitude your child will also have towards it.
- You do Homework when your Child does Homework
It is very important for kids to be able to associate what they learned in class with real life. When kids realise that what they learn in class has its uses in the real world, they will start to value their studies more. To make this happen, work with your child whenever they are doing homework. When they read a book, you read something too, and when they are doing mathematics homework, you also work on your balance sheets.
- Guide them, and not Answer
Children will have doubts when they do their homework. Next time your child has a doubt while doing homework, guide them through the process instead of directly telling them the answer. When you explain the concept to them instead of directly telling the answer, your child will understand the question better in the long run.
These are a few ways which show how parents can really help their children with their homework. Partnership between parents and teachers ensures that every child receives excellent education. The parents’ role in their child’s studies is as important as that of the teacher. While the kid learns from the teacher when they are in school, at home the parent assumes this role. When they work together, the education process improves drastically and makes sure that no child is left behind when it comes to proper education.
Check out our another Article on “ How to make your child homework independent”
