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Five tips for Children�s Homework

School is well underway and your children are constantly bringing more and more books home, they are studying for tests more often, and the constant of being tired from a long day is no help when trying to get their homework completed.  Here we are going to go over a few tips and ideas that can very well help you get through that constant homework, that nightly �teeth� pulling so you can help you child keep their good grades!

One thing that is going to �for sure� help you no matter how much homework or how much extra activity is going on at home is that you establish a schedule. For example, no television until homework is done, no one eats supper until homework is done, or homework is done right after supper but before anyone goes to play outside or with the computer. 

Your child�s homework is most likely about one quarter of their overall grade, so establishing a guidance system for when homework should be done will help them learn better studying habits, plus there will be less arguing when the children �know� it is study time and not a time to be chatting on the telephone.

A second tip that is always handy is that you also get in the habit of a quiet time so you are available for your children when they are doing their homework.  This quiet time could be when you read the paper everyday, when you pay the bills, as you read the mail, or possibly reading your email, or even doing the dishes. 

The extra time that you put towards your children�s homework will reward them with better grades, better study habits and an overall sense of security that they can come to you if they have a question while they are doing their homework.

What are you going to do when your child has a test the next day?  Depending on the subject, you can use your time and their homework time wisely to help them get a good grade on that test. If you are studying for a spelling test, make your child write their words two times each and then, you can ask them the words that will be on the test while they take a practice test.  The questions that they get wrong they will need to rewrite two more times each, and you keep doing this until your child feels very comfortable knowing their spelling words.

If it is a science, reading, or history test, you can ask questions from their notes or workbook until they have mastered all of what you feel is important on the test so they are very prepared for this test.  Test grades are difficult to bring �up� after having a bad test grade and these test grades are a large portion of their overall grade, so your help in preparing for a test will surely benefit your child�s progress in school.

Even if your child is older, you can help them with their homework by listening to them. Sometimes when a child, or a teenager, is having a difficult time with their homework simply saying the problem out loud gives them the ability to find an answer or you can suggest how to find an answer. Ensuring that your child has access to books, newspapers, magazines, the library or even just a computer � is all going to help get their homework done and in on time.  Many schools even have online tutoring and/ or question and answer sessions each evening to help children through homework when they are �stuck� which is a big help too.

One last item to be tackled when you are discussing homework, children and the how to � you should have an area set up for your child or children so that they can focus on their homework, and where you can see them doing their homework and not just playing around.  If your children are constantly doing their homework in their rooms, they could be reading comics, playing the game boy, or just taking a nap instead of doing their homework.  Having your child do their homework at the kitchen table, in the living room on the floor or in the family room at the desk is going to be a great method for teaching learning habits.