Parents and carers often wonder how they can support a child or young person with their homework. Of course, homework expectations differ depending on the age and stage of the child and it is important to get the balance right.
Children should not be spending all their free time doing their homework as they also need time to relax and play. However, research proves that children do perform better in school if they have support from their family, so it is a good idea to set good habits early on.
Suggestions for helping your child
There are easy ways to support your child with their homework, including:
- Try to get into a good routine with homework.
- Make sure your child has a space that suits them – for some this may be a quiet space at a desk in their bedroom, for other children a kitchen table with noise all around might be better.
- Choose a homework time that works for your child – some children may want to get homework out of the way as soon as they get home. Other children may need some ‘down time’ first before they do their homework.
- Try to make sure your child has the tools to do their homework, e.g. pencils, glue, dictionary, internet access.
- Praise and encourage your child when they do their homework as this will automatically communicate to your child that schoolwork is important.
- Encourage them to complete their homework to the best of their ability but don’t put too much pressure on them as this can often have the opposite effect.
- If English is not your child’s first language, talk about their homework subject in your home language so that they deepen their understanding of the subject.
- If your child doesn’t understand the homework don’t be tempted to complete it for them. It is better to speak to their teacher and explain that they had a go but found it difficult and ask that a more suitable task be set in future.
- If you find that your child is overloaded with homework, speak to their teacher. Sometimes teachers underestimate how long homework can take – but also bear in mind when it was completed – just before bedtime when your child is sleepy may take hours longer than on a Saturday morning!
- Always aim to make homework fun and reward your child with free time when they have done their best.