How to Win the Homework Wars

Much of a child's success in school depends on how well he or she does homework, and that depends largely on his or her time management skills. Teaching a child not only how to get homework done before bedtime but how to plan for short-term and long-term projects-- and still have time for a game of tag after school--will create successful patterns for the long haul.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

1. Designate a specific area where your child can do homework without distractions. Equip it with school supplies so he or she doesn't have to be jumping up to get things.
2. Buy your child a homework planner, or create a form on which he or she can record the day's homework for each subject. Check daily that it gets to school--and back--until it becomes a habit. If there's no homework, he or she can learn to write that down, too. A dry-erase board hung in the homework area is also a useful planning tool.
3. Remind your child to double-check his or her planner or homework list before leaving school each afternoon to make sure all textbooks and essential materials are in that backpack. Since this is almost impossible for many younger children, create a colorful matchbox-sized checklist to jog their memory about key tasks (check homework, bring home books, get uniform). Laminate this list, punch a hold in the corner and hang on his or her backpack's zipper-pull.
4. Designate a specific homework time to prevent procrastination. Many parents follow the time-honored rule of requiring all homework to be completed before playtime begins.
5. Map out the day's homework plan together. Foster good timemanagement skills by helping your child determine how long each subject should take and touching base on how to proceed.
6. Write any long-term assignments on a master calendar at home. See 266 Coordinate a Family Calendar. Help map out a doable strategy to complete these assignments and discuss any additional materials that might be required.
7. Schedule an appointment with your child's teacher at the beginning of each year and ask for guidance about homework. Clarify exactly what you as the parent should be checking for on your child's assignments every night. Since children obviously can't be held to adult standards, precise guidelines such as "underline any misspelled words and give your child a chance to look them up," or "make sure his name is in the top right corner and the title is centered" are extremely helpful.
8. Check on your child periodically to make sure he or she is on task. Encourage your child's questions and don't immediately jump in to solve the problem. If your child gets stuck, ask him or her to explain the problem or assignment to you. Review directions and ask if he or she remembers anything the teacher said to do. If your child is still unclear, share your thinking about how to begin and keep talking until your child starts to get it. Write a note to the teacher explaining the difficulty. Check completed homework and go over any problems or mistakes.
9. Sign any papers or tests and make sure your child packs up his or her backpack that night. The goal is to eliminate as much lastminute stuff as you can so that mornings--and afternoons and evenings--go as smoothly as possible. See 17 Streamline Your Morning Routine.

Tips & Warnings

• Homework should review concepts already taught.
• Encourage your child to tackle more-difficult subjects first--before he or she gets tired or frustration sets in.
• When reviewing young kids' homework, choose only one thing to look for: Capital letters at the beginning of the sentence, or periods at the end, or apostrophes in their proper place.
• For teaching tools and homework help, check out school.discovery.com.
• In the first week of school, ask your child to explain the homework system to you (every teacher has one). If he or she doesn't know, ask the teacher for clarification.
• If you find yourself in a homework tug-of-war, look for a homework club or hire a tutor. Tutors are helpful anytime your child is turned off by a particular subject. Sometimes the material is just a bit over his or her head and even a small bit of concentrated attention can turn the situation around.
• Depending on what grade your child is in, clarify homework expectations. Ask the teacher that if your kid puts in a solid block of time on an assignment (say an hour) but isn't able to finish it for whatever reason, will that be acceptable?