Tips on Homework For The Best Success:
work at home parent dilemma!
Jodie Lynn
www.ParentToParent.com
Homework success for many work at home parents can leave the whole family baffled as to why their routine is failing. Try these tips for the best success.
Most children need a quiet and well-lit area to do homework. Not always! Some can concentrate with music in the background while singing along. How can that be true? No one knows. There are different learning styles for different kids.
Some kids learn well by sitting down and doing it all at once. Some learn and can retain more by taking mini breaks every 20-minutes or so. Children with ADD or ADHD make need to take breaks more often.
If your child has more than 15-minutes of homework per grade - check it out. For example, 15-minutes times 3 (for third grade) is 45 minutes. If it's more than that, unless your child has a learning disability, or is working on a school project, it's time to go ask questions.
Talk with the teacher about what's up and why is there so much homework. Work with the teacher to get this under control.
Don't do the homework for your child just to get it done. Let the child complete his own assignment and learn from his own mistakes. This is how the teacher checks to see what a child knows or doesn't know. If a parent does the homework for the child, the teacher will not know that the student needs additional help and is not prepared to move to the next level. If she thinks he is making great grades and moves on to the next level, it will only cause more headaches at home, deplete the child of self-esteem, and build more resentment on you both.
As we all know, make sure everything your child needs is right there so he will not have to get up and down and lose his train of thought.
The second session of school, right now, is a new beginning to catch up and move forward in getting those grades back up to where they need to be.
It is imperative to get those good homework habits in line and any questions answered right away. There are only a few months of school left and it's time to address your child's needs as soon as possible.
Don't forget to go in and volunteer. You will be getting a bird's eye view and gathering firsthand information. There's so much that can cause a child to not do well in school. Here is a mini list of some the things parents often times overlook. Go over them and ask yourself if any one strikes a chord with your situation.
Lack of motivation for good grades:
Learning disability
Being bullied
Depression
Being constantly teased about clothes or hygiene
Feeling sick due to dust and mold in class
Classroom is too noisy
Classroom is too hot or too cold
Classroom has too many windows
Hearing challenge (get hearing checked)
Blackboard (eye sight needs to be tested)
Runny nose - (allergies need to be addressed)
Not getting enough sleep at night
Over scheduled
Hates going to after school program
Not enough attention at home
Divorce
Unsettled home environment
Poor nutrition
Jodie Lynn is an internationally syndicated parenting/family columnist. Her latest book is
Mommy-CEO, revised edition, Martin-Ola Press
. (It's not just for moms!) Please see
ParentToParent.com
for more details. 2004 Jodie Lynn. Permission granted for use on DrLaura.com.
