All parents want to see their children succeed and excel in their student careers. Nothing is more vital than your child’s education. How to know when they need your guidance and being able to provide encouragement and stability is a parent’s first priority.
Should parents help with homework? It can be tough for some moms and dads to resist. Your instinct is to help shape and guide your child, but too much help can be damaging in the end. The learning programs are designed to include homework assignments to help teach independent working and student independence.
As a parent, it can be tough to sit back and watch your child struggle with an assignment but there are still things that you can do to gently help them on their way. Staying involved is important to teach your child about accountability, proper planning and the rewards of a job well done.
Stay Engaged
Just because you won’t be answering the homework questions yourself, doesn’t mean that you can’t stay involved in the process. Your encouragement and guidance can help your child to stay focused and motivated through the process. Stay updated on homework listings through your school’s online platform and know the schedule for larger projects. Discuss your child’s plans for tackling their homework assignments and stay interested in their progress. Ask about new and upcoming assignments and help your child with brainstorming new ideas.
Create A Homework Space
You don’t need to dedicate an entire room to homework, but creating a quiet homework space that your child can work in with minimal distractions is a great way to help them succeed. Choose a place that has good lighting, is away from the TV or busy areas of your home and make sure that they have all the supplies they will need at hand. Create an area that can be used regularly and your child will be more likely to have better concentration, focus, and productivity with this routine.
Don’t Get Too Involved
When your child has questions about their homework, it’s always ok to address their issues. This can help you discover your child’s strengths and weaknesses as well as their method of learning. The thing to avoid is the impulse to do it for them. Robbing them of the learning process can lead to less engagement and lower grades. Instead of giving answers, help guide them on a discovery path to the answers on their own.
Hire A Tutor
If you find that your child is struggling in a subject, you can think about having a specialized tutor come in for extra guidance. As a parent, homework time can be stressful especially when you are dealing with unfamiliar subjects. Many parents are unfamiliar with many of the newer teaching techniques and this can cause confusion and tension. Bringing in a proper instructor can be a great solution for any kids that need more attention.
Use Web Resources
With kids being more computer literate than many adults, don’t forget to utilize all the available learning and teaching tools on the web. From focused learning to research resources, set your child up to know how to use these tools to help themselves. Everything that your child could need including worksheets, specific research topics, YouTube instructional videos and tutorials for each grade is available with just a click.