Wilder Elementary School

Ms. Pauline, Elementary Counselor

STEPS TO
Homework
Success
When your children do homework, they reinforce
what they learned at school and expand their knowl-
edge. But they learn more than the information in their
assignments—they also build study skills and habits
that they’ll need throughout school and life.
Here are ways you can provide support and help your youngsters
succeed with their homework.

BEFORE longer assignments first while he’s fresh and alert. He should
be able to follow most homework instructions without super-
Create a study area vision, but let him know you’re available to discuss them.
Many children work best in a special study area, such as at
Break projects into steps
a bedroom desk or the kitchen table. However, some young-
sters do better sprawling on the living room floor or sitting Encourage your
on their bed. Consider letting your child decide where he’ll youngster to use a cal-
work—he’s more likely to stay on task when he’s comfortable. endar to stay on sched-
Regardless, his work area should have adequate lighting and ule as she works on a
homework supplies, such as pens, pencils, paper, a ruler, a project. Have her divide
calculator, and a dictionary. each project into steps
and write them on the
Get assignments calendar. A science proj-
Remind your youngster that it’s her job to write down ect, for example, might
assignments in school. She may need to copy them from the include steps like:
board or write them in her agenda as her teacher talks. When develop hypothesis, con-
she gets home, check that she has the instructions and hand- duct experiment, record
outs she needs—you’ll results, write lab report.
help her get in the habit Tip: She may need your
of bringing home her help breaking assign-
assignments the day ments into chunks and
they’re given. choosing deadlines.
Make a daily plan Team with teachers
Glance over your Ask your child’s teacher about homework rules and how
child’s homework, she would like you to help (or not help) him. Find out what
and help him come kinds of assignments your youngster should expect. Provide
up with a study plan. your phone number and email address, and encourage the
You might suggest that teacher to contact you if problems arise. The sooner you are
he tackle tougher or aware of an issue, the more quickly a solution can be found.

continued

Home & School CONNECTION ®

© 2013 Resources for Educators, a division of CCH Incorporated

Steps to Homework Success Page 2

DURING AFTER
Keep a routine Check homework
Starting homework at the same time each day can make Take a moment to inspect your child’s work when he’s fin-
learning a habit for your child. Have her try a couple of differ- ished. Knowing that you will be looking at his assignments
ent times to see what works best. Possibilities include imme- increases the chance that he will finish them and do his best.
diately after school, before dinner (but after she has had time Check to see that his work is neat and complete. If you find
to play), or after dinner. several misspelled words or calculation errors, ask him to look
over it again. But you shouldn’t correct his work—that’s his
Increase concentration responsibility. Plus, mistakes show the teacher where your
Some youngsters need calm surroundings to focus on youngster needs help.
homework. Others may study better with background music.
But television is too much for anyone to ignore. Your child Boost confidence
should keep the set Praising hard work as you
off during study notice it encourages your child
time so his mind to keep learning. A warm com-
is tuned in to his ment (“Nice job on those divi-
homework. Like- sion problems”) can give her
wise, if he has a cell confidence when she tackles
phone or a handheld her next assignment. Remem-
video game system, ber, the right attitude can make a big difference!
have him turn it off and Find ways to improve
put it out of sight so that When graded homework is returned, look for the teacher’s
he isn’t distracted during notes. These tell you if your youngster understood the assign-
homework time. ment or where he went wrong. If he received a poor grade, ask
Have family quiet time him to think about the reasons. Did he copy the assignment
Whenever possible, try to match your household’s sched- correctly? Did he follow the instructions? Discovering what
ule with your youngster’s study time. If homework is done went wrong can keep him from repeating mistakes.
from 7 to 8 p.m. each day, make this a quiet time for the entire Talk about learning
family. Do paperwork or read alongside your child while she You can stay up to date on what your child is learning in
studies. This will help her stay focused. school by talking with her regularly about her homework. For
Provide support instance, during dinner you could ask, “How is your geogra-
If your youngster is stuck, guide him in the right direction phy project coming along? What have you discovered so far?”
rather than providing the answers. For example, instead of Or while you’re in the car, the two of you might look for words
answering his question, “Mom, how many feet are in a mile?” on that week’s vocabulary list and discuss their meanings.
ask, “How do you think you can figure that out?” Your child Save assignments
will learn to work independently and to problem-solve. Tip: Help your youngster create a system for filing returned
When he would benefit from your assistance, offer to pitch homework. He might keep each subject in a different color
in. For instance, you could quiz him on spell- folder. Then, he can use the papers to study for tests
ing words or multiplication facts. and quizzes. Idea: Suggest that he post ones he
Give reminders did especially well on—they can be a source
A simple prompt (“Finished that of encouragement when he struggles with
poem?”) may be all that’s needed an assignment.
to encourage your youngster to ***
complete a project. But watch Tip: The key is for you to stay
for signs that she’s frustrated involved and monitor your child’s
or seems to be spending too homework without doing it for
much time on her homework. her. With your guidance and
If she consistently has trouble encouragement, your youngster
finishing assignments, ask her will learn how to work indepen-
teacher for advice. dently and plan for success.

Home & School CONNECTION ®

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