Summer has come to a close, a new school year has begun, students and parents alike must get back into the groove of another school year and nightly homework.
Students who struggle with academics oftentimes find homework to be another time of the day when their struggle is reinforced. This struggle often throws a household into chaos, however with the proper tools and skills, parents can help their students become confident in their daily homework routine.
Many parents find that when asking their child if they have homework, the answer often is “No.” To avoid this frequent problem, instead you, the parent, might ask your child about their homework; or give them some time to think about their homework, get it, and meet back at the kitchen table in 10 minutes. Once establishing what needs to be done, support your child with assignments they find challenging. To help both yourself and your child, have a conversation with your child’s teacher on how to assist your child during homework time.
During the specified homework time, make sure to provide an environment conducive to success, make sure to intercept friends wanting to play or calling on the phone. For many students who have learning challenges, sitting and focusing on homework for a prolonged amount of time is difficult; to help avoid this issue, split up homework time. For example, have them work on an assignment for 20 minutes, take a break for five minutes and come back to the next assignment.
With all of today’s extracurricular activities and appointments, the perfect homework place is not always available. In this case take advantage of orally practicing multiplication tables with your child while driving or practicing phonics, sight words and vocabulary in the waiting room.
By implementing these practices into your child’s homework schedule, you will help your child gain confidence in him or herself. A child working on mastering challenging standards enjoys seeing growth so keep a simple graph at home to help track their progress. When a student sees evidence of improvement, they will be able to see how their hard work at home pays off and the chaos will become calm.
For more information, please contact April Saylor at 661-305-0820 and visit www.compassionatesolutions.com