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Because of the coroยญnยญavirus panยญdemยญic, 2020 was a difยญfiยญcult year all across the globe, but perยญhaps in no setยญting were those difยญfiยญculยญties more magยญniยญfied than at home, when parยญents were tryยญing to help their chilยญdren underยญstand and adapt to remote learnยญing and how they could get their homeยญwork done and sent to school.The classยญroomsโ superยญvised setยญting vanยญished durยญing the panยญdemยญic in many counยญtries, and parยญents were forced to guide chilยญdren through lessons while sitยญting at, perยญhaps, the dinยญing room table after supยญper. It wasยญnโt ideยญal for anyยญone, as eduยญcaยญtors, chilยญdren and parยญents quickยญly discovered.Now, thanks to pubยญlic health meaยญsures like social disยญtancยญing and mask-wearยญing, along with the roll-out of vacยญcines right around the world, kids are gradยญuยญalยญly going back to school for their in-perยญson classยญes, and just about everyยญone has breathed a huge, colยญlecยญtive sigh of relief that, for the most part, things are getยญting back to some kind of normal.That means that your chilยญdren are, once again, bringยญing home homeยญwork, and theyโve got to get it done and subยญmitยญted often by the folยญlowยญing day or week.They may not be seeยญing their teachยญers online anyยญmore, but they still have to comยญplete assignยญments outยญside of a school setยญting. And that means that the dinยญing room table might still be the spot they land in order to get that work done in the evening. Is that ideยญal? How can you help? Whatโs the best stratยญeยญgy for seeยญing to it that your chilยญdren sucยญceed, parยญticยญuยญlarยญly after such a tough year in 2020?
Weโve got some sugยญgesยญtions for you, ideas that can help your chilยญdren sucยญcessยญfulยญly comยญplete their homeยญwork with as litยญtle aggraยญvaยญtion โ from them and you! โ as possible. Try a few (or all), and youโll see your child is calmer, more effiยญcient at homeยญwork, and just genยญerยญalยญly less stressed out about school. And thatโs a good thing, right?
1) Give Them An Area Thatโs All Their Own When Itโs Homework Time
Your child (or teen) needs to be able to comยญpleteยญly focus on the tasks at hand. That means no teleยญviยญsion blarยญing in the corยญner that pulls away their attenยญtion and disยญtracts them.If you canโt set them up in their own study or den, design a corยญner in their bedยญroom that has a desk, good lightยญing, and a shelf for books. While they are workยญing, be sure their devices are only used for research, i.e., an Engยญlish comยญpoยญsiยญtion that requires citยญed sources is a fine use of the Interยญnet, but using their phone to stream music while theyโre studyยญing is a big no-no. Whether they agree or not, whether they moan or not, youโve got to be strict on this point. Remind them that the soonยญer they focus, the soonยญer theyโll finยญish โ that helps motiยญvate them!
2) Talk To Their Teachers If There Are Problems or Concerns
Does it seem that your child is strugยญgling to underยญstand an assignยญment or comยญplete it? Natยญuยญralยญly, you donโt want to do the work for them, but itโs vital that you underยญstand the task and what is expectยญed of your child.If they canโt explain it to you, chances are they donโt underยญstand it themยญselves, and thatโs when it is time for a word with their teacher. Make it clear that you are not interยญferยญing with the teacherโs lessons or expecยญtaยญtions; simยญply explain that your child is havยญing a difยญfiยญcult time and go from there.
3) Ensure They Have All the Resources They Need
For a child to become indeยญpenยญdent, origยญiยญnal thinkers, they need access to more resources than just the Interยญnet. They need books!Getยญting them into the habit of readยญing earยญly on in life means they are more likeยญly to remain to be readยญers latยญer on when they need to do research (for examยญple) for a term paper durยญing senior high school or college.Good study habits develยญoped earยญly become lifeยญlong, makยญing it easยญiยญer for them to sucยญceed at eduยญcaยญtion no matยญter how many years they spend at university.
4) Monitor Them From a Distance and Motivate Them at Every Opportunity
Chilยญdren hate feelยญing that their parยญents are hovยญerยญing over them at homeยญwork time, but there are moments when they genยญuineยญly need some help.Encourยญage them to ask when those moments arise, and if you (or your partยญner) canโt help, turn to a source who can. Simยญply askยญing the teacher for clarยญiยญfiยญcaยญtion on an assignยญment is often enough. But if your child needs more help in one or more subยญjects, conยญsidยญer hirยญing a tutor one or two days a week. Tutors are worth every penยญny of their fee, and itโs an investยญment in your childโs scholasยญtic future.
5) Develop a Schedule, And Has Your Child Stick To It
Some kids, parยญticยญuยญlarยญly teenagers, take a casuยญal approach to homeยญwork, squeezยญing in an hour of it before supยญper or after a sports practice.That is not the ideยญal way for them to get the work done conยญsisยญtentยญly. Instead, help them decide when they are at their โattenยญtive bestโ for homeยญwork: right after school, before dinยญner? After theyโve had an after-school snack?Or latยญer in the evening, after dinยญner but before going to a movie with friends? Design this schedยญule with their input, and insist that they stick to it.Othยญerยญwise, assignยญments will pile up, and before they know it (and you!), theyโll be workยญing all day Sunยญday just to get the homeยญwork finยญished. And chances are it wonโt be of a qualยญiยญty that earns high grades because itโs been rushed and maybe sloppy!
6) Explain How HomeWork Applies To Life Lessons
Doing homeยญwork is a chore to many kids, parยญticยญuยญlarยญly when they become teenagers and would rather be out with their friends or on their social media accounts.You might hear someยญthing like this: โwhy do I need to learn spelling when my comยญputยญer has a spellcheck function?โExplain that spellcheck and gramยญmar check on comยญputยญers only gets them so far and that knowยญing these skills is vital for their future careers.Give them an examยญple of that imporยญtance in conยญcrete, simยญple terms theyโll underยญstand. For examยญple: when they fill out their first job appliยญcaยญtion, chances are they wonโt do it with a lapยญtop handy, and theyโll have to rely on their own skills to do a good job.Kids take to homeยญwork betยญter if and when they underยญstand how it applies to โreal life.โ
7) Resist The Urge To Do It For Them.
Every parยญent in the world has the impulse to check their chilยญdrenโs homeยญwork and corยญrect misยญtakes they might find there. Big misยญtake!Going through a docยญuยญment and helpยญing them underยญstand where errors are is one thing. Fixยญing those errors and rewritยญing the docยญuยญment, or writยญing down the corยญrect soluยญtions for math homeยญwork, just so the child gets a terยญrifยญic grade, is anothยญer thing entirely!Allowยญing your son or daughยญter to earn an โhonยญest Bโ rather than an โassistยญed Aโ sets a far betยญter examยญple for them, and they will be truยญly proud of the work if theyโve done it on their own. Chilยญdren may not be out of the nest while theyโre in school, but the more you fosยญter indeยญpenยญdent thinkยญing and work, the betยญter off they will be in school and life. That even means allowยญing them to fail once in a while if they must!Makยญing misยญtakes and failยญing can be vital tools for learnยญing someยญthing thorยญoughยญly, though admitยญtedยญly, it can be hard on everyยญone. But if your child fails an assignยญment once, chances are they will not want to repeat the expeยญriยญence and will try hardยญer next time. And that, in itself, is a valuยญable lesson.
Last but not least
Doing homeยญwork is an imporยญtant part of your childโs eduยญcaยญtionยญal develยญopยญment, and while you should keep an โarmโs lengthโ attiยญtude to it, itโs imporยญtant that you set them up to succeed. Make sure their enviยญronยญment is conยญducive to learnยญing. Help them if they ask for it, but donโt solve probยญlems for them โ demonยญstrate how they can solve them instead. If you are truยญly worยญried about an assignยญment, conยญtact the teacher and get it sortยญed out.Give your child the resources they need, and then let them get to it. And donโt hovยญer! Once all the eleยญments are in place โ peace and quiยญet, good lightยญing, a desk, and no disยญtracยญtions โ your child has all the tools at their finยญgerยญtips to do well on homeยญwork. Just stand back and let them get on with it!
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