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Parenting

19th Sep 2015

Top Tips to support your child with homework

Sinead Brady

From the moment your child starts school it is important to acknowledge that homework time is going to be a permanent fixture in your afternoons for a long long time.

This is a time when you have the chance not only to look through and sign off on your child’s school work but also help them both understand, learn and care about what they are doing. A good homework routine will benefit them in so many ways in the coming years, and there is no time like the present to get this started.

Here are four great tips by Career Psychologist and Educational Consultant Sinead Brady on how to best support and help your children with their homework:

1. Show an interest

Let your child know you are interested in their homework by always checking their journal to find out what homework they have for that evening. Have a chat about the topic they are doing their homework on, and ask if they things that they are reading and writing about.

Also try to find out if he or she has done this type of work before, stay close when they are doing their homework, and make sure you ask to look at it when it is finished. This way your child will feel not only that you are there to help should he need it, but also that you are taking an interest in what they are doing in school.

2. Start a Study Space

Start a study space for your child from the very first day he or she child starts school. This area should be a dedicated space for homework and study. It needs to have a desk and a chair, similar to what they might be used to from school.

TIP: IKEA has great and affordable options for children’s desks and chairs.

Remember that this space should be free from distractions. The TV should be turned off, and no radio or music playing in the background.

A study space gets your child into the routine of doing homework in a school type environment, but it also means that there is one place specifically designated for homework in your home. Once homework is finished, the area is tidied up and left until the next day. This is a great way of making a distinction between home and school, something that is particularly important for children who are anxious, and who might worry about or struggle a little in school.

3. Support your child, but don’t do their homework

While you might sometimes be tempted to get it out of the way, you need to be able to support your child with their homework without actually doing it. Your child needs to take their time in order to reinforce school-based learning at home. You doing their homework for them is of no value in the long run.

Talk to your child’s teacher to see what role they would like you to play in your child’s homework. Some teachers do not want children to get help, but rather just see how children cope working alone. Other teachers are of a different mindset and want you to play a role in helping your child do their homework.

4. Relate what homework to everyday life

Check your child’s journal to see what they are doing in class. This gives you a head’s up on what topics they are covering in class right now. You can then relate school activities to everyday activities, something that will be of great benefit to their learning process. For example, if your child is doing fractions in maths, the next time you are having a pizza, you might talk about cutting it in half, quarters, etc.

Use everyday situations to reinforce what they are working on in school. Letters, colours, maths, reading, adding, subtracting, it can all be taken to the park, into the kitchen, turned into a game and made fun. Only your imagination is stopping you here.

To make Irish relevant, you might turn on TG4 to listen to the rugby game, or listen to students in Irish Colleges singing modern songs as Gaeilge.

Sinéad Brady is a Career Psychologist and Educational Consultant working in career guidance and education support roles for over 12 years. She has endless knowledge of the Irish Education System and making positive career choices. Catch up with her advice on Twitter, on Facebook or on acareertolove.com

Topics:

help,homework