A Common Homework Challenge for Children and Parents

Has making sure your child has done their homework become an ongoing battle in your household?

Often the time a child arrives home is earlier than a parent, so off they go to play games, watch movies or chat on social media. The thought of the homework which needs to be done is never considered. Then, when the parent arrives home and everyone is together to grab a bite to eat, it is only later when the parent asks, “Homework done?”, and gets a crisp nod before the child races off to their room, and the homework again goes undone.

Did they or didn’t they? A parent insisting on seeing the homework at this point, and verifying the required work was completed, is only going to create a situation of resentment on the part of all involved. Here is a suggestion

A better approach might be to start the school year with a shared plan, where the child and parent know they will be getting together to review the homework every day, including Fridays. That way, homework during the school year becomes a habit and not a battle. 

Sometimes the level of difficulty with a homework question can lead to needing to research for an answer. The Internet offers some great sites which offer assistance for homework problems, offering a student of any grade a place to get answers to everyday questions about history, math, or science. For older students, there are also sites which specialize in essay writing.

Even if you already have all the answers, there are sites which can act as a fact checker, verifying you got it correct before handing the homework in during class. Along with access to an online dictionary, thesaurus, encyclopedia, atlas, and almanac, these homework assistance sites have available digital textbooks, a great help for reviewing a topic or three before a test or just improving your understanding of the topic.

Everyone learns at a different pace and in a different way, with some school subjects fun and really easy while others always seem difficult, leaving the child frustrated at their own inability to understand the concept being taught. That’s when a parent’s patience and support is so very important.

When helping them with their homework, never let your child feel you are disappointed in them, as they are doing their best, and it is up to you, their parent, to give them the extra assistance to reach that next level. Help them to take small steps involved in learning. 

A homework problem which seems so easy to solve by you may not be for your child, so plan to take a break if your child is struggling to ‘get it’ and you are feeling angry and/or frustrated as you keep explaining the steps again and again. Remember to ask your child what they see when looking at a homework problem they are struggling with, and maybe you will then be able to present to them a clearer thought path to the solution.