{"id":28296,"date":"2018-11-16T15:07:35","date_gmt":"2018-11-16T20:07:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.backtobasicslearning.com\/?p=28296"},"modified":"2018-11-16T15:23:15","modified_gmt":"2018-11-16T20:23:15","slug":"how-to-support-your-child-with-homework","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/backtobasicslearning.com\/how-to-support-your-child-with-homework\/","title":{"rendered":"How to support your child with homework"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><b>Is homework a struggle for your child?<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0Most of us remember homework as part of our own learning experience, but not all of those memories are fond. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You might remember slaving away over a research paper while your friends were having fun, or lower grades when you missed turning in a homework assignment. You might <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">also <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">remember discovering the key to a challenging math problem during independent practice, or discovering a passion through learning what you liked to spend the most time on. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">[su_pullquote align=&#8221;right&#8221;]<span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><em><strong>Most experts agree that you can help your child be successful with homework by establishing some guidelines and routines.<\/strong><\/em><\/span>[\/su_pullquote]Believe it or not, teachers don\u2019t assign homework because they enjoy it. Most genuinely believe that homework allows for valuable practice time and extension on learning. There is <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.ascd.org\/publications\/educational-leadership\/mar07\/vol64\/num06\/The-Case-For-and-Against-Homework.aspx\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">evidence<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to support <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">both<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> the benefits of homework <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> why it might not be the best idea. Our perceptions of homework might be <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2017\/04\/25\/nyregion\/homework-ban-new-york-city-schools.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">changing<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, but right now it is still part of the routine at most schools.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Most experts agree that you can help your child be successful with homework by establishing some guidelines and routines, while also allowing them the independence to develop their own habits. One of the best ways to support a homework routine is to model the structures that help you to do your own best work.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Turn homework time into a routine that the family shares.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> In <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.psychologytoday.com\/us\/blog\/pride-and-joy\/201209\/battles-over-homework-advice-parents\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Psychology Today<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, Clinical Professor of Psychology Dr. Kenneth Barish offers the following tips for establishing a homework plan:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><b>Set aside a specified, limited, time for homework.<\/b><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> For instance, establish an early evening homework hour.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Respect your child\u2019s after-school time.<\/span> <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Immediately after school may not be the best time for homework, as many schools plan activities right after school\u2013 or your child may need some time for free play to relax.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><b>Disconnect. <\/b><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Turn off all electronics unless they are necessary for assignments. Adults can show their support by joining in.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><b>Establish community. <\/b><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Complete homework in a family place, in the kitchen or at the dining room table. Most elementary school children are able to focus best with an adult and even other children present to normalize the experience, rather than solo in their rooms.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><b>Complete your own work\u2014 but be continuously available. <\/b><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You might finish your own \u2018homework\u2019 during this time, but be present to support, encourage, and answer questions. Try to create an atmosphere where all resources\u2014 including your support\u2014 are focused on the task at hand. <\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><b>Start with the timing that feels right, and then adjust. <\/b><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If your child is unable to focus on homework for work for 30 minutes straight, start with 10 minutes, then work up to 20.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><b>Always encourage. <\/b><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Call attention to your child\u2019s every improvement\u2014 not their every mistake.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Praise generously.<\/span> <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Celebrate your child\u2019s effort and improvements, not their innate abilities. <\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><b>Assume there will be setbacks. <\/b><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Every new session is a \u2018reset\u2019\u2014 a chance to try again, and make the experience more constructive than the last round.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Be patient.<\/span> <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Often challenges with homework begin with frustration, but then develop into defiance or feelings of unfairness. Establishing a consistent routine will begin to help, but it may not happen overnight. <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A few other useful tips:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Establish a call (or text) list for each class.<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Help your child to identify three or four peers who share the same class, and exchange contact numbers. This will help when questions arise, or when they forget something they needed to complete an assignment.<\/span><\/b><\/li>\n<li>\n<p style=\"display: inline !important;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Make sure the work area is homework-friendly.<\/span><\/strong> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As many supplies as possible\u2014 \u00a0paper, pencils, glue, scissors, kleenex\u2014 should be easily within reach. Sometimes that trip upstairs to \u2018get something\u2019 is all that is needed to break focus<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"display: inline !important;\">\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p style=\"display: inline !important;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Set a realistic schedule.<\/span><\/strong> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s might be tempting to book the family calendar chock-full of fun, non-school-related activities. But children need to have some downtime, and to perceive your support in time dedicated to their learning.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"display: inline !important;\">\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p style=\"display: inline !important;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Establish (and keep) open communication with teachers.<\/span><\/strong> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You serve as part of the team that monitors your child\u2019s learning experience with homework. Attend conferences to learn about homework expectations, and communicate what you observe about your child\u2019s progress.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Many parents <a href=\"https:\/\/parenting.blogs.nytimes.com\/2015\/09\/10\/when-homework-stresses-parents-as-well-as-students\/\">report<\/a> that their children\u2019s homework causes family stress and tension, for a wide variety of reasons. If homework has turned into a battleground in your family, we can help. \u00a0<b>Back to Basics is the only call you need to make for strategies that will help your child to be successful with homework and school.<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Give us a call today at 302-594-0754, or use our<a href=\"https:\/\/backtobasicslearning.com\/contact-information\/\"> contact form<\/a> to learn more.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Is homework a struggle for your child? Most of us remember homework as part of our own learning experience, but not all of those memories are fond. We can help.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":28298,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[39,41,1323],"tags":[627,9,10,626,56,1327,1328,1329,57,13,16],"class_list":["post-28296","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-for-parents","category-for-teachers","category-resources","tag-11-tutoring-wilmington-delaware","tag-back-to-basics","tag-back-to-basics-learning-dynamics","tag-back-to-basics-learning-dynamics-wilmington-delaware","tag-homework","tag-individualized-teaching","tag-parenting","tag-parents-and-homework","tag-teaching","tag-tutoring","tag-tutors"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/backtobasicslearning.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28296","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/backtobasicslearning.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/backtobasicslearning.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/backtobasicslearning.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/backtobasicslearning.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28296"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/backtobasicslearning.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28296\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28309,"href":"https:\/\/backtobasicslearning.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28296\/revisions\/28309"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/backtobasicslearning.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28298"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/backtobasicslearning.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28296"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/backtobasicslearning.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28296"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/backtobasicslearning.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28296"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}