Meadows Elementary

Homework Tips for Parents

Develop a homework system (time, place, plan...) that becomes a routine as soon as possible. Make study a part of this daily routine: teach your child not to cram for tests at the last minute. Study daily in short segments - 15 minutes or more daily.

As you read the homework tips below, keep in mind that patience and step-by-step management are vital to developing organizational skills in your children.
To threaten them can unravel them.
To overwhelm them can immobilize them.
Yet, to rescue them can undermine their self-confidence in their ability to take charge of their lives.

The most promising approach is to MODEL and COACH. COACH them by slowly and gradually building upon their progress and APPRECIATING every step they take towards independence.

1. CREATE AND ORGANIZE A STUDY SPACE CONDUCIVE FOR LEARNING:

Give your child choices – some children are comfortable alone in their bedroom while others will choose the kitchen table. Important criterion:

* Study in the same place everyday.
* Do work on a hard surface.
* Choose a place that is quiet, without a lot of distractions or traffic.
* Ask yourself...can you concentrate there? Is the noise level right for you?
* Turn off TV, computer games, radio, stereo, telephoneŠ
* The area should be well lit.
* Supplies should be at the fingertips.

Have your child organize his workspace or do it with him/her. There should be a storage area to keep supplies and work. Store each and every supply and other materials in its place and return things to their place after use {label areas}.

Design a study sign for the work area- showing that your child takes this serious. Encourage your child to design something creative that tells that this is your study time and ask others to stay out. Hang it outside your door or in or around the workplace when studying.

2. HELP YOUR CHILD ORGANIZE TIME:

Children need to learn to effectively manage their time- both their free time and homework time for school and life success.

* Prioritize - a good way to manage time is to make a prioritized "to-do"list so the most important tasks are completed first and the less important ones are completed last. Practice this with your child. List the activities from the time school gets out until bedtime. On a daily basis prioritize your homework assignments onto a to-do list. TIP: Do the most difficult tasks first.
* Use a Calendar to keep track of dates and deadlines. Teach your child to record information in advance so they can plan for upcoming assignments and events. A great activity is to have your child design their own personalized calendar:

Make learning time management FUN:

Directions:
* Write the name of the month on top of 12 blank calendar pages. Put them in order in a folder, section of your notebook or on a bulletin board/ wall.
* Go through each month and write the names of important events - tests, assignment dates, vacation dates, sports schedules, birthdays, party datesŠ
* Glue to a piece of construction paper and creatively decorate the background for each calendar to give it a "personal touch."
* Hole punch for notebook. If hanging, put holes at the top and string together with two loops of yarn. Then hang with paper clips.
* Each month , add important dates to your calendar.
SHORT-CUT TIP: Try color-coding events for Œat-a-glance' searching. . ie.- write homework in red, tests in blue, vacation dates in green and so on.

Make a Weekly Study Plan: Use a weekly planner to remember all kinds of information. If the school has one –use it. Transfer important events from your monthly calendar to your weekly plan. Put all assignments and due dates in it. Frame and hang it for quick reference.

Estimate how long assignments and activities will take. When a child can estimate the time it takes to complete a job, they can make good choices as to when to start. Only practice at estimation leads to accuracy.

Before each assignment , estimate how long it will take to complete. Then time yourself to see how close your estimates are. Keep a record of your progress on a chart showing: Date, Task, Estimated Time, Actual Time.

Break down big assignments into smaller parts to make time for each part. This prevents it from becoming overwhelming and discourages waiting to the last minute.

Make a 3-step plan:

1. List the "big jobs"necessary to complete the assignment. Write them in order in which they should be done: For example:

Book report on 240 page book due in 14 days.
1. Read the book, 2. Prepare the report.

2. Divide the number of days you have to complete the assignment by the number of big jobs to figure out how many days you have to complete each big job. For example:

14 days divided by 2 jobs = 7days for each job

3. Divide the big jobs into smaller parts so you can complete one small part each day. For example:

If 7 days to read the book: Day 1: 30 pages; Day 2: 35 pagesŠ

If 7 days to prepare report:Day 1:Brainstorm; Day 2 Rough Draft; Day 3: Self-edit; Day 4: Rewrite; Day 5 Mom edits; Day 6: final Draft; Day 7:Illustration and Cover.

3. HELP YOUR CHILD ORGANIZE SUPPLIES AND PAPERS

Start with Your Backpack:
Make a list of the supplies needed – pencils, pens, assignment notebook, ruler, paper , crayons, scissors, stapler, paper clips, folders.
Select a place in your backpack for books, suppliesŠ.
Get a pencil case to hold small things
Determine what goes in each compartment. What are they used for?

Your Study Space:
As noted earlier: Have your child determine: Where is it? What is it?
A desk/table in the bedroom, in the kitchen? A cabinet to store things?
What do you need there? – dictionary, pens, pencils, atlas, a place to store things.

How to Organize your materials - does all the tools have a tool box or a storage compartment in a desk Or a shelf in a cabinet?

How will the child organize paperwork? Usually the teacher will determine whether a notebook or folders will be used.

An important TIP: clean out your folders/binder at the end of each grading period.

Don't throw away those papers. File them so you have the information for later reference and to study for tests.

4. HOW TO MOTIVATE YOUR CHILD TO DO THEIR HOMEWORK

Consistently praise your child everyday for what they are doing well. Don't save the praise for A's.

Tell your child specifically what you like about what they are doing or what they have done.

A hug or a pat on the shoulder increases the messages impact.

Use Super Praise:

- one parent praises the child for behavior
- this parent praises the child in front of the other parent
- the other parent now praises the child.

Use incentives to get children motivated. Where praise is not enough, Sometimes we have to use other incentives to get them motivated. An Incentive is something that motivates a child into action. Once children start working on their own, the rewards can be phased out but make sure to keep up the praise. It is important to note that rewards do not have to be expensive. More than anything, children want their parents attention. Rewards may include watching their favorite movie together, going and getting ice cream, or going to the park.

Communicate your expectations

Tell your child clearly and firmly that you expect them to do their homework responsibly.

Give choices: ie. "Would you prefer to do your homework before or after a snack?"

Don't argue with your children. Use the broken-record technique.
i.e. "Feel free to go out to play when your homework is done." Regardless of how your child tries to test this statement - keep repeating it.

Back up your words with actionShow your child that you mean what you say and say what you mean.

Call your child's teacher if your child cannot do the homework assignments, or does not bring home assigned work.

Call your school counselor if your children will still not do their homework.