Homework isn’t a subtle form of psychological torture meant to punish parents and students alike. Rather, it’s a way for children to review and practice what they learned in class, prepare for the next day, or extend and apply skills to complete projects that can’t be done during school.
And research shows homework holds benefits for students of all ages. According to Helping Your Child with Homework, a booklet produced by the U.S. Department of Education, in early grades homework can help kids develop good study habits and positive attitudes toward learning. In third through sixth grade, meaningful homework assignments may support improved student achievement. And students who do more homework in seventh grade and beyond score better on standardized tests and earn higher grades, on average, than peers who do less work outside school hours.
But one of the keys to reaping those rewards is having kids do the work on their own. A parent’s role should mostly be limited to providing age-appropriate support and feedback that helps children complete assignments themselves.
“Just as you are very involved as your child begins using the potty, then less involved over time, then not involved at all, that is how schoolwork should be,” says Dr. Laura Markham, author of Peaceful Parent, Happy Kids: How to Stop Yelling and Start Connecting. “At first, you sit with them while they do the work. You test them on their spelling words. You help them buy supplies for their project and plan when they will get it done. [But] you resist the impulse to make the project look more professional by doing it yourself. You read their first drafts and ask questions to help them strengthen the paper. But you never do the work for your child.”
For some families, feedback extends even into the high school years, and that’s okay. While some teens are confident writers and proficient mathematicians, others might benefit from having a parent or caregiver review works in progress. After all, even professional writers usually have editors who help them focus their thinking or polish their prose.
“In my family, our teens often gave us their first draft of a paper for feedback,” says Markham. “We would respond with feedback and questions: ‘Is your point X? because that is not clear in your introductory paragraph.’ Or, ‘You haven't really supported your conclusion well enough with primary sources.’ This does NOT mean writing the new introductory paragraph, or finding the appropriate primary source. It means giving your child feedback about how to strengthen their paper, so they can do the work.”
Here are some additional tips, taken from Helping Your Child with Homework, on how parents and caregivers can provide support without acting as a ghostwriter for their kid’s next English essay or social studies report.
Checklist for Helping Your Child With Homework
Show That You Think Education and Homework Are Important
- Do you set a regular time every day for homework?
- Does your child have the papers, books, pencils and other things needed to do assignments?
- Does your child have a well-lit, fairly quiet place to study?
- Do you set a good example by showing your child that the skills he is learning are an important part of the things he will do as an adult?
- Do you stay in touch with your child's teacher?
Monitor Assignments
- Do you know what your child's homework assignments are? How long they should take? How the teacher wants you to be involved in them?
- Do you see that your child starts and completes assignments?
- Do you read the teacher's comments on assignments that are returned?
- Is TV viewing or video game playing cutting into your child's homework time?
Provide Guidance
- Do you help your child to get organized? Does your child need a schedule or assignment book? A book bag or backpack and a folder for papers?
- Do you encourage your child to develop good study habits (for example, scheduling enough time for big assignments; making up practice tests)?
- Do you talk with your child about homework assignments? Does she understand them?
Talk with Teachers to Resolve Problems
- Do you meet with the teacher early in the year before any problems arise?
- If a problem comes up, do you meet with the teacher?
- Do you cooperate with the teacher to work out a plan and a schedule to solve homework problems?
- Do you follow up with the teacher and with your child to make sure the plan is working?
Charlene Oldham is a writer and teacher. She lives in Crestwood.
