5 Tips to Make Homework a 100% Success

Posted on by Blair Maurer. This entry was posted in Life Events and Changes. Bookmark the permalink.

Homework. It doesn’t have the best ring to it, does it? But it’s essential! Ever wonder how to improve and energize the process for your child?

Now that the school year is getting hectic with holidays and tests, I asked UW Professor of Psychology Dr. Liliana Lengua what habits she recommends for homework success. She offers some wonderful, practical ideas:

It’s incredibly useful to get on top of homework habits early, when our children’s homework load is relatively light, as the habits they form early on can buttress their success when homework loads get harder. Establishing these habits will support our children in being more independent, so that parent help will be needed mostly for challenging academic content and less for getting the work done.

The goal is to establish consistent patterns around the timing and structure of homework so that, over time, children can work independently. Try establishing these habits:

  • Select a regular, quiet, comfortable place. This helps put your child in the frame of mind to work more efficiently. An example is the dining room table where you can easily monitor your child. Observe them, and redirect their attention when it wanders. (Avoid having them shut themselves in their rooms as they can be easily distracted by toys, electronic devices, etc.)
  • Choose a time that works most days. After a snack and play break, have children get started with their homework soon after they get home. This encourages the habit of getting right to work. If there are activities scheduled right after school, then homework can start after that. But the more regular the timing, the less likely there is to be a struggle around getting started.
  • Define an order in which they do their work. If the daily homework is math, spelling, and reading, then try to do the assignments in that same order every day. This helps your child learn to independently transition from one assignment to the next with less structuring from you.
  • Ask your child to start by writing a checklist of work that needs to be done. That way, the list of things to do and the order in which to do them is established. Children can then monitor their own progress through the list. It can be very rewarding to check things off and to see the items dwindle down with each check.
  • Build in refreshing breaks. It’s hard for anyone to work straight through for an hour or more. A 5-minute break between subjects or once every 20-30 minutes is ideal. The goal is to energize the body and the brain. Spurts of physical activity, time outside, listening to music, or conversing with a parent or sibling can help a child return to their homework with renewed focus.

Establishing these habits will take more support and structure from parents at the start. There may be struggles or arguments at the beginning, but maintaining consistency with the plan (don’t cave in or give up!) will help reduce those struggles over time.

So…now you’re ready to guide your child toward their own success. Ready for more tips from Dr. Lengua? Check out this video on mindful parenting from her presentation with Dr. Kerns at the Center for Child and Family Well-Being:

Do you have any helpful homework tips of your own? Please share below.