Blog: How to help children with homework!
How To Help: Provide Guidance The basic rule is, "Don't do the assignments yourself." It's not your homework--it's your child's. "I've had kids hand in homework that's in their parents' handwriting," one Washington, DC-area eighth-grade teacher complains. Doing assignments for your child won't help him understand and use information. And it won't help him become confident in his own abilities. It can be
hard for parents to let children work through problems alone and learn from their mistakes. It's also hard to know where to draw the line between supporting and doing. Different teachers have different ideas about the
best way for parents to provide guidance. Here are a few suggestions with which most teachers agree:
Figure Out How Your Child Learns Best.If you understand something about the style of learning that suits your child, it will be easier for you to help her. If you've never thought about this style, observe your child. See
if he works better alone or with someone else. If your child gets more done when working with someone else, he may want to complete some assignments with a brother or sister or a classmate. (Some homework, however, is meant to be done alone. Check with the teacher if you aren't sure.) Other things to consider about learning style: Does your child learn things best when she can see them? If so, drawing a picture or a chart may help with some assignments. For example, after reading her science book, she may not remember the difference between the tibia and the fibula. But by drawing a picture of the leg and labeling the bones, she can remember easily. Does your child learn things best when he can hear them? He may need to listen to a story or have directions read to him. Too much written material or too many pictures or charts may confuse him.
Does your child understand some things best when she can handle or move them? An apple cut four or six or eight ways can help children learn fractions. (taken from: kidsource.com)
How To Help: Provide Guidance The basic rule is, "Don't do the assignments yourself." It's not your homework--it's your child's. "I've had kids hand in homework that's in their parents' handwriting," one Washington, DC-area eighth-grade teacher complains. Doing assignments for your child won't help him understand and use information. And it won't help him become confident in his own abilities. It can be
hard for parents to let children work through problems alone and learn from their mistakes. It's also hard to know where to draw the line between supporting and doing. Different teachers have different ideas about the
best way for parents to provide guidance. Here are a few suggestions with which most teachers agree:
Figure Out How Your Child Learns Best.If you understand something about the style of learning that suits your child, it will be easier for you to help her. If you've never thought about this style, observe your child. See
if he works better alone or with someone else. If your child gets more done when working with someone else, he may want to complete some assignments with a brother or sister or a classmate. (Some homework, however, is meant to be done alone. Check with the teacher if you aren't sure.) Other things to consider about learning style: Does your child learn things best when she can see them? If so, drawing a picture or a chart may help with some assignments. For example, after reading her science book, she may not remember the difference between the tibia and the fibula. But by drawing a picture of the leg and labeling the bones, she can remember easily. Does your child learn things best when he can hear them? He may need to listen to a story or have directions read to him. Too much written material or too many pictures or charts may confuse him.
Does your child understand some things best when she can handle or move them? An apple cut four or six or eight ways can help children learn fractions. (taken from: kidsource.com)
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