Good Homework Habits
ABC
Life Literacy Canada offers 10 tips on how to make homework a part of
your family’s daily routine. Establishing good homework habits for
younger children helps them develop effective study skills for high
school and beyond.
- Have a specific – and limited – time each
day for homework. An hour should be enough for younger children. Early
in the evening is best, so that when homework is done there is still
time for play. Starting later means rushing to get finished before
bedtime, when kids may become too tired to concentrate.
- Have a
regular place for homework. For older kids somewhere “quiet” might be
best, but younger kids often do better in a common area like the kitchen
or at the dining room table, with an adult nearby.
- Limit
distractions and temptation. Turn off the TV, cell phones and other
electronics during homework hour – for the whole family.
- Parents
can do their own routine tasks during homework hour, but should be
readily available to help, encourage, and answer questions. But don’t do
their homework for them!
- Start with the hardest subject first, since it will probably take the most time and effort.
- Kids can become overwhelmed with big assignments or projects. Parents can help them break the project down into smaller steps.
- When
kids resist or delay doing homework, parents can help motivate them by
using positive language (“When you finish your homework, you’ll be able
to …”) instead of negative language (“If you don’t finish your homework,
you won’t be able to …”).
- Kids have different learning styles,
and parents can help them develop effective methods for doing their
homework. However, if homework is a constant struggle, talk to the
teacher.
- Show kids how the skills they are learning relate to
real life. For example, if a child is learning math, collect receipts
from the supermarket and calculate the weekly or monthly cost of your
groceries.
- Don’t limit family learning to homework hour. Make learning a part of daily life by embracing everyday learning opportunities.
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