Help with homework: a parent's role

¤ Set a regular time. The best homework schedule is one that works for your child and your family. What works well in one household, however, may not work in another. For instance, one child may do homework best in the afternoon, completing it after getting back from school or after an hour of play, while another may do it best after supper. However, if possible don't let your child leave homework to do just before bedtime.

¤ Pick a place. Your child's homework area doesn't have to be fancy. A desk in the bedroom is nice, but for many children the kitchen table or a corner of the living room works well enough. The area should have good lighting and it should be fairly quiet.

Your child may enjoy decorating a special area for homework. A plant, a brightly coloured container to hold pencils and some favourite artwork taped to the walls can make homework time more pleasant.

¤ Remove distractions. Turn off the TV and discourage your child from making and receiving social telephone calls during homework time. A call to a classmate about studies, however, may be helpful.

Some children work well with quiet background music, but loud noise from the CD player, radio or TV is not OK. If you live in a small or noisy home, try having all family members take part in a quiet activity during homework time.

¤ Provide supplies. Have pencils, pens, rubbers, writing paper and a dictionary on hand.

Other supplies that might be helpful include a stapler, paper clips, maps, a calculator, a pencil sharpener, tape, glue, scissors, a ruler, a calculator, index cards, a thesaurus and an almanac. If possible, keep these items together in one place.

Computers are very good learning and homework tools. Your child can use her computer for writing reports, for getting information through the internet and communicating with classmates about homework. However, you don't have to have a computer at home for your child to do his homework properly.

¤ Set a good example. Show your child that the skills he is learning are an important part of the things he will do as an adult. Let him see you reading books, newspapers and computer monitors, as well as writing letters and e-mails, using maths to balance your cheque book or to measure for new carpeting, and doing other things that require thought and effort. Tell your child about what you do at work.

¤ Be interested. Read with your child as often as you can. Talk about school and learning activities in family conversations. Ask your child what was discussed in class that day. If she doesn't have much to say, try another approach. For example, ask her to read aloud a story she wrote or to talk about what she found out from a science experiment.

Attend school activities, such as parent days, plays, concerts, open days and sports events. If you can, volunteer to help in your child's classroom or at special events. Getting to know some of your child's classmates and their parents could provide support for you and your child. It also shows your child that his home and school are a team.

¤ Be available - but not too much. Primary school pupils often like to have someone with them to answer questions as they do their homework. However, don't do it yourself. You may want to limit your help to making sure that the assignment is clear to your child. Too much parent involvement can make children dependent.

¤ Help your child get organised. Help him make a schedule of what's due when, and put it where you'll see it often. Provide folders in which he can put his different assignments for safekeeping and to stay organised.

¤ Encourage good study habits. Discuss all the steps your child needs to take to finish the homework on time, for example: selecting a topic; doing the research from books etc.; figuring out what questions to discuss; drafting an outline; writing a rough draft; revising and doing the final draft. Plan how long this will take so there won't be last-minute cramming.

¤ Talk about the homework. This will help your child think through what she has to do and break it down into smaller, manageable steps. Ask her if she understands what she has to do and if necessary help her to understand it. Does she need to learn more about something before tackling it? Does she have the books or other supplies she needs? Ask her to explain what she has done.

¤ Look over completed homework. It may be a good idea to check that your primary or early junior school child has finished her homework. When it comes back from the teacher, read the comments.

¤ Give praise. Children need encouragement. Saying "You've done a good job" can go a long way towards motivating your child. Children also need to know when they haven't done their best work, but rather than passing critical remarks, encourage them to do better.