Now that school is in full swing, homework is, too, and lots of it! My kids are buried in mounds of books and seemingly endless assignments. So, what can we, as parents, do to help them from becoming overwhelmed? Here are a few tips that have helped me out immensely since I have long since forgotten quadratic equations and my periodic tables.
*Carve Out An Established Homework Time
This will help your child get into a routine, where homework becomes second nature in their schedule. It will also provide them with an expectation about what they should be doing before they update their MySpace page or talk on the phone
*Set Aside A Designated Homework Area
It should be a quiet, well-lit, spot with as few distractions as possible. If there is no TV or Wii beckoning your child, they will be more likely to stay focused
*Get Involved
This does not mean that you do the homework for them. By simply taking a few minutes to review their nightly homework assignments, it will help you stay on top of what your child is learning and how well you think they have a grasp of the subject matter. This way, you can offer help where they are struggling and head off a potential problem before report cards are issued
*Utilize Technology
There is a wealth of information on the Internet and with software programs.
Gone are the days where we had to trudge to the library and fumble with hefty Encyclopedias. Now, access to unlimited topics is a keypad away and will help your child with gathering information for speeches to science fair projects. I recommend a learning tool called the “LeapPad” Learning system for pre-K through -3rd grade which helps with the younger kids. For your junior high and high school kids, I recommend Microsoft Student, which can be downloaded at Microsoft.com/student. It offers a collection of homework tools and information to help students with math, science, foreign languages, social studies and language arts. My daughter particularly likes the organizational and presentation tools it provides. As a parent, I like the fact that it utilizes Encarta online encyclopedia as a source for information. It is a reliable, trusted source, where I am certain the information she is using is real and not fabricated. (Anyone can post anything on the internet…I can post to a website that the sky is green, but that doesn’t mean that it is true!) With Microsoft Student, I can rest assured that she has everything she needs to help with each of her subjects. This product couldn’t have come soon enough. I just wish that it had been around when I was in high school!
