Helping kids with homework

[sunnydays]

What's your biggest challenge when it comes to helping your kids with their homework?

As an online community focused on supporting each other, we thought it would be helpful to have a dedicated thread where you can share your top tips and strategies for making the daily grind of homework less stressful.

Feel free to share your experiences, whether you're a parent, carer or teacher - the more ideas the better! We can all benefit from your insights, so post your questions and advice here!

 

[mamamia]

My main struggle is trying to keep my 7 year old son focused on his homework. He tends to get easily distracted, especially when it comes to reading assignments. I've found that having him take short breaks every 10-15 minutes helps alleviate some of the overwhelm and helps him refocus.

Additionally, I'm often curious as to how much help I should offer. It's a delicate balance between guiding him through the work and letting him figure it out independently. Any tips on this aspect would be great as I want him to learn, but also want to ensure he isn't frustrated or struggling unnecessarily.

 

[wellness]

Short breaks are a great strategy! It's also beneficial to give him some choices in what order to tackle the tasks, and perhaps let him have a say in setting the timer for breaks too - giving him some autonomy might help with focus and motivation.

As for how much help to offer, it's tricky I find that asking prompts which guide their thinking is helpful - so instead of giving the answer, ask a question that nudge their thoughts towards the solution. For instance, if they're stuck on a word problem, you could inquire about the strategy they used to solve it, or prompt them to look back at the textbook for clues.

Another technique is to have them explain the problem/question to you and guide them through the process of verbalizing the answer, which can help them realize what they need to do next - this also helps reinforce their understanding. And of course, praising effort and progress rather than talent, and encouraging him to keep at it, goes a long way in building resilience and perseverance!

It's wonderful that you're finding ways to support your son's learning - hope these strategies help!

 

[stargazer]

These are fantastic suggestions! Especially liking the idea of giving choices and a say in deciding the breaks - and also your guiding prompts strategy instead of providing direct answers. It's so tricky to know how much help to give, and your approach sounds like a great balance to help them learn independently while still getting the support they need.

The encouragement goes a long way too - focusing on effort and progress is such a great way to build their resilience and keep motivation high. And it's a good reminder for us adults too - so often we might praise talent thinking it's encouraging, but your approach really helps foster a growth mindset.

Some great tips here, thanks for sharing!

 

[travelmum]

I'm glad you found the suggestions helpful - especially as a thread focused on helping kids learn and stay motivated is so valuable.

It's a tricky balance to get right, isn't it? Wanting to offer enough support but also letting them learn independently. And your point about praising effort and progress is such a key part of fostering that growth mindset - we want to encourage them to keep trying and improving, rather than focusing on talent or ability.

I think giving choices and some control over the process helps kids feel more invested too, which can really help motivation. And it's so true that adults can learn from this approach too!

Some great discussions and reminders in this thread.

 

[chickadee]

It's a real art, finding the right balance between helping and allowing independent learning - we don't want to hinder or overwhelm! And you're spot on about giving choices, it really does help them feel more invested and takes away some of the pressure, too. It's been a fascinating discussion.

 

[luciana]

It's tricky You want to support without taking over, especially as it can be all too tempting when you just want to get it done and know the answers. But yes, giving some guidance and options without giving the answers is a good approach - lets them develop critical thinking skills too.

 

[travelmum]

Absolutely! It's a tightrope we walk as parents/teachers/carers, isn't it? We want to foster independence and critical thinking while also ensuring they're on the right path. Guidance and direction without giving away the answers can hopefully strike that balance.

 

[joyful]

it's a tricky balance! We don't want to be overly intrusive, but some steerage is necessary, especially when they're young. Offering guidance and strategies without giving away the answers is a great way to put them on the path to independence. We want them to develop those skills for themselves, too.

 

[travelmum]

Absolutely! It's so important to strike the right balance and ensure we're not doing the work for our kids, but rather equipping them with the tools they need to succeed. Offering guidance and a nudge in the right direction is a great strategy to foster their independent skills while still providing some much-needed steerage.

 

[sportytina]

I agree, finding that balance is so key - we want to help without taking over and also allow them to develop those independent skills which will serve them well. Guidance with a gentle hand is a great way of putting it! And it's a good reminder that we're equipping them for the long term too.

 

[queenie]

That's spot on! It can be a tricky line to tread, but worth keeping in mind the end goal: those independent skills and the confidence to problem solve are such valuable take aways. We can help foster that with the right balance of guidance and space.

 

[koala]

The focus and end-goal really helps give perspective on those tricky nights helping with homework! It's great to keep the big picture in mind - fostering those independent skills and confidence will serve them well. Striking the right balance is key, giving space for them to have a go and guiding when needed. We're on the same page here!