The Mom Crowd

Your son Joey does not want to do his homework tonight. The same thing happened last night and a few evenings last week. The problem is not that he does not know how to do his work but that he just seems to be unable to focus and just get down to it. As a mother you can offer help to your son to make sure that his homework gets done, not just tonight but every night that he has it to do.

Here are some six suggestions as to how you can offer homework help for your child:

• Your child needs a special area where he can sit down and do his homework without being interrupted. It needs to be quiet and away from distractions such as the television, the computer, toys and other children in the home. The work area you set up for your child needs to have an appropriately sized desk (or table) and chair. The space that is designated your child’s area for homework does not have to be large but it does need to be peaceful.
• You need breaks when you are doing your work and so does your child. A younger child can work a short period of time before needing a break while your older child or teenager can work for a longer period of time before needing a break. Encourage your son (or daughter) to take short breaks between studying or working on school work.
• Getting your child into a routine of doing homework at approximately the same time every day when they are young will help them to develop good study habits and will be beneficial to them as they get older and as their workload increases. Building good habits should start young. Help your children in getting into a routine of homework and studying early in their lives.
• To help your child be as organized as possible buy a large sized calendar for the wall and post it near his homework area. Make this your child’s calendar for work assignments. Use a marker to write down when assignments are due and when tests are coming up. Your little one cannot forget important dates for homework assignments when you hang a big enough calendar right in front of his desk (and his eyes!). If you do this your child will never be able to use the excuse that he forgot to do his homework!
• If your child asks for your help with his homework then there is nothing wrong with you helping out- a little bit. In that way you will become well acquainted with the work he is learning in school. But you don’t want to end up doing his work for him. Proofreading his work to look for spelling or grammar errors is fine as is looking to see if his mathematical calculations are right but remember it is his work so he must do it. You can provide some mommy assistance but he is the one that needs to learn from what he is doing.
• Rewarding your child for his hard work, effort and concentration is important. If he has done his homework for the last week or two and completed it on time then find a way to treat him. Let him know that you see his efforts and praise him for that. Positive reinforcement works for everyone of all ages. Your son or daughter wants your acceptance and wants to please you. When your acknowledge that you know he or she is putting in a great deal of effort this means so much to his or her level of  self-esteem.
• As a mother you need to provide a gentle and supportive helping hand when it comes to assisting your child with his homework responsibilities. When you guide him in the right direction you can help him to develop positive study and homework habits that can see him through his entire school career.