How to Make Homework a Happy, Harmonious Experience - Not a Hideous or Heinous Hazard!

This handout prepared for you by Carroll County School Psychologists, based on the book Seven Steps to Homework Success by Sydney S. Zentall, Ph.D. & Sam Goldstein, Ph.D.

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In many homes across the nation, the H-word is often whispered and sometimes feared. Some children break out into cold sweats at the mere mention of it and think, “I just spent seven hours there and now they want more…haven’t I paid my dues?” Parents think, “I just punched out of work and now I have to punch back in. Let’s get ready to rumble!” These are feelings and thoughts that the H-word has conjured in many a household, but fret not! Those fears are over. If you follow these simple strategies and look at the H-word as more Heavenly than Hideous, then you can escape many of the hazards associated with HOMEWORK!

Why do teachers assign homework?

First, let’s talk about what homework is. Simply put, homework is the additional activities assigned to students to be carried out during non-school hours. We prefer to look at homework as the window through which you can observe your children’s education, express positive attitudes toward your children and stress the importance of education. Homework allows students to practice skills and improve achievement. They develop personal skills like responsibility, time management, and prioritizing. Homework can provide a structured task conducive to parent-child interaction. Participation in learning tasks and exposure to broader and different material will both increase your child’s achievement.

The concept seems so easy… the teacher assigns a task and the student does it, right?… WRONG!

The homework process is actually so much more complicated and can be broken down into seven discreet skills. If your child fails to develop any one of these skills correctly it could result in bad grades.

SKILL #1- (a.) Record the assignment (correctly) and (b.) bring home the proper books and supplies.

1a. If your child experiences difficulty recording the assignment correctly, consider having a classroom buddy for your child. They can check each other’s agendas to make sure they are correct and have each other’s phone number in case something is confusing. The teacher might be able to sign your child’s agenda each afternoon ensuring that they have copied the assignment correctly. Have a plan to fall back on such as a homework hotline, classmates phone numbers, a class website or teacher number.

SKILL #4- Manage difficult or long –term assignments.

Children are easily overwhelmed by long-term assignments. They either ask for help immediately or keep putting the task off for later. Help your child set up a schedule to break the task down into manageable steps. Some strategies for handling difficult assignments include:

• Underline or use magic markers to highlight or underline parts of directions or operations in math.
• Read all headings, tables of contents, chapter questions, and bold type words. Use a highlighter.
• Make lists of important words or key points if that helps.
• Tell yourself brief summaries of reading or long written assignments into a tape recorder. Play them back and listen. Do they make sense?

SKILL #5- Maintain attention when assignments are boring.

There are two things you can do to make a dull task more enjoyable- 1.) Increase the reward a child will get when it is completed. What activities can the child look forward to? What snacks, games, or phone calls will the child be able to make when it is done? OR 2.) Change a boring task into a more interesting one. Turn it into a game format- be creative! Use a timer and play “beat the clock.” Make charts and graphs to monitor progress. Count the number of words he can read or multiplication problems he can compute in a minute. Make a train of the words he knows on index cards. Rearrange the cards to make sentences. How long is the train? Can it get all they way around the room?

SKILL #6- Check work for accuracy and thoroughness.

Make checking a habit! Complete all assignments first then go back and check them. Allow your child to use a calculator or checklist to check work they’ve already completed.

YOU might think you’re in good shape if your child has mastered skills 1-6, but you still need SKILL # 7 (and believe me there are children who breakdown at SKILL #7).

SKILL #7- Return homework to school when it is due.

Many children, forget, misplace, or miss the teacher’s instruction to turn it in. Create a “homework to turn in” folder. Place completed work in folder and place folder in backpack nightly. Remind your child and help them check to ensure all necessary work is included.

It is a tragedy when all that work is done and the child doesn’t get credit for it because it fell into the black hole that apparently exists somewhere between home and school!

Seems like a piece of cake, Right?…WRONG!

There are 15 positive parent practices that you can adhere to that will drastically improve your child’s success in the homework completion department as well as your child’s overall academic achievement (remember- more exposure and practice leads to better achievement!) Only 15 things to do… after all, we are adults! We asking the kids to practice 7 skills, I figure we can handle twice that (with one extra thrown in to set a good example for overachievement J)!

15 Positive Parent Practices to show your child you care about their education, learning and development!

1. Stay Involved- Know what your child’s class is studying, check the agenda DAILY, show up for conferences, write the teacher notes, ask questions, etc. Show your support for your child’s education, Your positive involvement in and attitude towards school will also be reflected in your child.
2. Provide Choices- Experiment with homework locations- kitchen, dining room, desk, etc. Also experiment with noise levels- some children have to have a certain degree of “noise” in the background. The more pleasant the conditions, the more your child will view it as a positive event.
3. Talk About Learning- Emphasize the importance of education and learning in all of your lives. Talk about things you’ve learned on a daily basis and find out something your child has learned today as well.
4. Plan a Daily Schedule- have a designated “homework time” early in the evening. Sandwich homework after snack time, but before play time or TV watching. Try not to deny access to important after school activities that your child may excel at, but create a schedule that fits in all tasks. Break work into segments if necessary.
5. Plan Ahead- Model a planning strategy for your child. Use a calendar for personal and family events and talk to your child about it.
6. Provide Assistance- Younger students require more assistance and feedback than older students. Also, children with learning problems will also need more assistance than those without. Be available to help, but always work “with” , not “for” your child.
7. Create a System- Be organized. Designate a space for the backpack and lunch box at home. Create a folder system for returning completed assignments to school.
8. Adapt Tasks- Sometimes it is necessary to adapt a task that may be extremely difficult for your child. Do not let your child’s weaknesses interfere with acquiring needed knowledge.
9. Don’t Change Objectives- Figure out what the goal of an assignment is. If you need to adapt a task based on your child’s weakness, keep in mind what the objective is and don’t change it so much that it interferes with the point of the lesson. For example, if your child is a poor reader, but is assigned a chapter in the social studies book to learn about George Washington, feel free to read it for him or her. The goal is to learn the content not practice the reading.
10. Use Strengths- Help your child use her strengths to demonstrate her knowledge…keeping in mind not to change the objective of the lesson. Feel free to add to the homework. Adding pictures or computer graphics can turn a boring writing assignment into a fun one.
11. Do With Not For- Help your child get started, help prioritize, clarify directions, provide support, provide incentive and rewards when necessary. Have your child teach you how to do it!
12. Use Outside Resources- Hire a tutor, develop a neighborhood study group, take turns with your spouse… consider all of your resources and use them wisely
13. Avoid Excessive Correction- Excessive correction only serves to perpetuate the view of homework as the H-word. Be sensitive when providing feedback and stay away from saying things like: “I know you can do this!” or “Oh- this is so easy” or “You did this right yesterday!” Rest assured that if your child could do it, viewed it as easy or remembered how it’s done… they would be doing it! These only serve to increase frustration. A good rule is for each correction provide at least three compliments.
14. Be Task Oriented- Recognize that it all isn’t going to be easy and we all get frustrated sometimes. Help your child problem solve through the task and provide the needed supports. Talk with your child’s teacher when he/she becomes increasingly frustrated in a certain area.
15. Help Your Child Gain Independence- Provide the scaffolding, but let your child do the work. Gradually, remove pieces of the scaffolding and teach your child how to support himself. By the middle school years homework should be completed independently, but young children require a lot of support and feedback.

One of the Best Notions in Zentall and Goldstein’s book is that of the Learning Station.

Why should you and your child build a Learning Station?

• To send the message- “Learning and education are very important!”
• To develop organizational skills and work habits that the child can use now and in the future.
• To maintain interest, reduce boredom, and help your child focus
• To increase independence and teach your child how to study!

Common Problems and How to Solve Them

My child won’t work without individual help.

• Help your child get started
• Ensure your child understands the task
• Help him or her get the materials ready
• Model problem solving when needed
• Use a timer when needed
• Be available for assistance and feedback

My child avoids work and makes excuses.

• Ensure your child has been set up for success
• Does he/she understand the task?
• Does he/she have the necessary skills?
• Have he/she had ample opportunity?
• Hold your child accountable for their choices and behavior
• Establish rules that you can agree on
• Use goal setting and reinforcement

My child doesn’t understand the work.

• Be patient and supportive
• Communicate with the teacher/school
• Enable your child to be an advocate for him/herself
• Model problem solving
• Teach your child how to ask questions and clarify
• Think in terms of the grand scheme of things and don’t sweat the small stuff.

My child is a procrastinator!

• Remember that we all do this at one time or another! Set a good example.
• Help your child learn to set goals and use a schedule or calendar
• Create checklists and “to do” lists
• Make pleasurable activities contingent on work completion
• Create a sense of “psuedo”-urgency by setting a time limit.

My child can’t finish tasks within time limits.

• Be aware that the biology of some children interferes with the ability to stay on task.
• Be sure the child knows what he/she is being asked to do and how to do it.
• Use timers and rewards. Set work production goals.
• Withhold preferred activities until goals are accomplished.

My child rushes through and makes careless errors.

• Work must be checked immediately for thoroughness, neatness and accuracy. Encourage the correction of errors.
• Emphasize that your child should their “BEST” work, not their “fastest” work.
• Provide bonus rewards and praise for neat and accurate work.
• Withhold privileges until you are satisfied with effort level.
• Be sensitive to disabilities. Remember your child’s skills and abilities.

My child says, “I can’t do it!” or “I’m just dumb!”

• Low self-confidence leads to future failure which just reinforces this kind of thinking.
• Understand your child’s abilities and avoid unreasonable pressure.
• Put your child on a diet of successful experiences and praise.
• Focus on strengths rather than weaknesses
• Communicate with the teacher

My child complains, “School is boring!”

• Create a balance between work and fun. Ask your child how he can make the work more fun.
• Encourage choices and high interest topics.
• Be realistic about why they are learning things relate them tasks to the real world.
• Use rewards.
• Have a funeral for the word boring!

This handout prepared for you by Carroll County School Psychologists.