Getting involved with homework can reap rewards, writes Helen Currie.
How much should we help our children with homework and projects? Generally, most of us race from work to extra lessons, to sport, to the shops, to home with a million chores, not leaving much time for even signing the homework book, never mind helping with homework. But is this right? Should we be involved, and if so, how much?
There is no right or wrong answer regarding helping with homework. Homework allows parents to see what is being taught at school, and one of the reasons for homework is to teach your children how to work on their own. But, it’s not your homework, so don’t do the homework for your child. Your role is to help, advise and guide them and to plan and make suggestions.
Here’s how:
Reading is the most important aspect of learning, and affects everything we do in life. Encourage your child to read on their own every day, but at the weekends spend time listening to your child reading.
Tests often stress children because it’s too much work at one time. Help to form a study plan, spreading the workload over a number of nights, allowing time for testing and revision.
Where you can, turn learning into a game. For instance, write the different colours in Afrikaans on a piece of paper and stick on the bedroom wall. Then when dressing each morning your child can say them out loud.
Orals can be a rather frightening experience, but also a good life skill to master. Let your child prepare, practice and perfect at home, which will build confidence for the class presentation. Stress the importance of making eye contact and not burying their head in their notes.
Projects mean researching, writing and planning, and usually a chance to improve their marks. Help choose a topic, chat about where to do research, then allow your child to write a rough draft on his own, which you can correct. Discuss how the project will be presented – this is very important.
Getting into a habit of encouraging and overseeing homework each day, testing, guiding, supervising and showing interest in what your child is learning, will ultimately form a solid foundation in junior school which will see them through high school and beyond.
A parent’s job is never done, but being involved – and not actually doing the work – will pay off.