How to help your kids with their homework 

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How to help your kids with their homework 

When you’re a parent, it can be difficult to get your kids to do their homework. Sometimes, they just don’t want to do it. Alternatively, they might enjoy doing school work, but struggle with a particular subject and get upset. No one wants to watch their child finding something difficult and losing self-confidence.   

 Many parents struggle to know how to get the right balance when helping their kids with homework. You don’t want to overstep the mark by giving them the answers, but you don’t want to watch them struggling. So, what are the best ways to help your kids with their homework?   

Formatting 

If your kids are a little older, they might be writing essays. Many kids struggle with essay writing, especially with referencing and knowing how to use the right format. So, as a parent, there’s nothing wrong with helping them to follow instructions and format their essay properly. If you’re not sure yourself, there are plenty of online tools to help. Alternatively, the teacher will have told the class what method they need to use and what the essay should look like, so your kid will probably have the information on a worksheet or in their school book somewhere (check out these breakfast ideas for back to school).  

 Proofreading 

Another way to help your kid with their homework is to proof what they have written. Whether it’s a couple of paragraphs or a full-length essay, they will benefit from another pair of eyes looking over it and checking for any mistakes. If you find any, sit down with them and talk through what they need to do to rectify. This means that they are still learning and you’re not doing all the work for them. Even if your kid is a mini genius and rarely makes mistakes, there might be a typo or two in there. They will appreciate your help and feel confident that they’ve written a great piece of work.  

Prompting 

If your kid is busy trying to learn their times tables or revising for a test, you can help them by offering clues or prompts. This way, you aren’t outright giving them the answer, but helping them to get there themselves. You can do this by encouraging your kid to make cue cards with questions and answers on each side. You can read the cue cards for them, and when they get to a question that they aren’t sure of, act out the answer or think of a way to remind them. It will be a fun activity for you both, and they’ll go to the exam remembering the clues.  

 Encouragement 

The best way to help your kid with their homework is by offering encouragement and taking an active interest. If you don’t care what your child is doing at school, they won’t either. So, by asking to look at their work and telling them how great it is, they will want to carry on performing well. Another way to keep them motivated is by adding some fun to their homework. As an example, you could use planner stickers to make the process more creative.