Helpful Homework Hints!
Some pointers to help manage school work at home
Create A Plan
- First, make it formal! Make a plan with your child and stick to it. Add incentives and encouragement if homework is a struggle.
- Know where to find the assignments. Students are required to write assignments in agendas. If you are not sure, check your child's website.
- You know your child, so plan a time that works best. Consider the following:
- Does your child need a break after school or is it best to start when school is fresh in their minds?
- Do you have evening activities or sports practices to work around?
- Does your child need breaks? If so, use a timer or break between subjects.
Create A Space
- The best space needs to be in a place with few distractions, but not secluded enough that homework completion can be avoided. Make sure you are close enough to check in or provide assistance.
- A flat surface, such as a desk or dining room table is a must.
- Keep materials close so time isn't wasted going in search of things. Some common items needed would be paper, pencils, erasers, highlighters, colored pencils, markers, glue sticks, ruler, scissors, tape, a stapler, and a calculator if it is needed for checking math problems.
- If technology is being used, laptop or Chrome book, make sure an outlet is close by in case the device needs charged.
Create A Way To Stay Organized
- If your team has an organization system, continue to use it. If you have questions about the system, contact the teacher for clarification.
- If you are in search of a system, start with a homework folder. Mark one side for homework that needs returned and the other as papers that were returned and are no longer needed.
- Agenda use is a must! If your child is not writing assignments in the agenda, work with your child's teacher to make a plan to encourage that they are written. Also ask the teacher for a back up method of checking assignments if something is forgotten.
- Keep subject materials in their proper place. Some teachers will ask that they be kept in a binder or in a folder. Taking a few minutes daily to ensure your child has everything in the right place will help your child build this skill.
- Clean out folders/binders when begining new units of study in school. If you want to keep materials for later use, create a "past work" folder or file to keep at home.
- Stay organized together. This can be a great bonding time between you and your child. Many children who aren't organizers naturally need this time and repetition with an adult to build the skill.
Create Positive Study Habits
- Make flash cards and foldables to review for tests. These are great quizzing tools but are also beneficial to review notes independently.
- Reading notes into Google documents gives a review practice where the child reads, says, and then can hear their notes repeated.
- Erasable colored pencils can be used to underline in books to mark important information. Once the test is complete, the student can go back and erase the marks. Just make sure ERASABLE colored pencils is indicated on the box.
- Use online resources such as Quizlet to help review.
- Stay calm and review frequently. Waiting until a day before the test creates anxiety for children and does not provide enough time to learn material well.