If your child has a learning disability, start talking now about the after school routine. A balanced routine will keep your child from feeling overwhelmed with school work, extra curricular activities, and household chores.
Get the Homework Facts Make sure that you have a system for getting the assignments that will be due. Some students use an assignment notebook. Some teachers post daily assignments on their class web page. The further in advance that you can know about the big assignments, tests, and quizzes the easier it will be for you to plan the homework time.
Set Up the Routine
Make sure that your child has some down time and a snack after school. No one can just keep working without a break. Let your child get his mind off of school for a while and work off some physical energy before plowing into the homework.
Strive for Independence Make sure that your child understands his assignments. Once you are sure, have him try the work on his own. The goal is to see what he understands, not to get a perfect paper.
Let the Internet Help
If your child is working on math facts or s particular kind of math problem (area, perimeter, telling time, etc.) you will be able to find great practice sites on the Internet. Check our which ones are at an appropriate level for your child’s skills. Remember to use the sites sparingly, for short periods of time to make sure that your child doesn’t get burned out from working that way. The Internet is not a substitute for working with an adult and working things out with paper and pencil.
There is another cautions with the Internet as well. In some instances, kids try to beat the system on Internet practice games, just hitting any key to get a correct answer and not really doing the work.
Montior Your Child’s Study Time In general, your child should not have more than a couple of hours of homework. Sometimes there will be situations (tests, large projects, etc.) when the time goes over. If it is routinely a long night of work, consult your child’s teacher. It is possible that study time at school is not being used or that too much time is focused on one or two areas. Your child’s teacher will be able to give your suggestions that are specific to your child.
Plan ahead for your child’s homework success. Talk about the homework routine so that he has a chance to get a mind set for a great homework year.
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