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• Tips for parents 

 
Many parents ask for advice on how to get their children to complete their homework. This can be a cause of stress in many homes. So what can you do to make life easier for both yourself and your child and also make sure that the homework gets done?

The first thing you can do is to talk with your child’s teacher or other parents in the class to check what the recommended time that should be spent on homework each night is. Then try to change homework into a more positive experience.

The important thing to remember is that the homework is your child’s responsibility and not yours. While you can be in the room and help if they are really having difficulty, you cannot do your children’s homework for them. Your child has to take the responsibility for their own homework. A couple of things you can do are:

Make sure they have a good place to do their homework
Do not allow distractions such as TV or Playstation
Try to stick to the same time each day, not too late so they are not too tired.
Limit the time they spend on the homework to that recommended by the teacher.
Encourage them as they work but give them space to do the homework themselves.
Let them have a reward when the homework is complete (TV, Playstation etc.)

If you have an older child in secondary school, extra time to study may be important. Try to take an interest in the subjects they are covering and offer advice on ways to study etc. You might also take time to help them research the internet for any projects they may have.

Finally, encourage your children as they study, highlighting not only any success they have but also the efforts they put in. Remember, encouraging and acknowledging their efforts is most important.

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