Strategies and Solutions to Common Homework Issues – Part 3

Homework issues are a common topic of discussion among parents. The goal of many parents is to simply learn strategies to support their child with issues that affect homework success while facilitating important life skills. Previous posts have discussed study, organization, time-management and academic skills. Today’s post will focus on strategies to help with four additional issues affecting homework success:

• Perfectionism
• Overload
• Inflexibility
• Anxiety

Perfectionism

• Observe specific actions/issues that interfere with completion of homework and address one issue at a time with your child before doing homework.
• Review the purpose of a task with your child before s/he begins work.
• A timer and a specific amount of time to do a task helps some children who spend too much time with reviewing, revising, rewriting, or sitting and “thinking”
• Sometimes simply asking the right question might help: “Can you finish your work in less time today and still do quality work?
• Give less choices and/or make choices for your child, when appropriate.

Overload

• Help your child with the extra challenge of finding the best way to creatively work a consistent routine and schedule into an already busy family schedule.
• Help your child to plan ahead and “smash a task” into small bits.
• Build brief 5 minute breaks with specific rewards into homework time
• Guide your child to view and work on one assignment at a time until all homework is finished.

Inflexibility

• Communicate and work with your child (and his/her teacher) to discover specific issues that affect homework success.
• Work with your child to establish a homework routine that includes a consistent time and place to work away from distractions
• Communicate with his/her teacher to eliminate vagueness and establish clarity
• Communicate with the teacher about the need (and benefits) to obtain(ing) information about upcoming assignments and new procedures in advance.
• Find ways for your child to incorporate his/her interests into assignments.

with assignments.

Anxiety

• Communicate frequently with your child to discover specific fears and causes of anxiety.
• To help reduce fears, offer reassurance that you understand and will be there to support your child.
• Work with your child to find solutions to problems.
• Establish a homework routine that is predictable and stress-free.
• Establish open communication with your child’s teacher(s).

Many parents find it helpful to establish open communication with their child’s teachers early in the school year. Communicating a positive, cooperative spirit while requesting a meeting before scheduled conferences to discuss homework issues may help solve possible problems early.

If you need to find a tutor for your child, compare solutions and decide which is best for your family.