How to make homework work
With another school year starting, parents and children alike hope it will be both beneficial and enjoyable, and that children will do their best work yet.
One contentious area, however, is homework. There’s disagreement about what constitutes a good homework assignment, and different opinions about how much should be set. The National Education Association in the US suggests 10 minutes of homework per night in year one, increasing by about 10 minutes each year. This is a useful guide, although the scientific evidence behind their recommendation isn’t strong.
The reason for homework will change as your children grow up. At the primary level, the main aim is to instil good habits, to help them learn how to plan and exercise self-discipline. During the secondary years, there’s moderate evidence that embedding and extending what was learned at school is positively correlated with academic achievement, so the content of homework becomes more important. Whatever your feelings about the matter, your child will be assigned homework. How can you help them do their best?
Create an optimal working environment. Mark out a particular place to study: if they work in the same place every day, they’ll find it easier to get down to their assignments quickly. Make sure it’s free of distractions, and – for primary school children at least – somewhere near you, so you can answer questions and offer encouragement. When they’re older, allow children to work in their own room, but only if first they show you their plan and estimates of time needed. That way, there’s less chance they’ll become distracted when doing online assignments.
Allow downtime beforehand. They’ll be hungry and tired after school, so have tempting, wholesome snacks on hand. Make sure they drink water, and encourage them to be active, rather than engaging in more screen time, for 20 to 30 minutes before settling down to work.
Start with a plan. You’ll probably have to help younger children plan their session, but it’s important that by the end of primary school it’s second nature. Get them to tell you everything they have to do, then encourage them to establish an ordering and estimates of the time needed to complete each task. When there are several different assignments, make sure they begin with one they enjoy, so it seems easy to get started. It’s best to take on the most difficult task second – once they’re settled, but before they tire. Then follow with anything else. If older children have more than an hour of homework, encourage them to schedule a short break every half-hour.
Show genuine interest. If you encourage your child to tell you what they’ve learned, they’ll encode the information more deeply and remember it more readily. Your interest also makes their efforts feel more worthwhile.
Linda Blair is a clinical psychologist. To order her book, The Key to Calm
(Hodder & Stoughton), for £12.99, call 0844 871 1514 or visit books.telegraph.co.uk. Watch her give advice at telegraph.co.uk/wellbeing/ video/mind-healing