Create a homework space. This should be a quiet, well-lit study area for your student with ample space to sprawl out their books and study materials and be free of distractions.

Communicate with your child's teacher. The more you interact with your child’s teacher, the stronger the parent-teacher relationship will be and you understand tasks, homework, and expectations.

Implement a homework routine. Set up a clean, quiet and comfortable place where homework is done. Set a time that homework is done. Give breaks: work for 15 min, get 5 min break. If homework takes more time than your child can handle, be an advocate. Ask the teacher how long it should take.

Model a Positive Attitude. As mentioned above, children learn from us and often adopt our feelings towards things, including homework or how we approach tasks. If you say things like, “Math is hard” or “I’m not a math person”, chances are, your child may also adopt those feelings. Be positive and express a positive attitude towards homework. Productive struggle and mistakes are where growth happens!

Do the hardest thing first. If you leave the hardest thing for last, often you won't have the time, focus, or energy it requires. Doing the hardest thing first and planning how to approach a problem is a great way to build metacognitive skills.

Encourage Problem-Solving. Help a student expose their reasoning without giving away any how-to’s on the problem. As they make their assumptions known and persist in solving the problem, not only do students learn the concept better, they also build core skills in productive thinking. 

Teach Don't Tell. When reviewing your child's homework, rather than telling a student that they answered a specific question incorrectly, you can ask them to find their mistake and correct it. You can also build this skill when you are working with your child on a specific question. If they ask ‘Did I get this right?’, rather than answering with yes or no, ask them ‘How could you check it?’ or ‘What's another way you could solve this problem?’. 

Start a Dialogue. “When your child is working on homework, use that as an opportunity to help them think about and communicate their thinking. This will help them process what they are learning, learn from their mistakes, and make connections to things they have already learned,” explained Twana Young, Director Product - Instructional Development. Some things you might say include: