THE ABC’S OF HOMEWORK; A PARENT’S GUIDE

A is for autonomy and all by myself. Children should do their homework in a private,

quiet, comfortable place.

B is for backpack. Check your child’s backpack daily as part of your family routine and

respond promptly to announcements and papers which need to be signed and

returned.

C is for clarify or reinterpret directions when asked for help rather than supplying

supplying immediate answers.

D is for demonstrate. Give examples of a particular procedure or problem solving

technique rather than solving problems at hand.

F is for frustration. If your child becomes frustrated easily and blames you for his

homework woes, don’t accept the blame. This may be a signal that you need to

talk with the teacher.

Remember…….

H is for habit. Establish a routine time of day for homework and study time as well as

reading.

O is for outgrowth of work studied in class. Homework is used to reinforce skills

previously taught. It should not be totally new material.

M is for monitoring progress. Review your child’s work, test scores and grades. Praise

accomplishments and brainstorm ways to improve.

E is for encourage practice and drill for each new skill.

W is for what are the expectations in terms of length and type of homework. This

varies according to individual needs but the minimum length of time spent on

homework should be as follows.

15-20 minutes, at least 3 days per week for grades 1 and 2

20-30 minutes, at least 3 days per week for grades 3 and 4

30-45 minutes, at least 3 days per week for grades 5 and 6

O is for overview. Encourage your child to use long range planning for tests and

projects.

R is for resourcefulness. Being a resource, providing resources and modeling

resourcefulness is a parent’s primary responsibility in the homework business.

K is for know your child and his or her internal clock as far as scheduling homework,

snack and play times. Know when to call it quits and when to encourage

perseverance.