School days are associated with a constant struggle between the child and the parent in the name of home works. Parent's active involvement and participation is the basic principle lying behind the success of a child.
The good assignments completed systematically and successfully can help children learn time management and organisational skills.
Drew Edwards, who has written a book titled "How to Handle a Hard-to- Handle Kid," recommend parents to plan and follow a systematic homework program for their children to make them efficient.
"The battle is different for every family," Edwards, adjunct associate professor of psychology at Wake Forest University, said in a statement. "Some children resist starting their homework, some have a hard time finishing and others do their homework - but don't turn it in."
"It's important to get in the habit of writing it down and bringing it home. That will help students get in the habit of bringing home the correct textbook or other materials needed to finish their homework."
The following are some of the tips put forward by the author:
- Find and fix the right spot- Allow the child to do the homework in a comfortable place to him, even though it may be a kitchen table.
- Find the right time- Find and fix an appropriate time for the home work.
- A proper starting point- Leave the final decisions whether to start with an easy or hard homework, to the child.
- Concentration or Focus- Only the book or subject the child is working on should be kept aside.
- Find the sweet spot- Help children in breaking an assignment into smaller units like in math or vocabulary.
Persistency can help build good homework habits in a child. Even though the child does not have a home work, continuing the routine is most important.
"It's important to keep your routine going to create good homework habits in your child," Edwards said. "Set aside 45 minutes to an hour and create your own assignment that reflects what your child is learning. That could be reading, practicing other math problems or looking up current events."
Both constant harassment of the child and parents completing the home work for the child can be harmful than beneficial. Terming both the methods as biggest mistakes, experts recommend parents to abstain from them.
"School is important, but so is the relationship you have with your child. Don't let homework become an issue that harms that relationship," Edwards added.
