Background
Homework can be a real trigger of stress for children, and inevitably their parents who are trying to support them. Therefore, it is important that parents understand that helping with homework, and their interest and input in their child’s homework is invaluable. Helping with homework is an important responsibility as a parent, and directly supports their child’s learning process. One of the best predictors of success in school is learning at home and parents being involved in their children’s education.
Parental involvement with homework helps develop self-confidence and motivation both inside and outside the classroom. Parents helping children and young people with homework has a multitude of benefits including spending individual time with children, enlightening strengths and weaknesses, making learning more meaningful and having higher aspirations. Parents can be confident in helping their children with homework as they have lots of previous experience that can ensure children can make the most of their learning experience in school.
Research
We know that parents want their children to achieve a good education. According to the Big Parenting Survey, children’s education was the top area that parents felt has caused concern or affected their emotional health and wellbeing over the past six months with 50% choosing this option. This was closely followed by concerns relating to children’s mental health (47%).[1]
The type of help parents can give includes two distinct types of help: quantitative help (e.g., doing homework with the child, providing answers) and qualitative help (e.g., avoiding distractions, providing rules for homework completion, providing support for finding answers).[2] It is key that parents understand that both types of help are useful and better outcomes are achieved when both are combined.
A strong body of evidence suggests that parental involvement in schooling is positively associated with various desired school-related outcomes[3] such as school performance positive mental wellbeing. Furthermore, homework that is well-selected and cognitively challenging is also associated with positive student achievement.[4] Therefore, it is important that parents are able to help their children with homework in a positive and constructive way.
By helping with homework, parents may model effective study habits, cultivate positive attitudes toward learning, and reinforce material covered during the school day.[5] When children are struggling in school, consistent parental help with homework may not only provide direct academic support, but it may also offer children reassurance that they have a caring support system at home.[6]
Whilst parental involvement is important, too much time spent on homework can result in heightened anxiety levels, lack of sleep, headaches, exhaustion and weight loss. It can also condition students to become disenfranchised with education, causing their work ethic inside the classroom to decline.[7] Therefore, it is important that parents are able to strike a balance for their children. This will ensure a better outcome is achieved for your children.
Top tips
Environment
Provide a space that encourages your child to want to complete their homework. Make sure the environment is conducive to learning by turning off distractions, e.g. television / mobile phone. Encourage your child to take regular breaks away from their study and if possible, get outside and benefit from some physical activity. It has also been proven that spending time with family pets help alleviate exam stress as well. Some children prefer to do homework straight after school, whereas others have after school commitments or prefer to ‘unwind’ first.
Nutrition
Before your child starts their homework, try to provide a nutritious snack or meal. During this time chat with your child about what their homework is, ensuring they feel relaxed before they start it.
Communicate with school
If your child is struggling with the pressure of homework and finding it difficult to cope, consider contacting your child’s school. Many schools have support available for children and their parents.
Be supportive
We learn from our mistakes. Rather than simply giving children the answers, it is more beneficial to offer support by guiding them through their work. You can do this by helping to interpret instructions and reviewing completed work. Providing them with the opportunity to figure out the answers for themselves helps to develop their problem-solving skills and gives them the confidence to persevere and become more resilient.
Support available
Parenting NI encourage parents to seek support if they are finding the whole area of homework challenging and relationships are becoming frayed..
Parenting NI have some resources online that provide advice and signposting for parents including an articles and podcasts that can be accessed from here.
Further information including top tips and contact details can be found at www.parentingni.org.
