Tag Archives: homework

Homework is Ineffective

After dropping off my oldest at school, (I have one child in school.) I heard an interesting bit of news on the radio.  The news report was about a study that determined homework was ineffective.  Since, that study came out, it is said that many teachers and schools are trying to cut back on homework.  This is relieving for many students and parents who claim the kids have hours of homework a night. Homeschooling parents do not assign homework.   Students may have assignments to work on outside of school hours but in reality there is no end to learning … Continue reading →

A Case of the Flu Becomes Homework

One time when I was home schooling my girls I came down with a horrible case of the flu. Although I usually work right through illnesses, this one just about knocked the stuffing out of me. I spent most of my time in bed or in the bathroom. The first day was the worst so I just let my kids have the day off, took time out for myself, and figured we could make up the work another day. By the second day I finally felt I would survive the flu bug, but still didn’t have the strength to put … Continue reading →

How Much Should a Parent Help with Homework?

How much should a parent help with homework? That’s a question most parents face at some stage or another in their child’s education. Unfortunately some parents tend to take over and end up virtually doing the whole job themselves. They think they are helping. In reality they are not. Doing it for them teaches the child nothing. Often we learn best by doing it ourselves. It’s okay to show an interest or to explain if your child is not clear about what to do, but you should never take over the task and do it for them. The other danger … Continue reading →

Should You Stop Checking Homework when They Ask You To?

There was a time when homework and schoolwork was a family affair. My kids would settle down at the dining table and we would work on things together or, if they did the work at some other time, they would inevitably ask me to look things over or help in some capacity. Somewhere around the end of middle-school, my role quickly diminished and by high school, it is very rarely that my kids ask me for help with anything. It is generally just requests to sign things or get certain items or materials they might need for a project. I’m … Continue reading →

Pros and Cons of Send Home Projects

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There are a few teachers that I know that enjoy having their students complete “send home” projects. These projects typically involve both the student and the parents completing some type of activity or craft. These “send home” projects can be lengthy. The teachers usually allow the students at least one weekend to get them completed. Some teachers assign the project a week or more before it is due. Some of the projects can be very time consuming for families. Some can even be costly. In some cases the parents end up doing much of the work and the child does … Continue reading →

Tips for Busy Children

While clubs, sports, and other activities can be good for children to help develop physical, emotional, and social skills, children can be involved in too many activities. When a child is overloaded with activities he/she will show signs of being tired. He/she may have headaches or stomach aches. Schoolwork and homework may also begin to suffer and drop in grades. When these things begin to happen, it is the parents’ responsibility to step up and limit the involvement. Parents need to let children know that academics and school come first. Activities come after the work is complete. Some coaches can … Continue reading →

Is Your Child Involved in Too Many Activities?

Children are involved in all types of after school activities. There are sports teams, clubs, music lessons, and more. It is not uncommon for children to have practice or a ballgame almost every night of the week. Parents are very busy running from here to there to get each child to a different activity. At some point in time we must stop and ask ourselves if it is possible that our children are too busy. Are they too involved in too many activities? Many times it is hard to decide if the children enjoy the activities that they are involved … Continue reading →

WATCH IT! Help Your Child with Time Management

Do you constantly have to remind your child of the daily schedule? Do you make agreements, like “Fifteen more minutes of TV,” and then deal with a horrible tantrum when the time is up? Does your child need help staying on track with homework? Would you like to help your son or daughter develop a sense of independence and responsibility? Everybody Get In Sync! I recently heard about a private school that was instilling personal accountability and time management in their students. What they did was issue a particular style of wristwatch to each and every child from age four … Continue reading →

How Can You Really HELP With Homework?

In the world I grew up in, I don’t think my parents ever really “helped” me with my homework. At least not in the sense that parents help their children now. Sure, they bought me supplies and told me where the butcher paper and pencil sharpener was, but that was about it. Now parents are expected to get right in there and do it with and FOR their kids–signing papers, sprinkling glitter, etc. As a parent, what really are the ways you can be helpful and encouraging of your child’s take-home school work? I think the best thing a parent … Continue reading →

It’s Time to Get Ready for Homework

I know, I know, nothing puts a damper on summer fun like mentioning the H-word. But, in just a few short weeks, the kids will be back to school and we will be wrestling with them to get that homework done. There are some things we can do NOW to make easing back into homework world a little more do-able when September rolls around… When you are stocking up on school supplies, make sure you’ve got what your kids might need at home too. In our world, this has meant making sure we’ve got plenty of extra blank white paper … Continue reading →