Homework Help
Tips for Parents to Help their Kids Get Homework Done
by Dawn Marcotte
Smashwords Edition
Copyright 2012 Dawn Marcotte
Other Smashwords Titles by Dawn Marcotte
25 Fun Indoor Games for Kids
25 Fun Science Experiments for Kids
Travel Games for Kids
365 Days of Fun in Minneapolis
5 Easy Rockets
Smashwords Edition License Notes
This ebook is for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Table of Contents
Understanding Your Child’s Learning Style
Tips for Helping Grade School Kids with Reading
Tips for Helping Grade School Kids with Math
Tips for Helping Grade School Kids with Spelling
Tips for Helping Kids with Large Projects
Tips for Helping Kids with Writing
Introduction
I was chatting with another parent yesterday and we were complaining about how much time we spend getting our kids to do their homework. I realized that I had often had the same conversation with many other parents. It seems that we spend a lot of time arguing, coaxing, yelling and bribing our kids to just do their homework. I thought it would be helpful to parents to have a resource with practical ideas they can use immediately.
As a former elementary school teacher I know that homework is a hot topic. There is a movement in some areas to eliminate homework completely, but until that becomes the norm most parents have to help their kids at least a couple of times each week. Kids don't want to do their homework for a variety of reasons.
1. They don't understand the material
2. They would rather be doing something else (usually anything else)
3. They don't understand what they should be doing.
4. They are bored and the homework is just busy work.
5. They don't have the materials they need such as notes or books
There are also kids who are willing to start their homework, but have a lot of trouble finishing it. They may:
1. be easily distracted
2. not understand how to complete a multiple step project
3. get frustrated with a lack of success
4. be unable to sit still for a long period of time
5. not have all of the supplies needed
Parents who have school aged children have all had to work with children who didn't want to do their homework at some point. Sometimes it is a specific subject, sometimes it is all homework, sometimes it is only for a particular grade level, but it is always frustrating and difficult for everyone.
This book is dedicated to helping parents with practical tips you can use tonight when your child has homework. There are tips for specific subjects as well as some ideas for special needs kids who may need some additional help. I hope you find this book helpful and are able to make homework less frustrating for everyone.
Understanding Your Childs’ Learning Style
Every child is different from the other students in their class. Some will be good academically while others will struggle. Some will make friends easily while others can’t seem to make any friends. Parents who have children in school can help their kids through the 12 years of homework, projects and activities by understanding how they learn. There are three basic methods of learning for kids: visual, auditory and kinesthetic (through movement). Unfortunately schools provide information almost exclusively through visual sources such as pictures, words and demonstrations.
The Visual Child
A child who learns visually will usually have no problem learning in school. Information is normally presented as a picture, video, written textbook or demonstration. School tends to become progressively more visual the older kids get. Kindergarteners may still get to play with counting bears, but high school students certainly don’t. Children who learn visually, but still have trouble in school may benefit from help in specific subjects, rather than a change in how the information is presented. More practice in reading for example may be all the child needs to excel in grade school. A middle school or high school student may benefit from taking notes during class or directly from their textbook because their brain processes the information more completely when they write it and read it. Visual learners have plenty of information presented in their preferred method of learning.
Auditory Learners
These are the kids who need to hear it to understand it. They are the adults who can listen to a string of driving instructions to get from point a too point b and never miss a turn. Unfortunately past about 1st grade a lot of information is not presented through sound. These kids may struggle some, but accommodations can be made. Here are a few ideas for grade school students
Find songs about what they are learning. School House Rock is an excellence source of material. Find movies that cover the subject.
Have them read their work out loud so they hear the material
Read their textbooks onto a tape or read each lesson out loud for them
Once a student is in middle school and older accommodations become more difficult. When they are expected to take notes it can help if they are allowed to record the class so they can hear the instructions again later, rather than struggle to write down notes. When written information is required, such as a research paper, see if the teacher will accept a video or song instead.
Auditory learners may have more challenges than visual learners, but the technology exists to transform almost anything from the written word into sound. Be creative and work with teachers to ensure the information is presented in more than one way.
Kinesthetic Learners
Kinesthetic learners struggle the most in school. They learn best by doing, touching and interacting with the material. They may excel in science, because they actually get to do an experiment. They may struggle with reading as it is harder for them to learn. These kids will benefit from having items to manipulate when they are learning basic skills during grade school. Here are some suggestions:
Use magnetic letters and words to teach spelling and reading. They can place the letters and words to create sentences.
Use pennies to help learn basic math facts. They can manipulate the pennies to solve basic math equations.
Use physical objects to explain concepts in as many subjects as possible. A globe for geography, dominoes for engineering or puppets for social studies (to act out the event)
Allow them to have a ‘fidgit’ or small object they can play with when they are studying. This physical movement may help them stay focused longer.
Kinesthetic learners can also benefit from physical movement that doesn’t have anything to do with the subject at hand. Have them stand when they are doing homework or take breaks and do some exercises when studying. This physical effort will help them learn and retain the information. If they are able to sit on exercise balls instead of a chair this can help too.
Understanding how your child best absorbs information make take some time and observation, but once a parent knows they can work with the school and individual teachers to ensure information is provided in a way the student will understand.
Academic Issues with Homework
Academic issues with homework fall under two general categories: