Family Living
Focus
Sharon Stencovage
Schuylkill Co.
Extension Agent
Children and
Homework Hassles
Just a few months remain in the
school year and the enthusiasm
that our children had foe school
work is fading fast As parents
many of us may be beginning to
become more frustrated when it
comes to helping our children
with their homework. If this is oc
curing in your household, then it
may be time to rethink our role in
homework and to leant how to ap
proach it with our children.
Remember that homework is
given to students to reinforce the
learning that has taken place at
school. It alio helps students to
develop a sense of discipline and
organization. At this time of year,
parents may be nagging their chil
dren to get their homework done,
which doesn’t encourage disci
pline development or a love of
learning.
How can parents solve this
problem? A Cooperative Exten
sion specialist bom New Mexico,
Diane DelCampo, has provided
the following suggestions for
helping children with homework
and ways for parents to approach
this important task more positive
ly:
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• Schedule a consistent daily
quiet time for children to work on
their homework. Together decide
on a time period that would work
for your family. Depending on the
age of the children and the amount
of homework received, the length
of time will vary. If your children
have no homework or finish be
fore the time is up, encourage your
children to spend some quiet time
reading. Parents can read also to
model this behavior. If a favorite
television program comes on dur
ing the homework time, tape it and
watch it later, or change the home
work time. The family homework
routine should be created to be
flexible, so that it would work for
the children and you.
• Assist children with one or
two examples, but don’t help with
every homework question. If the
homework is completed accurate
ly, you know that they have
learned die material When a par
ent helps with every question, you
may not know if your children tru
ly understand and can do it on
their own. Children who continue
to be frustrated and dependent on
parents to complete their home
work, may not understand what is
expected.
• Help children organize a time
frame for, long and difficult proj
ects. Establishing short-term
deadlines for different ports of the
project, either over a period of
days or during the course of an
evening. If the project is a one
night deal, work early in die eve
ning, and schedule homework
breaks. This will help children to
pace themselves, according to
their capabilities.
• Reduce stress in your chil
dren’s lives ss much as possible.
Many times our children may be
involved in lots of extracurricular
activities. Ibis may lead to tired
and distracted children, win are
burned out. Take a look at your
schedule and work toward a bal
anced one, which will allow our
children to complete their home
work, as well as time to relax and
play.
• Recognize the limits of your
patience. If homework hassles are
affecting your family life and are a
constant irritation, think about hir
ing a tutor. Even an older student
in your neighborhood, who likes
to work with children, can per
form this role. This may help ease
the relationship between you and
your children, as well as help your
children do better in school.
• Use a non-threatening ap
proach to homework. When chil
dren make mistakes in their home
work. ask them how they got the
answer. Often when children at
tempt to explain this, they will dis
cover their mistake and make ap
propriate corrections. This tech
nique is more effective than
giving your children the right an
swer.
•Support the teacher. If you sec
a problem with the homework,
communicate this either through a
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note or an appointment with the
teacher. Complaining about the
teacher only encourages your chil
dren to question the teacher’s
competence and authority.
When homework is considered
part of your family’s daily routine,
and is handled positively and hon
Newsletter Helps Parents
Stay On Target
NEWARK, Del. - Cuddled in
his mother's lap, one-year-old
lan contentedly studies the
pages of a colorful picture book.
But not for long. With a deter
mined wiggle, he squirms to the
floor and toddles about the fam
ily room under his mother’s
attentive eye.
Shari Miller, like any new
parent, wants to be sure her
child is growing and developing
normally. But as a working
mother settling into a new
home, her spare time is limited.
Juggling work and family
demands, she doesn't have much
chance to sit down and read
books on child development.
Luckily for Miller - and for
many other Delaware parents -
help comes regularly in the
mailbox in the form of "Great
Beginnings," a University of
Delaware Cooperative Exten
sion newsletter series geared to
her son's age.
"I like it because it’s concise,"
says the Newark resident. "I
can see immediately if his devel
opmental skills are on track."
While "Great Beginnings"
allows her to check that her son
is reaching developmental mile
cstly, both parents and children
can appreciate its usefulness be
yond the letter grade that is re
ceived on their report cards.
Homework then will become less
of a family issue and not a power
struggle between parent and chil
dren.
stones on schedule, Miller also
can get ideas for easy homemade
toys, learn effective methods of
discipline and find out where to
seek help if it's needed.
"It's a great refresher," says
Miller, who is certified to teach
elementary education. "I often
use the ideas for activities and
share them with my mom when
she babysits. Last week, I used
the tip of letting lan play with
pots and lids from the kitchen. I
was amazed at how long it kept
him occupied."
"Great Beginnings" is mailed
each month from a child's birth
to 36 months, and each issue
contains information specific to
the age. For instance, the 13-
month issue Miller just received
offers research on children's
fears, tips on weaning the child
from the bottle or breast and
suggestions on how frustrated
parents can take time out away
from their children.
A subscription to 'Great
Beginnings" costs $7 for one
year, $l3 for two years, and $2O
for three years. The fee may be
waived in cases of financial
hardship. For more informa
tion, call (302)831-1328.
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