End the Homework Battle

Does homework have to be a battle? Absolutely not! In fact, the more we battle with our kids over their homework, the less enthusiastic they'll be about learning.

Listed below are some practical and powerful tips to help keep things positive and productive.

Set a time and place for your child(ren) to learn.

To avoid power struggles, explain to them that, "This is your time to learn. You can learn by either completing your homework or thinking really hard about it. If it were my learning time, I'd probably use it to complete my homework so that I don't have a hassle with my teacher."

Help them only when it’s clear that they aren’t tuning out their teachers.

It is very important for kids to know that they should listen carefully to their teachers.

Ask your child, "How did your teacher describe this?" If your child appears to be ignoring their teacher, say, "I help when I see that you've been trying hard to pay attention at school."

Help them only as long as they are working far harder than you are.

Too many children become far too dependent on their parents to complete their homework. It's far better that they don't complete it than have you do most of it for them

If they don't complete their homework, allow it to be their problem—not yours.

Although it's a tough pill to swallow, we must admit that we cannot learn and achieve for our kids. What we can do is allow them to explain their lack of effort to their teachers, and support their teachers when they assign commensurate grades.

We can also match their level of effort with the number of privileges we provide.

Dr. Charles Fay