Does your child experience homework frustrations? Do you get frustrated when you help your child with their homework? Homework can be a challenging time for so many children and parents alike. You are not alone!  TutorTime has some tips for you. 

• Brainstorm ideas together – this will help with writing tasks, problem-solving and many other tasks. Even if you do not know the answers, brainstorm strategies, or approaches together to give your child somewhere to start from.
  
• Encourage your child to take regular brain breaks. This might mean doing a few star jumps or having a thirty-second dance party in between tasks. Research has shown that physical activity helps increase oxygen levels in the brain which helps us think better.
  
• Set a timer for each activity and schedule your brain breaks in between these work sessions.  In lower primary years this might be 10-15 minutes for a task, for older children this might be 20-30 minutes, adjust this based on your child’s needs.
  
• Limit distractions! If your child has a mobile phone, leave this in another room during homework time. Make sure the TV is off and any conversations not about homework are taken to another room. This may also mean that your child cannot do their homework in the kitchen or dining area if you are cooking at the same time. Smelling dinner could also be very distracting.
  
• Be positive! It can get very frustrating, especially if you know your child knows the answer to something or has learnt the concept before but yelling or getting annoyed does not help. Stay calm and be reassuring towards your child. Practice a growth mindset and help lead your child to the answer without simply giving it to them.
  
• Model doing homework. Wherever possible, try to sit at the table with your child and get on with some paperwork of your own while your child does his or her homework. This teaches your child focus and good homework behavior.
  
• Brain food. Encourage your child to have a brainy snack before starting on homework. Blueberries, Oranges, Dark Chocolate, Nuts, and Eggs are particularly good for promoting brain function.
  
• Reward your child with a fun activity once homework is completed. Try to avoid “free time” before homework. It is important to give them a short break such as having a snack, however, allowing your child to play outside or watch some TV before homework makes it much harder for them to switch back to learning mode. It would be more effective to give them a snack and have a chat about their day before homework and then reward them with free time or a fun activity afterward. 

If your child continues to struggle with his or her homework, give us a call and book a tutor to help your child with their homework and revision. 

We have face to face online tutoring, home tutoring and group tutoring classes mapped to the Australian curriculum. We specialise in HSC tutoring, NAPLAN tutoring, chemistry tutoring, maths tutoring, English tutoring, Japanese tutoring, science tutoring, history tutoring and more!

Call us today on 1300 788 867 to find out more.