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Tips on Homework For The Best
Success!
Most children need a quiet and
well-lit area to do homework. Not always! Some can concentrate with music in the
background while singing along. How can that be true? No one knows. There are
different learning styles for different kids.
Some kids learn well by sitting down and doing it all at once. Some learn and
can retain more by taking mini breaks every 20-minutes or so.
Children with ADD or ADHD make need to take breaks more often. See more info and
links on learning disabilities in our Disability Section: http://parenttoparent.com/wecounttoo.html
If your child has more than 15-minutes of homework per grade - check it out. For
example, 15-mimnutes times 3 (for third grade) is 45 minutes. If it's more than
that, unless your child has a learning disability, or is working on a school
project, it's time to go ask questions.
Talk with the teacher about waht's up and why is there so much homework. Work
with the teacher to get this under control.
Don't do the homework for your child just to get it done. Let the child complete
his own assignment and learn from his own mistakes. This is how the teacher
checks to see what a child knows or doesn't know. If a parent does the homework
for the child, the teacher will not know that the student needs additional help
and is not prepared to move to the next level. If she thinks he is making great
grades and moves on to the next level, it will only cause more headaches at
home, deplete the child of self-esteem, and build more resentment on you both.
As we all know, make sure everything your child needs is right there so he will
not have to get up and down and lose his train of thought.
The second session of school, right now, is a new beginning to catch up and move
forward in getting those grades back up to where they need to be.
It is imperative to get those good homework habits in line and any questions
answered right away. There are only a few months of school left and it's time to
address your child's needs as soon as possible.
Don't forget to go in and volunteer. You will be getting a bird's eye view and
gathering firsthand information. There's so much that can cause a child to not
do well in school. Here is a mini list of some the things parents often times
overlook. Go over them and ask yourself if any one strikes a chord with your
situation.
Lack of motivation for good grades (see following article on some new ideas on
this one).
Learning disability
Being bullied
Depression
Being constantly teased about clothes or hygiene
Feeling sick due to dust and mold in class
Classroom is too noisy
Classroom is too hot or too cold
Classroom has too many windows
Hearing challenge (get hearing checked)
Blackboard (eye sight needs to be tested)
Runny nose - (allergies need to be addressed)
Not getting enough sleep at night
Over scheduled
Hates going to after school program
Not enough attention at home
Divorce
Unsettled home environment
Poor nutrition
For more homework tips listen to wahmtalkradio.com for my family segment
beginning 01/19/04.
©2004 Jodie Lynn
Jodie Lynn is an internationally syndicated parenting/family columnist. Her
latest book is Mommy-CEO: 5 Golden Rules (It's not just for moms!) Please see
ParentToParent.com for more details and check out new Mommy-CEO hoodies, caps,
calendars, etc.- items for the real CEOs!
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