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Homework Help: Strategies For Parents To Assist With School Assignments

Team GIIS
Nov 13, 2023
Learning, School

When it comes to school assignment support, parents can play a very important role in guiding their children to complete these in a timely manner. There are, in fact, a number of strategies that parents can deploy in that regard. 

This is something that parents seeking nursery school admission in an international school in Dubai would do well to consider. Let us look at what these might be.

The Role of Homework in Student Learning

The first thing that we need to understand is the role of homework in student learning. Homework helps reinforce the lessons learnt at school. It is also a means to inculcate a sense of discipline and time management among students. Besides, it also leads to the involvement of the parents in their children’s academic progress.

Benefits of Parental Involvement in Homework

Helping children with homework helps parents accurately gauge the progress that their children are making at school. They also understand what exactly their child is learning at school and this lets them develop a stake in the way that the latter’s education is shaping up. 

They would be better placed on account of this to share feedback with the school about what is going wonderfully well with a child’s education and what needs improvement. 

Getting involved in one’s child’s school homework, also allows the parent in question to get a better idea about the strengths and weaknesses of their child and helps them determine where his or her aptitude lies.

10 Effective Strategies for Parents to Assist with School Assignments 

There are various ways for parents to assist their children with school assignments. Let’s look at what these might be:

1. Insist on timely completion

Parents should insist that homework be completed on time by their children. The sooner the better is the ground rule. Setting aside a daily time slot for finishing homework is very useful in accomplishing that. 

This is something that parents seeking nursery school admission in an international school in Dubai would do well to consider.

2. Encourage the children to have a study buddy

While parents can personally guide their children in completing their homework, the latter should also be encouraged to have a study buddy who can be reached by telephone about matters concerning homework. 

Seeking assistance from a peer is always a good idea as both the people involved can not only help each other with doing the homework but motivate one another as well.

3. Use a collaborative approach

Never talk down to your child when helping him or her with their homework, as that tends to demotivate them and might end up making them feel that they are not good enough. 

Rather, make it all about a collaborative effort, where you find the solutions together. This will instil a feeling of positivity in them.

4. Change the scene and setting

Studies and academics are hard work and the best of individuals can experience burnout, and these are children that we are taking out. Sometimes, it might make sense to change the scene and setting in terms of the workstation. 

If they are comfortable working at the dining table, instead of the usual spot, let them do it. If you think they need to move to a quieter part of the home, help them make that move.

5. Give them positive feedback

Don’t hold back the positive feedback because you fear that praise might go to your children's heads. On the contrary, timely positive feedback can motivate them hugely to perform even better.

6. Leave the kids alone

Don’t let the child get used to your help in completing their homework. Leave them largely alone and step in only when you think they need your guidance. Also, avoid being overbearing and give them the space required to figure things out on their own.

7. Encourage them to plan

Ensure that your kids have a planned approach towards doing their homework. They may find certain subjects tough and others not so much and, therefore, need to figure out how to tackle them all. 

Taking a methodical and planned approach where you might, for instance, want to deal with the tough parts first is something that helps them stay on top of their pending assignments.

8. Allow them to complain

Studying can be quite taxing and children being children can at times bitterly complain. It would be wise on the part of the parents to allow them to express their feelings rather than bottle them up. Allowing them to sometimes vent will allow them to blow off some steam and relax.

9. Review and revise

Make it part of your routine to sit down with your child and go through their work. Reviewing allows you to understand the subject your child is studying and you can see what’s clicking and what’s not. 

If you find areas that could use a bit more work, encourage your child to revise those parts. Remember to keep it positive, remind them that it’s not about mistakes - it’s about making their work the best it can be.

And as they revise, not only will their understanding of the topic grow, but they’ll also start getting better at analyzing their own work. 

10. Get to know their teachers

Getting to know your children’s teachers will allow parents to have a good idea about what the latter expect from their students concerning their homework. 

Very often the children in question misunderstand or don’t fully comprehend what their teachers expect of them. Hearing from the teachers themselves in this regard is a very good idea indeed.

How Does GIIS Dubai Support Parents in Guiding Their Children With School Assignments?

GIIS Dubai ensures that there is adequate parental involvement in learning by facilitating regular parent-teacher meetings where such matters are discussed in detail. This helps the latter inculcate good study habits in their children from an early age. 

Homework and time management skills are things where the involvement is threefold, involving teachers, students and parents.

The school ensures that the channels of communication are open between the three at all times. Above all, the parents and the children in question are helped to come up with workable homework completion strategies that ensure that the latter are always able to submit their homework on time.

Conclusion

While homework completion is primarily the student’s responsibility, their parents’ help and advice in this go a long way in helping the former manage it efficiently. 

Help with scheduling, time management and tackling knotty assignments provided by the parents helps bolster the student’s confidence and self-esteem and ensures that their teachers are always happy about their approach towards their homework. 

The above tips can be very helpful in providing parents with an idea about what is expected of them.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is It Important For Parents To Be Involved in Their Child's Homework In Dubai?

It is as important for parents everywhere including Dubai to be involved in their child’s homework, as that gives them a good idea about how the child is progressing academically. It also lets them make a fair assessment of their child’s or children’s aptitude in terms of the various subjects.

Are There Specific Time Management Techniques Parents Can Teach Their Children For Homework?

There are quite a few such time management techniques parents can teach their children. Designating a fixed time for homework and tackling the difficult parts first are the most important ones. Finding a quiet place where one can easily focus on completing one’s homework helps save time too.

What Should Parents Do if Their Child is Struggling With A Particular Subject Or Assignment?

In such scenarios, the parents should talk to the child to find out if he or she has understood the nature of the assignment at a conceptual level. After discovering where the child has got stuck, the parent can help to clear the concepts in the child’s mind, possibly by giving them relevant examples from real life. 

The parents can also discuss the matter with the teacher concerned and try to find a way to help the child in question overcome his or her problem.

Should Parents Reward Their Child For Completing Homework, And if So, How?

Yes, they should, but only by way of encouragement, appreciation and positive reinforcement. They should never be given any physical or tangible rewards in the shape of a gift, present or more pocket money, as that would be more like bribing them to do what is their duty.

What Role Should Parents Play in Proofreading And Editing Their Child's Assignments?

They should have no such role as that is unethical, besides being detrimental to a child’s growth and ability to learn. Parents should guide their children by clarifying their concepts and helping them learn how to overcome knotty problems concerning their homework. The idea is for them to understand what is required of them and complete their assignment on their own.

Team GIIS

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