A Checklist for Helping Your Child With Homework

Make Sure Your Child Has...

• A quiet place to work with good light.
• A regular time each day for doing homework.
• Basic supplies, such as paper, pencils, pens, markers, and ruler.

Questions to Ask Your Child

• What's your assignment today?
• Is the assignment clear? (If not, suggest calling the school's homework hotline or a classmate.)
• When is it due?
• Do you need special resources (e.g., a trip to the library or access to a computer)?
• Do you need special supplies (e.g., graph paper or posterboard)?
• Have you started today's assignment? Finished it?
• Is it a longterm assignment (e.g., a term paper or science project)?
• For a major project, would it help to write out the steps or make a schedule?
• Would a practice test be useful?

Other Ways To Help

• Look over your child's homework, but don't do the work!
• Meet the teachers early in the year and find out about homework policy.
• Review teacher comments on homework that has been returned and discuss with your child.
• Observe your child's style of learning and try to understand how he works best (e.g., by using visual aids or by reading some material aloud).
• Contact the teacher if there's a homework problem you can't resolve.
• Congratulate your child on a job well done.

Resources: This information was taken from Helping Your Child With Homework, one of a number of publications for parents published by the U.S. Department of Education. To find out what's available and how to order, request a free Consumer Information Catalog from the Consumer Information Catalog, Pueblo, Colorado 81009.

For questions about this information, contact Ruth Anne Landsverk (608) 266-9757

Last updated on 2/25/2008 9:08:04 AM