Studies indicate that students who conscientiously complete their homework do better academically. Homework reinforces skills that have been learned at school and expands a child's learning experience. It has been shown to have a greater influence on a child's academic success than any other factor, including family income and educational background.
Parents who already feel themselves stretched to the limit juggling the demands of their busy lives are often frustrated when they find their evenings consumed by having to nag their children to complete their homework.
Furthermore, nagging usually backfires. "Parents need to remember that their child's homework belongs to their child," says Annie Appleby, a mother of two who's a special education teacher and facilitator with the Etobicoke Family Life Education Council (an organization that provides parenting skills courses). "If parents take on the responsibility for homework," she says, "then kids can rebel by not doing it."
That's not to say that parents should sit idly by and do nothing to help their children with their studies, says Appleby. It's just that parents need to support, not control, their children's homework.
How parents can help
Appleby suggests rather than telling children what to do and when to do it, parents should sit down with them sometime after school to discuss all their plans for the evening -- including homework. That way parents can avoid being hit with any last minute surprises and can help children better organize their time.
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