Giving your child adequate homework help may seem like a daunting task, especially if it’s been a long time since you were a student yourself. You might be unfamiliar with the subject matter taught in current curriculums. You may be uncertain as to how you can facilitate a great homework environment for your child in your home.

Rest assured that helping your child with their homework doesn’t mean that you have to become a specialist in the subject overnight. Here are some tips that will help you and your child conquer homework time with minimal frustration and maximum content absorption.

Dedicate a Space and Time

Keeping homework time in a consistent location, say your dining room table for instance, and making use of a specific timeframe will help reinforce your child’s learning. Providing a quiet environment where you two can work together to tackle homework will help both of you to focus on the content without outside distractions.

It is also said that providing a consistent learning environment at home during homework time helps students take this time more seriously. This is because their at-home learning atmosphere will closely mirror their experience at school, where they have been previously introduced to the content.

Provide Homework Help, don’t do it for them

Even the most well-intentioned of parents will make the mistake of essentially doing their child’s homework for them, especially when they see their child struggling. This leaves the student at a disadvantage because they have not genuinely learned the material. Not only that, doing their homework for them can reinforce the negative notion that if they struggle too much with something, someone else will get the work done for them.

Cooperate with the Teachers

It is always great practice to keep lines of communication open between yourself and your child’s teachers. When providing homework help, you can use the information imparted by the teacher to ensure that you are following the flow and techniques considered important in the curriculum.

Get the Challenging Work Done First

Does your child struggle more in one subject than others? While they may ask to do these homework tasks last, it is best that they be done before all other homework assignments. By assigning tasks to be performed in this pattern, you ensure that your child has the energy they need to process the more challenging material before you move on to the work that comes easier to them.

Give Breaks When Needed

Sometimes, a child’s frustration with difficult material can make it hard for them to focus. When this happens, a few minutes spent away from the tasks at hand can help them get their heads back on track and pull their focus to where it belongs. Overwhelmed students face burnout, which decreases their enthusiasm for learning as well as their ability to properly absorb what they are being taught.

Be Encouraging

As your child’s closest ally in academic success, it’s important that you approach homework with a positive and encouraging approach. If you become frustrated with the material or your child’s struggles, do not let it show. Instead, focus on celebrating their successes and praise them for how far they’ve come when they finally get the hang of that difficult material.

You don’t have to be an educator yourself to provide great homework help to your child. Follow the six tips outlined above to provide the best help possible on your child’s path toward academic success.