Tips to help our children with homework

Carry out Homeworks Outside school hours is a pillar of the educational system in Spain. During primary education, children begin to have homework to fix in mind the content addressed in class and, although it is the responsibility of the children, parents They also play a role, but what is that role?

Before starting homework

• Create a habit: it is important that the study is always carried out in the same room, at the same time, with the necessary equipment and sitting comfortably.
• School work is a priority: it is essential to convey the message that duties are a priority and therefore must be done without haste and not left until the last minute.
• Basic rules: You have to establish a series of basic rules, such as that there will be no television, phone calls, video games, etc., until you finish your homework.
• Distribute time: One way to help that having parents is to distribute the time for homework and exercises, knowing how long you are going to dedicate to each subject.
• Sort the exercisesConsidering that performance decreases as time goes by, it is important that you start with the most monotonous and difficult ones and save the simple ones for last.
• Know how to organize: Bear in mind that in secondary education the organization becomes something fundamental to perform academically, so in primary school these skills should be acquired and thus be able to avoid school failure.

During the study

• Help when they need it- Try to be available to answer your questions and help you interpret job instructions. It is not necessary to be on top, but close to him in case he needs it.
• Make them striveResist the urge to give him the correct answers when he gets stuck on an exercise or to help him finish exercises in the subject that are most difficult for him. If you give him everything done, he will learn that when he has a difficulty you will solve the problem for him and he will not learn to value effort and improvement.
• To rest- Allow him to take a break when he needs it and guide him back to work when his mind is clear and his energy is back.
• Discussion moment: do not turn homework into the moment of "scolding" every day, it is very harmful to create anxiety about things related to school.
• Discipline and independence: Remember that homework is not only learning new knowledge, it also develops autonomous work and self-discipline.

After the study

• Review your homework: make sure the job is complete; it is a way of showing interest in what you are learning.
• Give examples: apply school things to the "real world". For example, how the topics covered in history class relate to what is happening in the current news.
• Do not correct homework at home: That children bring imperfect homework to class is good for them to see where they have been wrong.
• Keep in touch with their teachers through tutorials and meetings, they will help you monitor their school performance.
• Do not forget that we are preparing them for life, and in life there will be a lot of work and effort.

• To create a habit, it is important that the study is always carried out in the same room, at the same time, with the necessary equipment and sitting comfortably.
• It is not necessary to be on top, but close to him in case he needs it.
• Do not correct everything, taking imperfect homework to class is good for him to see where they have been wrong.

Mireia Galán Specialist in Clinical Psychology and Family and Couples Psychotherapist