Help your child develop a work area. Children usually do better when they have a private study area away from interruption. Some children prefer to work at the kitchen table. If so, make the kitchen off-limits to other family members during study time. Equip your child's study area with a good light, a clock, pencils, paper, and a wide variety of reference materials.
Agree on a regular time for studying. Forcing yourself to sit down and do something you do not enjoy is tough, even for adults. Children have an even harder time. To help your child make homework a habit, schedule a set time each day for homework. Your child may find it beneficial to organize homework time into short work periods (perhaps 20 minutes) with time in between to play or exercise. The renewed energy can be helpful. Likewise, most children can use some physical activity right after school before sitting back down to homework.
Help your child develop a homework "to do" list. Keeping track of homework assignments can be difficult for some students. Help your child develop a system for writing down assignments as the teacher gives them, then checking them off when completed. Such a "to do" list also gives your children a productive system for tackling other kinds of work.
Provide a quiet environment for study. You can show your child that you value homework and respect the need to complete it effectively by keeping the house quiet. For those children sensitive to background noise, a noisy environment is a real distraction. For all children, a quiet home during homework time sends a very supportive message. You could even go one step further by making this a study time for the entire family. Parents might read a book or the newspaper while children complete their school assignments. The message that "we are a family of learners" will be received loud and clear.
Reprinted with permission from the Ohio State University Extension Service