How to face math homework and you both walk away happy.
Well, I know most people are not like me. When my kids need help with math homework, a comet zips through our home and I instantly appear with my pink bag, mechanical pencil, and a smile. I am pretty sure other parents are like this:
However, I do believe that parents would like to actually help their children. A parent’s own confidence in math, that’s an entirely different blog post. But, this post is about when you do sit down and try to help your child, how do you make it a positive experience? After all, if a student is asking for help, that’s a good thing. We need to help and keep it positive so they keep asking.
- Be in a setting with few distractions. If you have a busy family, don’t try to help your child with semi-chaos all around them. You will be distracted as well as your student and my guess will be that everyone gets frustrated.
- Snacks. For real. If a kid is hungry, they will not learn. Kids love snacks. As long as it’s not a messy snack, I’d let them have at it and snack away while working. It takes the intensity down a level.
- Allow your student to guide the homework. Do not take over. They are ultimately in charge of their own academic success and need to be taught to communicate the specifics about what they are learning and the topics for which they need assistance.
- As the helper, your job is to remain positive. You must encourage. If you are confused yourself, it is important not to express negativity toward what they are learning, the school, or their teacher. Support. This article is excellent for showing you just how to do this…….even if you never liked math!
- During homework help, ask questions, don’t do their homework. Resist all temptations!
- Do you have examples like this problem so we can look at them together?
- How did your teacher show you how to solve this problem?
- I see what you did there, what would be the next best step?
- Model problem solving. Your child is stuck despite your questions to prompt them. What now? If you know how to do the problem, quickly create an alternate example similar to the one of the homework and work it together, modeling step by step what to do and verbally explaining why you take each step. Then, ask your student to return to the homework and attempt the problem. If you don’t know how to do the problem, this is where notes, internet videos, and phoning a friend might help. My clients have access to me via text if they are having difficulty during homework!
- If you try and try and realize it is not working, seek help. Schools and libraries have access to tutoring options, online programs for kids that provide examples and explanations, and more teachers have tutoring times available for kids that need extra help.
There is so much that your child will take from you when it comes to math homework. By sitting in a focused setting together, you show them what they are doing is important – so much that you stop everything else you are doing. You show them that math is all about questions and answers and if they don’t know the answers right away, what do they know? And, take those small steps. And finally, you can show your children that at some point, it might be time for mom or dad to retire from math homework help and that’s just fine as long as, in turn, you show them that there is help available and that you support them.