Q: “How should I help my 3rd grader with his homework?”
A:Great question. When parents want to help I tell them:
Don’t help so much that your kid depends on you for getting the job done. But don’t help so little that you see them struggle so much that they’re crying every night.
Now for specific subjects: If they are working on math problems, let them try different strategies and experiment to see of they can find the solution on their own. If they are writing a poem or a short essay, provide them the space to develop some of their ideas or to be creative independently of you. Then if they come to you with a few questions, give them a hand. That is a great way to support your child. But make sure your child still feels ownership of the work. That way the teacher can then use the homework as part of their system, assessing what your child might need help with and what they understand. If you do their homework for them, this provides the teacher with no information and doesn’t teach your third grader anything about responsibility, which is the main reason I assign homework in the first place.
A good rule of thumb: always check over the homework. Make sure your child put some effort into their work and that it shows.
March 21st, 2010
Interesting. i never thought of homework as something that teaches the teacher about my kid.
Very, very interesting. hmmm….I never thought of that and I am a very, very smart person.