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Everyone struggles with homework sometimes, but if getting your homework done has become a chronic issue for you, then you may need a little extra help. That’s why we’ve written this article all about how to do homework. Once you’re finished reading it, you’ll know how to do homework (and have tons of new ways to motivate yourself to do homework)!

We’ve broken this article down into a few major sections. You’ll find:

• A diagnostic test to help you figure out why you’re struggling with homework
• A discussion of the four major homework problems students face, along with expert tips for addressing them
• A bonus section with tips for how to do homework fast

By the end of this article, you’ll be prepared to tackle whatever homework assignments your teachers throw at you .

So let’s get started!

How to Do Homework: Figure Out Your Struggles 

Sometimes it feels like everything is standing between you and getting your homework done. But the truth is, most people only have one or two major roadblocks that are keeping them from getting their homework done well and on time. 

The best way to figure out how to get motivated to do homework starts with pinpointing the issues that are affecting your ability to get your assignments done. That’s why we’ve developed a short quiz to help you identify the areas where you’re struggling. 

Take the quiz below and record your answers on your phone or on a scrap piece of paper. Keep in mind there are no wrong answers! 

1. You’ve just been assigned an essay in your English class that’s due at the end of the week. What’s the first thing you do?

A. Keep it in mind, even though you won’t start it until the day before it’s due  B. Open up your planner. You’ve got to figure out when you’ll write your paper since you have band practice, a speech tournament, and your little sister’s dance recital this week, too.  C. Groan out loud. Another essay? You could barely get yourself to write the last one!  D. Start thinking about your essay topic, which makes you think about your art project that’s due the same day, which reminds you that your favorite artist might have just posted to Instagram...so you better check your feed right now. 

2. Your mom asked you to pick up your room before she gets home from work. You’ve just gotten home from school. You decide you’ll tackle your chores: 

A. Five minutes before your mom walks through the front door. As long as it gets done, who cares when you start?  B. As soon as you get home from your shift at the local grocery store.  C. After you give yourself a 15-minute pep talk about how you need to get to work.  D. You won’t get it done. Between texts from your friends, trying to watch your favorite Netflix show, and playing with your dog, you just lost track of time! 

3. You’ve signed up to wash dogs at the Humane Society to help earn money for your senior class trip. You: 

A. Show up ten minutes late. You put off leaving your house until the last minute, then got stuck in unexpected traffic on the way to the shelter.  B. Have to call and cancel at the last minute. You forgot you’d already agreed to babysit your cousin and bake cupcakes for tomorrow’s bake sale.  C. Actually arrive fifteen minutes early with extra brushes and bandanas you picked up at the store. You’re passionate about animals, so you’re excited to help out! D. Show up on time, but only get three dogs washed. You couldn’t help it: you just kept getting distracted by how cute they were!

4. You have an hour of downtime, so you decide you’re going to watch an episode of The Great British Baking Show. You: 

A. Scroll through your social media feeds for twenty minutes before hitting play, which means you’re not able to finish the whole episode. Ugh! You really wanted to see who was sent home!  B. Watch fifteen minutes until you remember you’re supposed to pick up your sister from band practice before heading to your part-time job. No GBBO for you!  C. You finish one episode, then decide to watch another even though you’ve got SAT studying to do. It’s just more fun to watch people make scones.  D. Start the episode, but only catch bits and pieces of it because you’re reading Twitter, cleaning out your backpack, and eating a snack at the same time.

5. Your teacher asks you to stay after class because you’ve missed turning in two homework assignments in a row. When she asks you what’s wrong, you say: 

A. You planned to do your assignments during lunch, but you ran out of time. You decided it would be better to turn in nothing at all than submit unfinished work.  B. You really wanted to get the assignments done, but between your extracurriculars, family commitments, and your part-time job, your homework fell through the cracks.  C. You have a hard time psyching yourself to tackle the assignments. You just can’t seem to find the motivation to work on them once you get home.  D. You tried to do them, but you had a hard time focusing. By the time you realized you hadn’t gotten anything done, it was already time to turn them in. 

Like we said earlier, there are no right or wrong answers to this quiz (though your results will be better if you answered as honestly as possible). Here’s how your answers break down: 

• If your answers were mostly As, then your biggest struggle with doing homework is procrastination. 
• If your answers were mostly Bs, then your biggest struggle with doing homework is time management. 
• If your answers were mostly Cs, then your biggest struggle with doing homework is motivation. 
• If your answers were mostly Ds, then your biggest struggle with doing homework is getting distracted. 

Now that you’ve identified why you’re having a hard time getting your homework done, we can help you figure out how to fix it! Scroll down to find your core problem area to learn more about how you can start to address it. 

And one more thing: you’re really struggling with homework, it’s a good idea to read through every section below. You may find some additional tips that will help make homework less intimidating. 

How to Do Homework When You’re a Procrastinator  

Merriam Webster defines “procrastinate” as “to put off intentionally and habitually.” In other words, procrastination is when you choose to do something at the last minute on a regular basis. If you’ve ever found yourself pulling an all-nighter, trying to finish an assignment between periods, or sprinting to turn in a paper minutes before a deadline, you’ve experienced the effects of procrastination. 

If you’re a chronic procrastinator, you’re in good company. In fact, one study found that 70% to 95% of undergraduate students procrastinate when it comes to doing their homework. Unfortunately, procrastination can negatively impact your grades. Researchers have found that procrastination can lower your grade on an assignment by as much as five points ...which might not sound serious until you realize that can mean the difference between a B- and a C+. 

Procrastination can also negatively affect your health by increasing your stress levels , which can lead to other health conditions like insomnia, a weakened immune system, and even heart conditions. Getting a handle on procrastination can not only improve your grades, it can make you feel better, too! 

The big thing to understand about procrastination is that it’s not the result of laziness. Laziness is defined as being “disinclined to activity or exertion.” In other words, being lazy is all about doing nothing. But a s this Psychology Today article explains , procrastinators don’t put things off because they don’t want to work. Instead, procrastinators tend to postpone tasks they don’t want to do in favor of tasks that they perceive as either more important or more fun. Put another way, procrastinators want to do things...as long as it’s not their homework! 

3 Tips f or Conquering Procrastination 

Because putting off doing homework is a common problem, there are lots of good tactics for addressing procrastination. Keep reading for our three expert tips that will get your homework habits back on track in no time. 

#1: Create a Reward System

Like we mentioned earlier, procrastination happens when you prioritize other activities over getting your homework done. Many times, this happens because homework...well, just isn’t enjoyable. But you can add some fun back into the process by rewarding yourself for getting your work done. 

Here’s what we mean: let’s say you decide that every time you get your homework done before the day it’s due, you’ll give yourself a point. For every five points you earn, you’ll treat yourself to your favorite dessert: a chocolate cupcake! Now you have an extra (delicious!) incentive to motivate you to leave procrastination in the dust. 

If you’re not into cupcakes, don’t worry. Your reward can be anything that motivates you . Maybe it’s hanging out with your best friend or an extra ten minutes of video game time. As long as you’re choosing something that makes homework worth doing, you’ll be successful. 

#2: Have a Homework Accountability Partner 

If you’re having trouble getting yourself to start your homework ahead of time, it may be a good idea to call in reinforcements . Find a friend or classmate you can trust and explain to them that you’re trying to change your homework habits. Ask them if they’d be willing to text you to make sure you’re doing your homework and check in with you once a week to see if you’re meeting your anti-procrastination goals. 

Sharing your goals can make them feel more real, and an accountability partner can help hold you responsible for your decisions. For example, let’s say you’re tempted to put off your science lab write-up until the morning before it’s due. But you know that your accountability partner is going to text you about it tomorrow...and you don’t want to fess up that you haven’t started your assignment. A homework accountability partner can give you the extra support and incentive you need to keep your homework habits on track. 

#3: Create Your Own Due Dates 

If you’re a life-long procrastinator, you might find that changing the habit is harder than you expected. In that case, you might try using procrastination to your advantage! If you just can’t seem to stop doing your work at the last minute, try setting your own due dates for assignments that range from a day to a week before the assignment is actually due. 

Here’s what we mean. Let’s say you have a math worksheet that’s been assigned on Tuesday and is due on Friday. In your planner, you can write down the due date as Thursday instead. You may still put off your homework assignment until the last minute...but in this case, the “last minute” is a day before the assignment’s real due date . This little hack can trick your procrastination-addicted brain into planning ahead! 

If you feel like Kevin Hart in this meme, then our tips for doing homework when you're busy are for you. 

How to Do Homework When You’re too Busy

If you’re aiming to go to a top-tier college , you’re going to have a full plate. Because college admissions is getting more competitive, it’s important that you’re maintaining your grades , studying hard for your standardized tests , and participating in extracurriculars so your application stands out. A packed schedule can get even more hectic once you add family obligations or a part-time job to the mix. 

If you feel like you’re being pulled in a million directions at once, you’re not alone. Recent research has found that stress—and more severe stress-related conditions like anxiety and depression— are a major problem for high school students . In fact, one study from the American Psychological Association found that during the school year, students’ stress levels are higher than those of the adults around them. 

For students, homework is a major contributor to their overall stress levels . Many high schoolers have multiple hours of homework every night , and figuring out how to fit it into an already-packed schedule can seem impossible. 

3 Tips for Fitting Homework Into Your Busy Schedule

While it might feel like you have literally no time left in your schedule, there are still ways to make sure you’re able to get your homework done and meet your other commitments. Here are our expert homework tips for even the busiest of students. 

#1: Make a Prioritized To-Do List 

You probably already have a to-do list to keep yourself on track. The next step is to prioritize the items on your to-do list so you can see what items need your attention right away. 

Here’s how it works: at the beginning of each day, sit down and make a list of all the items you need to get done before you go to bed. This includes your homework, but it should also take into account any practices, chores, events, or job shifts you may have. Once you get everything listed out, it’s time to prioritize them using the labels A, B, and C. Here’s what those labels mean:

• A Tasks : tasks that have to get done—like showing up at work or turning in an assignment—get an A. 
• B Tasks : these are tasks that you would like to get done by the end of the day but aren’t as time sensitive. For example, studying for a test you have next week could be a B-level task. It’s still important, but it doesn’t have to be done right away.
• C Tasks: these are tasks that aren’t very important and/or have no real consequences if you don’t get them done immediately. For instance, if you’re hoping to clean out your closet but it’s not an assigned chore from your parents, you could label that to-do item with a C.

Prioritizing your to-do list helps you visualize which items need your immediate attention, and which items you can leave for later. A prioritized to-do list ensures that you’re spending your time efficiently and effectively, which helps you make room in your schedule for homework. So even though you might really want to start making decorations for Homecoming (a B task), you’ll know that finishing your reading log (an A task) is more important. 

#2: Use a Planner With Time Labels

Your planner is probably packed with notes, events, and assignments already. (And if you’re not using a planner, it’s time to start!) But planners can do more for you than just remind you when an assignment is due. If you’re using a planner with time labels, it can help you visualize how you need to spend your day.

A planner with time labels breaks your day down into chunks, and you assign tasks to each chunk of time. For example, you can make a note of your class schedule with assignments, block out time to study, and make sure you know when you need to be at practice. Once you know which tasks take priority, you can add them to any empty spaces in your day. 

Planning out how you spend your time not only helps you use it wisely, it can help you feel less overwhelmed, too . We’re big fans of planners that include a task list ( like this one ) or have room for notes ( like this one ). 

#3: Set Reminders on Your Phone 

If you need a little extra nudge to make sure you’re getting your homework done on time, it’s a good idea to set some reminders on your phone. You don’t need a fancy app, either. You can use your alarm app to have it go off at specific times throughout the day to remind you to do your homework. This works especially well if you have a set homework time scheduled. So if you’ve decided you’re doing homework at 6:00 pm, you can set an alarm to remind you to bust out your books and get to work. 

If you use your phone as your planner, you may have the option to add alerts, emails, or notifications to scheduled events . Many calendar apps, including the one that comes with your phone, have built-in reminders that you can customize to meet your needs. So if you block off time to do your homework from 4:30 to 6:00 pm, you can set a reminder that will pop up on your phone when it’s time to get started. 

This dog isn't judging your lack of motivation...but your teacher might. Keep reading for tips to help you motivate yourself to do your homework.

How to Do Homework When You’re Unmotivated 

At first glance, it may seem like procrastination and being unmotivated are the same thing. After all, both of these issues usually result in you putting off your homework until the very last minute. 

But there’s one key difference: many procrastinators are working, they’re just prioritizing work differently. They know they’re going to start their homework...they’re just going to do it later. 

Conversely, people who are unmotivated to do homework just can’t find the willpower to tackle their assignments. Procrastinators know they’ll at least attempt the homework at the last minute, whereas people who are unmotivated struggle with convincing themselves to do it at a ll. For procrastinators, the stress comes from the inevitable time crunch. For unmotivated people, the stress comes from trying to convince themselves to do something they don’t want to do in the first place. 

Here are some common reasons students are unmotivated in doing homework : 

• Assignments are too easy, too hard, or seemingly pointless 
• Students aren’t interested in (or passionate about) the subject matter
• Students are intimidated by the work and/or feels like they don’t understand the assignment 
• Homework isn’t fun, and students would rather spend their time on things that they enjoy 

To sum it up: people who lack motivation to do their homework are more likely to not do it at all, or to spend more time worrying about doing their homework than...well, actually doing it.

3 Tips for How to Get Motivated to Do Homework

The key to getting homework done when you’re unmotivated is to figure out what does motivate you, then apply those things to homework. It sounds tricky...but it’s pretty simple once you get the hang of it! Here are our three expert tips for motivating yourself to do your homework. 

#1: Use Incremental Incentives

When you’re not motivated, it’s important to give yourself small rewards to stay focused on finishing the task at hand. The trick is to keep the incentives small and to reward yourself often. For example, maybe you’re reading a good book in your free time. For every ten minutes you spend on your homework, you get to read five pages of your book. Like we mentioned earlier, make sure you’re choosing a reward that works for you! 

So why does this technique work? Using small rewards more often allows you to experience small wins for getting your work done. Every time you make it to one of your tiny reward points, you get to celebrate your success, which gives your brain a boost of dopamine . Dopamine helps you stay motivated and also creates a feeling of satisfaction when you complete your homework !  

#2: Form a Homework Group 

If you’re having trouble motivating yourself, it’s okay to turn to others for support. Creating a homework group can help with this. Bring together a group of your friends or classmates, and pick one time a week where you meet and work on homework together. You don’t have to be in the same class, or even taking the same subjects— the goal is to encourage one another to start (and finish!) your assignments. 

Another added benefit of a homework group is that you can help one another if you’re struggling to understand the material covered in your classes. This is especially helpful if your lack of motivation comes from being intimidated by your assignments. Asking your friends for help may feel less scary than talking to your teacher...and once you get a handle on the material, your homework may become less frightening, too. 

#3: Change Up Your Environment 

If you find that you’re totally unmotivated, it may help if you find a new place to do your homework. For example, if you’ve been struggling to get your homework done at home, try spending an extra hour in the library after school instead. The change of scenery can limit your distractions and give you the energy you need to get your work done. 

If you’re stuck doing homework at home, you can still use this tip. For instance, maybe you’ve always done your homework sitting on your bed. Try relocating somewhere else, like your kitchen table, for a few weeks. You may find that setting up a new “homework spot” in your house gives you a motivational lift and helps you get your work done. 

Social media can be a huge problem when it comes to doing homework. We have advice for helping you unplug and regain focus.

How to Do Homework When You’re Easily Distracted

We live in an always-on world, and there are tons of things clamoring for our attention. From friends and family to pop culture and social media, it seems like there’s always something (or someone!) distracting us from the things we need to do.

The 24/7 world we live in has affected our ability to focus on tasks for prolonged periods of time. Research has shown that over the past decade, an average person’s attention span has gone from 12 seconds to eight seconds . And when we do lose focus, i t takes people a long time to get back on task . One study found that it can take as long as 23 minutes to get back to work once we’ve been distracte d. No wonder it can take hours to get your homework done! 

3 Tips to Improve Your Focus

If you have a hard time focusing when you’re doing your homework, it’s a good idea to try and eliminate as many distractions as possible. Here are three expert tips for blocking out the noise so you can focus on getting your homework done. 

#1: Create a Distraction-Free Environment

Pick a place where you’ll do your homework every day, and make it as distraction-free as possible. Try to find a location where there won’t be tons of noise, and limit your access to screens while you’re doing your homework. Put together a focus-oriented playlist (or choose one on your favorite streaming service), and put your headphones on while you work. 

You may find that other people, like your friends and family, are your biggest distraction. If that’s the case, try setting up some homework boundaries. Let them know when you’ll be working on homework every day, and ask them if they’ll help you keep a quiet environment. They’ll be happy to lend a hand! 

#2: Limit Your Access to Technology 

We know, we know...this tip isn’t fun, but it does work. For homework that doesn’t require a computer, like handouts or worksheets, it’s best to put all your technology away . Turn off your television, put your phone and laptop in your backpack, and silence notifications on any wearable tech you may be sporting. If you listen to music while you work, that’s fine...but make sure you have a playlist set up so you’re not shuffling through songs once you get started on your homework. 

If your homework requires your laptop or tablet, it can be harder to limit your access to distractions. But it’s not impossible! T here are apps you can download that will block certain websites while you’re working so that you’re not tempted to scroll through Twitter or check your Facebook feed. Silence notifications and text messages on your computer, and don’t open your email account unless you absolutely have to. And if you don’t need access to the internet to complete your assignments, turn off your WiFi. Cutting out the online chatter is a great way to make sure you’re getting your homework done. 

#3: Set a Timer (the Pomodoro Technique)

Have you ever heard of the Pomodoro technique ? It’s a productivity hack that uses a timer to help you focus!

Here’s how it works: first, set a timer for 25 minutes. This is going to be your work time. During this 25 minutes, all you can do is work on whatever homework assignment you have in front of you. No email, no text messaging, no phone calls—just homework. When that timer goes off, you get to take a 5 minute break. Every time you go through one of these cycles, it’s called a “pomodoro.” For every four pomodoros you complete, you can take a longer break of 15 to 30 minutes.

The pomodoro technique works through a combination of boundary setting and rewards. First, it gives you a finite amount of time to focus, so you know that you only have to work really hard for 25 minutes. Once you’ve done that, you’re rewarded with a short break where you can do whatever you want. Additionally, tracking how many pomodoros you complete can help you see how long you’re really working on your homework. (Once you start using our focus tips, you may find it doesn’t take as long as you thought!)

Two Bonus Tips for How to Do Homework Fast

Even if you’re doing everything right, there will be times when you just need to get your homework done as fast as possible. (Why do teachers always have projects due in the same week? The world may never know.)

The problem with speeding through homework is that it’s easy to make mistakes. While turning in an assignment is always better than not submitting anything at all, you want to make sure that you’re not compromising quality for speed. Simply put, the goal is to get your homework done quickly and still make a good grade on the assignment! 

Here are our two bonus tips for getting a decent grade on your homework assignments , even when you’re in a time crunch. 

#1: Do the Easy Parts First 

This is especially true if you’re working on a handout with multiple questions. Before you start working on the assignment, read through all the questions and problems. As you do, make a mark beside the questions you think are “easy” to answer . 

Once you’ve finished going through the whole assignment, you can answer these questions first. Getting the easy questions out of the way as quickly as possible lets you spend more time on the trickier portions of your homework, which will maximize your assignment grade. 

(Quick note: this is also a good strategy to use on timed assignments and tests, like the SAT and the ACT !) 

#2: Pay Attention in Class 

Homework gets a lot easier when you’re actively learning the material. Teachers aren’t giving you homework because they’re mean or trying to ruin your weekend... it’s because they want you to really understand the course material. Homework is designed to reinforce what you’re already learning in class so you’ll be ready to tackle harder concepts later.

When you pay attention in class, ask questions, and take good notes, you’re absorbing the information you’ll need to succeed on your homework assignments. (You’re stuck in class anyway, so you might as well make the most of it!) Not only will paying attention in class make your homework less confusing, it will also help it go much faster, too.

What’s Next?

If you’re looking to improve your productivity beyond homework, a good place to begin is with time management. After all, we only have so much time in a day...so it’s important to get the most out of it! To get you started, check out this list of the 12 best time management techniques that you can start using today.

You may have read this article because homework struggles have been affecting your GPA. Now that you’re on the path to homework success, it’s time to start being proactive about raising your grades. This article teaches you everything you need to know about raising your GPA so you can

Now you know how to get motivated to do homework...but what about your study habits? Studying is just as critical to getting good grades, and ultimately getting into a good college . We can teach you how to study bette r in high school. (We’ve also got tons of resources to help you study for your ACT and SAT exams , too!)

These recommendations are based solely on our knowledge and experience. If you purchase an item through one of our links, PrepScholar may receive a commission.

Ashley Sufflé Robinson has a Ph.D. in 19th Century English Literature. As a content writer for PrepScholar, Ashley is passionate about giving college-bound students the in-depth information they need to get into the school of their dreams.

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The learning network | how much do your parents help with your homework.

How Much Do Your Parents Help With Your Homework?

Questions about issues in the news for students 13 and older.

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What’s the homework situation in your family? How much do your parents help with your homework? And in what ways?

Room for Debate recently asked whether parents should help their children with their homework or whether they end up doing more harm than good.

Experts weighed in with varying opinions.

Erika A. Patall, an assistant professor of educational psychology, writes:

When it comes to helping with homework, education and psychology research suggests that it all depends on how parents become involved. What is essential is that parents focus on supporting students’ motivation. Parent help can backfire when it involves providing instruction on homework content. In contrast, parents will support their kids’ school success when they communicate clear expectations and help students develop a homework routine. Students who have a clearly defined routine around homework — a set time, a set place and a set way to complete homework — are more likely to believe they can overcome challenges while doing homework, take more responsibility for learning, and ultimately do better in school. Homework is an especially good opportunity for parents to help young kids develop self-regulatory skills, by modeling study strategies and helping students set goals and make plans for completing homework. Parents should also give kids autonomy. When kids struggle with homework, parents sometimes have an instinct to take control by using commands, incentives, threats, surveillance, or just doing the work themselves. These tactics may work in the short term, but won’t benefit kids in the long run.

Martha Brockenbrough, a former high school teacher and the author of books for young readers, writes:

My daughters are 10 and 14. Once upon a time, I did everything for them. Then they learned and took over. This is a core principle of parenthood for me: If my kids can do it themselves, I don’t do it for them. My daughters sometimes wear questionable outfits and pack questionable lunches. Likewise, they’ve handed in homework that’s less than perfect. And this might look like incompetence, but when I see it, I see learning in progress. The principle seems to work equally well for all kinds of kids. One of my girls has learning disabilities and is in a private school that specializes in such things. The other is working two years ahead academically in a public school. Both have learned they prefer better grades and fewer corrections on their homework, so both do it carefully and on time.

Students: Read the entire article, then tell us …

— How much do your parents help with your homework? What kind of help do they provide?

— Do they help you develop a homework routine? Do they help motivate you and provide assistance when you ask?

— Do they ever use commands, incentives, threats or surveillance? Do they ever do the work themselves?

— Has the way your parents have supported you with homework changed as you have gotten older? Did they handle homework differently when you were in elementary school, for example?

— Does homework ever cause conflict in your family? How so?

— Are you happy with the way your parents support you with your homework? Or do you wish they would handle it differently? Why?

Students 13 and older are invited to comment below. Please use only your first name. For privacy policy reasons, we will not publish student comments that include a last name.

Comments are no longer being accepted.

– How much do your parents help with your homework? What kind of help do they provide?

Very little, and usually only when I asked. Unfortunately, despite both my parents being graduated, they had a tendency to do my work for me, especially in mathematics, and be rather impatient when I did not understand how they had done it.

– Do they help you develop a homework routine? Do they help motivate you and provide assistance when you ask?

They didn’t help; Until I entered 5th grade, when I was 11, I stayed the entire day at school, barely seeing my parents. The school caretakers, after the normal classes, helped us do homework. After my 5th grade, I had the morning for classes and then returned home. But, see, my father developed a thyroid condition in that year and had to be medicated heavily, which kept him asleep for most of the day, while my mother worked from 7am to 11pm. Both unable to reinforce any schedule, plus in that same year my school had financial problems which rebounded in teachers not passing homework and the whole administration was failing.

– Do they ever use commands, incentives, threats or surveillance? Do they ever do the work themselves?

They used to, and it left me frustrated because although the work was done, I didn’t understand a thing. Humanities were easier, because I could understand by reading a bit more, but mathematics and related– such as physics– I had to ask multiple times. My father had a doctorate in physics, but I hesitated to ask him for help as he usually explained something that went way over my head, and my mother had the tendency to take the notebook from my hands to do it herself, and not understand how I couldn’t grasp it.

– Has the way your parents have supported you with homework changed as you have gotten older? Did they handle homework differently when you were in elementary school, for example?

I don’t think so, as I stopped asking them. I find studying alone better, but it leaves a lot of gaps, especially in math.

– Does homework ever cause conflict in your family? How so?

It did, as it affected my grades. From that 5th grade (my 11 years) onwards, I couldn’t concentrate or didn’t have enough discipline to sit at home and make my homework. I also had problems remembering I had homework, as I couldn’t pay much attention in class. Usually, reaching the end of a bimester or trimester, where there were parent reunions and distribution of grades, my mother returned completely pissed, and it would be a few nightmarish hours of her screaming at me.

– Are you happy with the way your parents support you with your homework? Or do you wish they would handle it differently? Why?

I developed depression and suicidal tendencies in my teens. Today I’m 24, and still battle depression and a lack of discipline. I certainly wish it had been handled differently.

They help when they know I’m having trouble with a certain subject, and when they do they are patient about it. Yes, they have used commands and incentives, and I have gotten grounded, and I used to resent them for that. Now, though, I know that they have only ever wanted what’s best for me, including my education.

My parents rarely help me with my homework. When they do it’s usually because I am stuck on a problem and ask them to help me. Even then sometimes they can not help me because they don’t know how to do it either. When I was younger, my parents would keep a closer eye on the homework situation, and do a lot more to help me. Now it’s my responsibility to get my homework done and handed in on time. Which is good because it helps me get ready for college when they won’t be there to watch over me.

As a student in high school, my parents don’t help me out with my homework. They did help me a lot in elementary school but as time went on, they did not help me because the material was getting a lot harder. In elementary school, they helped me find what 2+2 was but as time went on they didn’t know how to find x if y=x2+9x-12. They helped me dramatically when the material was a lot easier. Once the material became harder, it was harder for them to teach me. At a certain point I couldn’t really ask them to help me because I didn’t want them to feel bad. I knew they tried their hardest to help me but once the material became harder, I had to learn how to teach myself the material. I knew that time would come. I had to start teaching myself once eighth grade came along. The material was getting tougher for the teacher to teach us let alone my parents to teach me. I know my parents tried to help me comprehend the material but they couldn’t do it any more once I went into middle school. They led me to the right direction in elementary school. They taught me a lot of things in elementary school that I carried out in middle school and high school. In eighth grade, they tried teaching me but they were doing it the wrong way. They would try to help me on my homework but once I got into class, all my answers were wrong. They tried helping me but it didn’t work out for my benefit. At a certain point, I had to say that I already did all my homework so they couldn’t try to help me out. I actually did work but not for long. They started asking questions. I always had my homework “finished” before I even got home. They started looking through my homework and found out I was still doing it wrong. I didn’t want to lie to them any more so I wanted to tell them the truth. I told them that they couldn’t help me and I didn’t understand the material. They told me that I should have told them a while ago. They called a tutor for me so I can actually understand what was going on during class. I did get caught lying but looking back at it, I am happy I did because it led me into getting a tutor that actually knew how to teach. My parents tried helping me with my homework but it didn’t really help me.

At sixteen years old my parents rarely help with my homework but when I was younger my parents would help more often. During elementary school, they would help me the most and then a little during middle school but not much. During elementary school when I would have trouble with a math problem they would help me solve it by going through the steps on how to solve the problem. If I was doing English homework and I did not understand what a question was asking my parents would explain what it meant using different words then the question used. These days with the common core curriculum it is going to get harder for parents to help kids with their homework because it is a different way of learning then what they are used to. When I was younger my parents would always encourage me to start my homework as soon as I got home. Ever since then, whenever I get home I always try and start my homework right away and get all of it done. This routine gets hard when sports start because I am not able to get my homework done right after school, because of practice, but whenever practice is over I try and get it done as soon as possible. My parents provide me with motivation to do my homework and also provide assistance when I need help. My parents rarely ever use commands, incentives, threats or surveillance and never do the work themselves. As I have gotten older, the support from my parents dealing with homework has been the same or maybe even increased. They have also encouraged my to do all of my homework, giving it one hundred percent and doing it the best that I can. Homework not only helps with reenforcing what you learned during the day but it can also improve your grade. During elementary school my parents would definitely help with my homework more then they do now because I was younger still needing help with many things. Now they still help me when I need help but they won’t do the problem for me, they will just explain what a question is asking or put a question in different words so it makes more sense for me. Homework rarely ever causes conflict in my family, but if it were to cause conflict it would be because of stress. Sometimes when people have a lot of homework or they are stuck on a problem they don’t know how to do they can have stress which may lead to conflict. I am happy with the way my family supports me with my homework, because they started encouraging homework at a young age which has helped me throughout the years. I always get all my homework done and complete it to the best of my ability.

Doing homework is can be super tough and a big hassle when it’s piled on more and more from each class period. I find it easier to do my homework on my own, but if I ask my parents to help me with something (not math) like proof reading an essay or simple asking them about a phrase or word I can’t remember. I don’t ask for help if it’s not to necessary, but whenever I do, they are always willing to help me get the answer.

i wish they would let me try a little more by myself

1.I usually get very little to no help on my homework from my parents and when they do help me wether or not their help is effective depends on the kind of work. 2. My parents will for the most part help me if I ask them they do not help me develop a routine but I have made myself one. 3. My parents don’t often do anything unless I ask them for help. 4. I had handled thing different than I did now in second and third grade when I started to need help from my parents about when to do my homework my parents for the most part support my changes in how I do home work. 5. Homework does not for the most part cause conflict in my family 6. I am happy with how my parents are handling my homework because it allows me to work independently

1). My parents help me a bit. Not too much though they don’t do it for me. If I don’t understand something they explain and I Usually get it after a few times. They provide me examples.

2). I don’t really have a homework routine. When I ask for help they do help but with a limit I do think that if the teachers are giving the work most kids should know it and not need help.

3). They don’t Usually command or watch me. If I am not doing it and they catch than I loose some autonomy.

4). They have changed there style of helping me with homework. I get more freedom but if I am messing around they get stricter which I find helps me.

5). Homework does cause conflict in my home. When my parents get mad about homework I get upset and turns into a fight.

6). I am happy with the way they handle homework. It helps me and It is sometimes annoying but in the long run it helps me a lot and I think it will help me.

1. My parents help me on my homework sometimes, but when they do they don’t do the work for me they help me figure it out for I can do it for myself.

2. My parents don’t motivate me to do it they just expect me to get it done becasie it’s my responsibility, they will usally help me when I ask them for my help.

3. They never command me or anything because it’s my responsibility and if I decide to not do it I get the punishment from my teachers.

4. My parents handle the homework the same as they did in elementary school, they helped me with my work but they didn’t do the work for me and they expected me to get it done or to know when I have to do it.

5. Homework never causes conflicts in my family because it’s my job to get it done and to self advocate if I don’t understand the homework, or if left it at school. My parents never yelled at me and told me to do my homework.

6. I am happy the way my parents support me with my homework I think nothing could get any better they help me when I need it and they are not looking over my shoulder when I’m doing it they leave it to me.

1.My parents don,t help me that much but they help me if I don,t understand a certain thing on my homework.

2.My Mom has had me develop a homework routine when I get home from school and my Mom is a great motivator to me a lot and she will provide assitence when I ask

3.Of course sometimes my Mom will get annoyed when I’m slow and not really concentrating and will tell to focus back in and hurry up and get it done.

4.My Mom has helped me practically the same way with homework since the 1st grade except I’m more Independant with homework now that I’m older.

5.Homework without a doubt will cause conflicts at home because me and my two sisters both have super busy schedules filled with activities during weeknights

6. I am happy with the way my parents help me with my handle homework,there very nice and patient about it.

Jaylin H 11/17/14 Writing

How ofter do your parents help you?

My parents rarely help me with my homework, if i need any help, which is not a lot, my parents would help me. My parents provide like teaching me how to do this then I got it on my own.

No my parents do not help me with a work routine I usually do my homework at my time when I want too. Yes they do help me and motivate me or provide assistance when I need help anytime.

Yes sometimes they use commands when I’m frustrated and they say come on get your homework done so you wont be so frustrated. Or sometimes they would threaten me if I don’t get my homework done i’m going to have to sit in my room for the rest of the night. If my parents are kind of confused or forget the work that I do they would have to do some of the work themselves.

When I was in kindergarden my dad used to help me every single day with my work and he would tell me to do my homework at this time every single day. So as I gotten older my dad has helped me less and less because he thinks I got this on my own. When I was In elementary school my parents helped me differently because they knew i had trouble in school everyday.

No my homework is not a conflict in my family we are usually calm about it.

Yes i’m happy about how my parents support me because they don’t really give me help because they give me more freedom and i could do this on my own and i’m just happy that they can give me more space while doing my homework.

My parents usually do not help with my homework at all. When my parents help they have almost always learned it a different way and can not help me. When they do it ends up being very confusing and does not work. If I need help I can just go into school early the next day and ask the teacher.

My parents like me to start my homework as soon as I get home. Sometimes that doesn’t happen, it depends on if I have a sport and when it is. For instance, if I have a sport in 20 minutes I’m not going to start my homework, but if I have one in 2 hours I will.

My parents have never really used any treats or surveillance that they are serious about, but if they did I don’t think they would work.

When I was in elementary school my parents used to help me a little. We released it just confused me more so sometimes I would ask my sister to help. Now I just ask my teachers for help in the beginning of the day.

Homework never really causes conflict, I can just finish it by myself and nobody has to get involved.

I’m happy my parents are not involved with my homework if I they where I think it would just be frustrating and confuse me. I’m also happy that the teachers are open to help in my school, or else I don’t know what I would do when it came to homework.

1Q)How much do your parents help with your homework? What kind of help do they provide? 1A) If I’m really struggling my parents will help me by explaining it in way I would understand and show me how to solve it and let me watch them do it than after they would make me do it and once I eventually get it they will leave me to try to finish on my own.

2Q)Do they help you develop a homework routine? Do they help motivate you and provide assistance when you ask? 2A) I don’t really have a homework routine because my scuduale changes everyday, but to help me get it done at a reasonable time each day they will give me reminders to get to work and start it

3Q)Do they ever use commands, incentives, threats or surveillance? Do they ever do the work themselves? 3A) If I’m procrastinating and getting off track my mom will always be there around me to get me back on track and even sometimes threat me to get it done or she won’t let me go to sports practice later on if I don’t complete my homework.

4Q)Has the way your parents have supported you with homework changed as you have gotten older? Did they handle homework differently when you were in elementary school, for example? 4A) Yes because when I was in elementary school they would help me a lot more and always be by my side while doing it an doing it with me. Now it’s more my job and on me to be getting it done and doing it alone.

5Q)Does homework ever cause conflict in your family? How so? 5A) Yes because if we all need help at the same time my parents can’t help all of us at the same time and I get home really late from practice and that causes a lot of homework conflicts in everyone.

6Q) Are you happy with the way your parents support you with your homework? Or do you wish they would handle it differently? Why? 6A) Yes I am because If I need help they will help me and make sure I get it.

If I am having a lot of trouble with my homework my mom or dad will give me an example to guide me with the rest of the work but they mostly want me to be independent. I never really had a problem making a H.W. routine or being motivated because I know it is just life you need to do homework. Because of this they have never had to threaten me and certainly never did my H.W for me. Even in my elementry school years my parents have always had the same values about working hard and being independent with my H.W. Unfortunatly, my sister is a huge precrasinater and is always on her phone and there has been huge conflicts when it is nine thirty at night and she has only gotten one page done. I am very happy with the way my parents have handled homework because it has shaped my good homework habits I have today.

Jason H 11/17/14 Literature/Writing A/P How Much Do Your Parents Help With Your Homework?

My parents only help me with my homework when I’m really stuck on a a problem or when I’m trouble understanding a question. Other then that my parents don’t help me with my homework. My parents do not help me develop a homework routine. It is automatic for me to come home and start my homework. Yes, my parents help motivate me and provide assistant when I ask. I ask for assistant when I don’t understand a question. No, my parents don’t ever use commands, incentives, threats or surveillance. No, they don’t ever do the work themselves. They would give me examples but not do the work. The way my parents have supported me with my homework has changed as I gotten older. It has changed as I gotten older because when I was much younger I would need a lot of help figuring the questions on my homework and now since I have gotten older I don’t need as much help with my homework. Yes, my parents handled homework differently when I was in elementary for example, my mom would sometimes sit next to me incase I would need help. After fourth and fifth grade my parents haven’t been sitting next to me just incase I would need help. I have been doing my homework on my own. No, homework doesn’t cause a conflict in my family. yes, I am happy the way my parents support me with my homework. I am happy with the way they support me because they don’t ask me if I got all my homework done. They know that I am responsible enough to get my homework done.

My parents help me a lot to finish my homework. They don’t really finish the entire homework for me .The only thing what they do for me whenever I find any problem to finish my homework and they only do that specific part for me and I don’t think that they should help me to finish the entire homework. They help me to develop a homework routine. Yes, they motivate me and provide assistance when I ask. They do use commands and incentives but not the other options. They don’t ever do the work themselves for me. No the way didn’t changed when I got older .yes they changed the way they liked to handle homework differently when i was in elementary school. No homework don’t really cause any conflict in my family because my parents are really cooperative to each other and in my case they are really responsible .Yes, I am happy with my parents support and in my opinion I think sometime they help me to finish the homework in Sunday night for the Monday school and it makes me thinking throughout the weekend but I wish if they would helped me Friday night in place of Sunday night for Monday school.at the end I would like say that I am really happy to have such an helpful parents.

For me my parents help me to do nothing with my homework, because they always tell me that is your homework. When I was some confused for homework they often give me prompt. No they don’t help me develop a homework routine. Yes when I ask them, they motivate me and provide assistance me. They never use threats and surveillance for me. I think do they ever do the work themselves, so they don’t do for me. Yes they supported me with homework changed as me have gotten older. When I was in elementary school, my parents handle math and Languages homework. Yes, does the homework ever cause conflict in my family, because for one question we have different opinion so does homework ever cause in my family. Yes I am happy with the way my parents support me with my homework, because if they don’t support me do homework, I think I will lose many happy things.

I strongly believe that parents should help their child with their homework, they can give them clue or tray to explain in an easier way to go through it, so they can do it themselves. I agree that Parents should not do the homework for their children because they’re not helping them to learn, I believe that kids in young age like six or seven, parents should teach them how to do it, so that can benefit kids in the long run. at the end When they grow, or become adult they will be capable to do any homework in school or college without their parents do it for them.

I think that when parents help their children, everything is going to be ok. Parent’s help all the time is necessary because when parents support their children the children get more motivation. Sometimes is not easy to get parent’s help because usually parents are working. If we want that our children do better in school we have to help them do their homework. Sometime when parents say something good to student we get motivation because we think that we aren’t alone in our run to college. I’m a student and sometimes is very difficult to tell my father that I need some help because sometimes he is very tired. Usually he says that I can do what I want, when he says that I feel so comfortable because I think that he is next to me. When parents give advice to their children and support them student do better in schools, colleges, and in different ways of our life.

As a mother, I love to be involved in with my son’s homework, he is kindergarten, so he needs it. I encourage him to it and he does it before he watches his favorite show on TV. Initially he didn’t like to do it, today he has fun doing it, I noticed that he had gained confidence because I usually post some of his work on the door of the refrigerator. I think he likes it. I noticed that he has gained confidence because he talks with the family about it, I hope, he will do it with less supervision. I think it is very important to help children with homework and teach them to love it

When I was in elementary school my father helped me to do my homework. My father helped me to learn English and mathematics. But my mother was always busy with household works because our family was joint family. We lived in a big house with many other cousins and uncles family. That’s why my father always helped me in my study. He gave me a homework routine. He also gave vocabulary list. He always gave warning to finish homework. What I progress in my life because of my father. He always wants that I and my siblings become a successful person. Without his inspiration I did not come here. My father is an angry person that’s why I finished my homework every day. When I was in high school he didn’t support the way he liked to do in my elementary school. I handled my homework alone. In my family home work does not create conflict. Yes, I am happy with my parents support.

I am mother, I have 3 kids, they are 17, 4, and 7 years old. I think that the parents have a lot of responsibility with the children. we need to help to kids when they don’t understand or when they need our collaboration because they feel better when we help to them. Is different to do than to help. They need more responsibilities in their homework, but when are kids, sometimes they don’t concentrate in homework. When they have any homework but they need my help of course, I help and give them necessary resource for develop their homework . I am very happy with my children because we are a set, we are united. For this reason we can help betwen ourselves. We have good supporting in our home because my oldest daughter help his brother with homework. In my home we try to buy different books or we have a web page with instruments necessaries for to do exercise in topics when they need help.

How much do your parents help with your homework? What kind of help do they provide? My parents helped me a lot, when I was child. Sometime when I couldn’t do some assignments like math, or other things, they were there to help me. Even now they help me although they do not know English they help me in Spanish. In my opinion when the parents help the children to do their homework everything is going to be better. Sometime the parents do not pay attention about their children, sometime when children need some help and their parents do not help them, the children will have some problems

How much do your parents help with your homework? What kind of help do they provide? My parents helped me a lot, when I was child. Sometime when I couldn’t do some assignments like math, or other things, they were there to help me. Even now they help me although they do not know English they help me in Spanish. In my opinion when the parents help the children to do their homework everything is going to be better. Sometime the parents do not pay attention about their children, sometime when children need some help and their parents do not help them, the children will have some problems.

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Battles Over Homework: Advice For Parents

Guidelines for helping children develop self-discipline with their homework..

Posted September 5, 2012 | Reviewed by Lybi Ma

I would like to offer some advice about one of the most frequent problems presented to me in over 30 years of clinical practice: battles over homework. I have half-jokingly told many parents that if the schools of New York State no longer required homework, our children’s education would suffer (slightly). But, as a child psychologist, I would be out of business.

Many parents accept this conflict with their children as an unavoidable consequence of responsible parenting . These battles, however, rarely result in improved learning or performance in school. More often than not, battles over homework lead to vicious cycles of nagging by parents and avoidance or refusal by children, with no improvement in a child’s school performance. And certainly no progress toward what should be our ultimate goals : helping children enjoy learning and develop age-appropriate discipline and independence with respect to their schoolwork.

Before I present a plan for reducing battles over homework, it is important to begin with this essential reminder:

The solution to the problem of homework always begins with an accurate diagnosis and a recognition of the demands placed on your child. Parents should never assume that a child who resists doing homework is “lazy.”

Every child whose parents or teachers report ongoing resistance to completing schoolwork or homework; every child whose performance in school is below expectations based on his parents’ or teachers’ intuitive assessment of his intellectual potential; and every child who, over an extended period of time, complains that he “hates school” or “hates reading,” should be evaluated for the presence of an attention or learning disorder.

These children are not lazy. Your child may be anxious, frustrated, discouraged, distracted, or angry—but this is not laziness. I frequently explain to parents that, as a psychologist, the word lazy is not in my dictionary. Lazy, at best, is a description, not an explanation.

For children with learning difficulties, doing their homework is like running with a sprained ankle: It is possible, although painful, and he will look for ways to avoid or postpone this painful and discouraging task.

A Homework Plan

Homework, like any constructive activity, involves moments of frustration, discouragement, and anxiety . If you begin with some appreciation of your child’s frustration and discouragement, you will be better able to put in place a structure that helps him learn to work through his frustration—to develop increments of frustration tolerance and self-discipline.

I offer families who struggle with this problem a Homework Plan:

• Set aside a specified, and limited, time for homework. Establish, early in the evening, a homework hour.
• For most children, immediately after school is not the best time for homework. This is a time for sports, for music and drama, and free play.
• During the homework hour, all electronics are turned off—for the entire family.
• Work is done in a communal place, at the kitchen or dining room table. Contrary to older conventional wisdom , most elementary school children are able to work more much effectively in a common area, with an adult and even other children present, than in the “quiet” of their rooms.
• Parents may do their own ”homework” during this time, but they are present and continually available to help, to offer encouragement, and to answer children’s questions. Your goal is to create, to the extent possible, a library atmosphere in your home, again, for a specified and limited period of time. Ideally, therefore, parents should not make or receive telephone calls during this hour. And when homework is done, there is time for play.
• Begin with a reasonable, a doable, amount of time set aside for homework. If your child is unable to work for 20 minutes, begin with 10 minutes. Then try 15 minutes in the next week. Acknowledge every increment of effort, however small.
• Be positive and give frequent encouragement. Make note of every improvement, not every mistake.
• Be generous with your praise. Praise their effort, not their innate ability. But do not be afraid of praise.
• Anticipate setbacks. After a difficult day, reset for the following day.
• Give them time. A child’s difficulty completing homework begins as a problem of frustration and discouragement, but it is then complicated by defiant attitudes and feelings of unfairness. A homework plan will begin to reduce these defiant attitudes, but this will not happen overnight.

Most families have found these suggestions helpful, especially for elementary school children. Establishing a homework hour allows parents to move away from a language of threats (“If you don’t__ you won’t be able to__”) to a language of opportunities (“When” or “As soon as” you have finished__ we’ll have a chance to__”).

Of course, for many hurried families, there are complications and potential glitches in implementing any homework plan. It is often difficult, with children’s many activities, to find a consistent time for homework. Some flexibility, some amendments to the plan, may be required. But we should not use the complications of scheduling or other competing demands as an excuse, a reason not to establish the structure of a reasonable homework routine.

Copyright Ken Barish, Ph.D.

See Pride and Joy: A Guide to Understanding Your Child’s Emotions and Solving Family Problems .

Kenneth Barish, Ph.D. , is a clinical associate professor of Psychology at Weill Medical College, Cornell University.

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How to Help Your Sibling with Homework

Last Updated: April 15, 2024

This article was co-authored by Alexander Ruiz, M.Ed. . Alexander Ruiz is an Educational Consultant and the Educational Director of Link Educational Institute, a tutoring business based in Claremont, California that provides customizable educational plans, subject and test prep tutoring, and college application consulting. With over a decade and a half of experience in the education industry, Alexander coaches students to increase their self-awareness and emotional intelligence while achieving skills and the goal of achieving skills and higher education. He holds a BA in Psychology from Florida International University and an MA in Education from Georgia Southern University. This article has been viewed 38,085 times.

We've all been there—a younger (or older) sibling is struggling with a school assignment and asks for help with their homework. While it can be flattering to be asked for help, and often fun to work on an assignment together with your sibling, sometimes it's tough to know how best to help them with their homework. Finding the time to work together with your sibling can be difficult, but also rewarding. You can help your sibling with their homework by monitoring their efforts and helping them when they struggle, and also by making sure they stay focused and take breaks when needed.

Preparing to Help with Your Sibling's Homework

• Which subject is your sibling working on? Are they writing an essay, or solving multiple-choice questions?
• Look over a hard copy of your sibling's assignment. If they're confused, read over the assignment with them.

• “What don't you understand about the assignment?”
• “What methods did the teacher ask you to use when you work on this homework?”
• It may be the case that your sibling misunderstands a small point, and once you explain this to them, they will excel on the rest of their homework.

• Have your sibling schedule their homework for a single block of time, before dinner, and without TV or other distractions.
• Don't wear yourself out with helping your sibling. Try to avoid helping with their homework every day; limit yourself to two or three days a week.

• For example, your sibling may prefer to work in the relative quiet of a bedroom or study room.
• Alternately, they may prefer to work in the busy and stimulating atmosphere of a kitchen or dining room.
• If your sibling is in high school or college, you could take them to a coffee shop or café and help them work there.

Working with Your Sibling on Homework

• Show your sibling the error they have made, and ask if they have ideas about how to fix it.
• If your sibling does not understand a core concept of the assignment, explain it to them, but do not complete the homework for them.
• Come up with a model or example of a problem similar to the one your sibling is struggling with, then ask them to think through the example you created and solve it. You may be able to find such models and examples online, as well as tutorials that walk you through the process, which can be a helpful learning tool.

• While you're working with your sibling, say things to encourage their work, such as, “You're doing a great job; this is a tough subject to work on,” or, “I'm proud of how much progress you've made so far.”

• Explain the topic to your sibling and ask them to create a drawing about the term described. This is especially useful in fields like math or science.

• Youtube has a wealth of instructional videos. Start here, and branch out into other sites if Youtube does not have what you're looking for.
• This will work for siblings at any level—there are many useful instructional videos for high-school (or even college-) age students.

• Rather than simply handing out answers, explain the concept underlying your sibling's homework, and see if they can work out for themselves how the problem should be solved.

• Suppose your sibling has 1 hour of homework. Break for a maximum of 10 minutes after half an hour.
• Eat a healthy snack. You may have fruits, juice, milk, or crackers in your break time. Have a light snack and start with your assignments again.

Letting Your Sibling Learn for Themselves

• Ask your sibling to explain the answer of a problem. This will test if they understand the problem for themselves, or are just parroting your answer back to you.

• For example, if there are three similar math problems, you could show your sibling how to solve the first one, and let them solve the second and third problems on their own. Note if the subsequent problems get more difficult and make sure your sibling understands how to complete the additional steps, if applicable.

• A local public library. This will have books and reference materials that can help your sibling learn more about any subject.
• Useful websites. Aim to find academic reference sites that your sibling can refer to. Focus on sites that end in .edu, .org, or .gov as .com sites are commercially based and may provide biased information.
• For younger children, show them where they can find school supplies such as pencil, paper, crayons, and markers in the home.

Expert Q&A

• Finish with the difficult assignments first. Ask your sibling to do the easier work later on. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• Do not ask your sibling to finish their homework right after they get home from school. Let them take a few minutes to rest, have a snack, etc.—then start the homework. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• Make sure to leave yourself enough time to complete your own homework, if you're still in school. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

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• ↑ Alexander Ruiz, M.Ed.. Educational Consultant. Expert Interview. 4 August 2020.
• ↑ https://www.noodle.com/articles/managing-homework-help-from-older-siblings

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Does Homework Really Help Students Learn?

A conversation with a Wheelock researcher, a BU student, and a fourth-grade teacher

“Quality homework is engaging and relevant to kids’ lives,” says Wheelock’s Janine Bempechat. “It gives them autonomy and engages them in the community and with their families. In some subjects, like math, worksheets can be very helpful. It has to do with the value of practicing over and over.” Photo by iStock/Glenn Cook Photography

Do your homework.

If only it were that simple.

Educators have debated the merits of homework since the late 19th century. In recent years, amid concerns of some parents and teachers that children are being stressed out by too much homework, things have only gotten more fraught.

“Homework is complicated,” says developmental psychologist Janine Bempechat, a Wheelock College of Education & Human Development clinical professor. The author of the essay “ The Case for (Quality) Homework—Why It Improves Learning and How Parents Can Help ” in the winter 2019 issue of Education Next , Bempechat has studied how the debate about homework is influencing teacher preparation, parent and student beliefs about learning, and school policies.

She worries especially about socioeconomically disadvantaged students from low-performing schools who, according to research by Bempechat and others, get little or no homework.

BU Today  sat down with Bempechat and Erin Bruce (Wheelock’17,’18), a new fourth-grade teacher at a suburban Boston school, and future teacher freshman Emma Ardizzone (Wheelock) to talk about what quality homework looks like, how it can help children learn, and how schools can equip teachers to design it, evaluate it, and facilitate parents’ role in it.

BU Today: Parents and educators who are against homework in elementary school say there is no research definitively linking it to academic performance for kids in the early grades. You’ve said that they’re missing the point.

Bempechat : I think teachers assign homework in elementary school as a way to help kids develop skills they’ll need when they’re older—to begin to instill a sense of responsibility and to learn planning and organizational skills. That’s what I think is the greatest value of homework—in cultivating beliefs about learning and skills associated with academic success. If we greatly reduce or eliminate homework in elementary school, we deprive kids and parents of opportunities to instill these important learning habits and skills.

We do know that beginning in late middle school, and continuing through high school, there is a strong and positive correlation between homework completion and academic success.

That’s what I think is the greatest value of homework—in cultivating beliefs about learning and skills associated with academic success.

You talk about the importance of quality homework. What is that?

Quality homework is engaging and relevant to kids’ lives. It gives them autonomy and engages them in the community and with their families. In some subjects, like math, worksheets can be very helpful. It has to do with the value of practicing over and over.

What are your concerns about homework and low-income children?

The argument that some people make—that homework “punishes the poor” because lower-income parents may not be as well-equipped as affluent parents to help their children with homework—is very troubling to me. There are no parents who don’t care about their children’s learning. Parents don’t actually have to help with homework completion in order for kids to do well. They can help in other ways—by helping children organize a study space, providing snacks, being there as a support, helping children work in groups with siblings or friends.

Isn’t the discussion about getting rid of homework happening mostly in affluent communities?

Yes, and the stories we hear of kids being stressed out from too much homework—four or five hours of homework a night—are real. That’s problematic for physical and mental health and overall well-being. But the research shows that higher-income students get a lot more homework than lower-income kids.

Teachers may not have as high expectations for lower-income children. Schools should bear responsibility for providing supports for kids to be able to get their homework done—after-school clubs, community support, peer group support. It does kids a disservice when our expectations are lower for them.

The conversation around homework is to some extent a social class and social justice issue. If we eliminate homework for all children because affluent children have too much, we’re really doing a disservice to low-income children. They need the challenge, and every student can rise to the challenge with enough supports in place.

What did you learn by studying how education schools are preparing future teachers to handle homework?

My colleague, Margarita Jimenez-Silva, at the University of California, Davis, School of Education, and I interviewed faculty members at education schools, as well as supervising teachers, to find out how students are being prepared. And it seemed that they weren’t. There didn’t seem to be any readings on the research, or conversations on what high-quality homework is and how to design it.

Erin, what kind of training did you get in handling homework?

Bruce : I had phenomenal professors at Wheelock, but homework just didn’t come up. I did lots of student teaching. I’ve been in classrooms where the teachers didn’t assign any homework, and I’ve been in rooms where they assigned hours of homework a night. But I never even considered homework as something that was my decision. I just thought it was something I’d pull out of a book and it’d be done.

I started giving homework on the first night of school this year. My first assignment was to go home and draw a picture of the room where you do your homework. I want to know if it’s at a table and if there are chairs around it and if mom’s cooking dinner while you’re doing homework.

The second night I asked them to talk to a grown-up about how are you going to be able to get your homework done during the week. The kids really enjoyed it. There’s a running joke that I’m teaching life skills.

Friday nights, I read all my kids’ responses to me on their homework from the week and it’s wonderful. They pour their hearts out. It’s like we’re having a conversation on my couch Friday night.

It matters to know that the teacher cares about you and that what you think matters to the teacher. Homework is a vehicle to connect home and school…for parents to know teachers are welcoming to them and their families.

Bempechat : I can’t imagine that most new teachers would have the intuition Erin had in designing homework the way she did.

Ardizzone : Conversations with kids about homework, feeling you’re being listened to—that’s such a big part of wanting to do homework….I grew up in Westchester County. It was a pretty demanding school district. My junior year English teacher—I loved her—she would give us feedback, have meetings with all of us. She’d say, “If you have any questions, if you have anything you want to talk about, you can talk to me, here are my office hours.” It felt like she actually cared.

Bempechat : It matters to know that the teacher cares about you and that what you think matters to the teacher. Homework is a vehicle to connect home and school…for parents to know teachers are welcoming to them and their families.

Ardizzone : But can’t it lead to parents being overbearing and too involved in their children’s lives as students?

Bempechat : There’s good help and there’s bad help. The bad help is what you’re describing—when parents hover inappropriately, when they micromanage, when they see their children confused and struggling and tell them what to do.

Good help is when parents recognize there’s a struggle going on and instead ask informative questions: “Where do you think you went wrong?” They give hints, or pointers, rather than saying, “You missed this,” or “You didn’t read that.”

Bruce : I hope something comes of this. I hope BU or Wheelock can think of some way to make this a more pressing issue. As a first-year teacher, it was not something I even thought about on the first day of school—until a kid raised his hand and said, “Do we have homework?” It would have been wonderful if I’d had a plan from day one.

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Sara Rimer A journalist for more than three decades, Sara Rimer worked at the Miami Herald , Washington Post and, for 26 years, the New York Times , where she was the New England bureau chief, and a national reporter covering education, aging, immigration, and other social justice issues. Her stories on the death penalty’s inequities were nominated for a Pulitzer Prize and cited in the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision outlawing the execution of people with intellectual disabilities. Her journalism honors include Columbia University’s Meyer Berger award for in-depth human interest reporting. She holds a BA degree in American Studies from the University of Michigan. Profile

She can be reached at [email protected] .

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Boston University moderates comments to facilitate an informed, substantive, civil conversation. Abusive, profane, self-promotional, misleading, incoherent or off-topic comments will be rejected. Moderators are staffed during regular business hours (EST) and can only accept comments written in English. Statistics or facts must include a citation or a link to the citation.

There are 81 comments on Does Homework Really Help Students Learn?

Insightful! The values about homework in elementary schools are well aligned with my intuition as a parent.

when i finish my work i do my homework and i sometimes forget what to do because i did not get enough sleep

same omg it does not help me it is stressful and if I have it in more than one class I hate it.

Same I think my parent wants to help me but, she doesn’t care if I get bad grades so I just try my best and my grades are great.

I think that last question about Good help from parents is not know to all parents, we do as our parents did or how we best think it can be done, so maybe coaching parents or giving them resources on how to help with homework would be very beneficial for the parent on how to help and for the teacher to have consistency and improve homework results, and of course for the child. I do see how homework helps reaffirm the knowledge obtained in the classroom, I also have the ability to see progress and it is a time I share with my kids

The answer to the headline question is a no-brainer – a more pressing problem is why there is a difference in how students from different cultures succeed. Perfect example is the student population at BU – why is there a majority population of Asian students and only about 3% black students at BU? In fact at some universities there are law suits by Asians to stop discrimination and quotas against admitting Asian students because the real truth is that as a group they are demonstrating better qualifications for admittance, while at the same time there are quotas and reduced requirements for black students to boost their portion of the student population because as a group they do more poorly in meeting admissions standards – and it is not about the Benjamins. The real problem is that in our PC society no one has the gazuntas to explore this issue as it may reveal that all people are not created equal after all. Or is it just environmental cultural differences??????

I get you have a concern about the issue but that is not even what the point of this article is about. If you have an issue please take this to the site we have and only post your opinion about the actual topic

This is not at all what the article is talking about.

This literally has nothing to do with the article brought up. You should really take your opinions somewhere else before you speak about something that doesn’t make sense.

we have the same name

so they have the same name what of it?

lol you tell her

totally agree

What does that have to do with homework, that is not what the article talks about AT ALL.

Yes, I think homework plays an important role in the development of student life. Through homework, students have to face challenges on a daily basis and they try to solve them quickly.I am an intense online tutor at 24x7homeworkhelp and I give homework to my students at that level in which they handle it easily.

More than two-thirds of students said they used alcohol and drugs, primarily marijuana, to cope with stress.

You know what’s funny? I got this assignment to write an argument for homework about homework and this article was really helpful and understandable, and I also agree with this article’s point of view.

I also got the same task as you! I was looking for some good resources and I found this! I really found this article useful and easy to understand, just like you! ^^

i think that homework is the best thing that a child can have on the school because it help them with their thinking and memory.

I am a child myself and i think homework is a terrific pass time because i can’t play video games during the week. It also helps me set goals.

Homework is not harmful ,but it will if there is too much

I feel like, from a minors point of view that we shouldn’t get homework. Not only is the homework stressful, but it takes us away from relaxing and being social. For example, me and my friends was supposed to hang at the mall last week but we had to postpone it since we all had some sort of work to do. Our minds shouldn’t be focused on finishing an assignment that in realty, doesn’t matter. I completely understand that we should have homework. I have to write a paper on the unimportance of homework so thanks.

homework isn’t that bad

Are you a student? if not then i don’t really think you know how much and how severe todays homework really is

i am a student and i do not enjoy homework because i practice my sport 4 out of the five days we have school for 4 hours and that’s not even counting the commute time or the fact i still have to shower and eat dinner when i get home. its draining!

i totally agree with you. these people are such boomers

why just why

they do make a really good point, i think that there should be a limit though. hours and hours of homework can be really stressful, and the extra work isn’t making a difference to our learning, but i do believe homework should be optional and extra credit. that would make it for students to not have the leaning stress of a assignment and if you have a low grade you you can catch up.

Studies show that homework improves student achievement in terms of improved grades, test results, and the likelihood to attend college. Research published in the High School Journal indicates that students who spent between 31 and 90 minutes each day on homework “scored about 40 points higher on the SAT-Mathematics subtest than their peers, who reported spending no time on homework each day, on average.” On both standardized tests and grades, students in classes that were assigned homework outperformed 69% of students who didn’t have homework. A majority of studies on homework’s impact – 64% in one meta-study and 72% in another – showed that take home assignments were effective at improving academic achievement. Research by the Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA) concluded that increased homework led to better GPAs and higher probability of college attendance for high school boys. In fact, boys who attended college did more than three hours of additional homework per week in high school.

So how are your measuring student achievement? That’s the real question. The argument that doing homework is simply a tool for teaching responsibility isn’t enough for me. We can teach responsibility in a number of ways. Also the poor argument that parents don’t need to help with homework, and that students can do it on their own, is wishful thinking at best. It completely ignores neurodiverse students. Students in poverty aren’t magically going to find a space to do homework, a friend’s or siblings to help them do it, and snacks to eat. I feel like the author of this piece has never set foot in a classroom of students.

THIS. This article is pathetic coming from a university. So intellectually dishonest, refusing to address the havoc of capitalism and poverty plays on academic success in life. How can they in one sentence use poor kids in an argument and never once address that poor children have access to damn near 0 of the resources affluent kids have? Draw me a picture and let’s talk about feelings lmao what a joke is that gonna put food in their belly so they can have the calories to burn in order to use their brain to study? What about quiet their 7 other siblings that they share a single bedroom with for hours? Is it gonna force the single mom to magically be at home and at work at the same time to cook food while you study and be there to throw an encouraging word?

Also the “parents don’t need to be a parent and be able to guide their kid at all academically they just need to exist in the next room” is wild. Its one thing if a parent straight up is not equipped but to say kids can just figured it out is…. wow coming from an educator What’s next the teacher doesn’t need to teach cause the kid can just follow the packet and figure it out?

Well then get a tutor right? Oh wait you are poor only affluent kids can afford a tutor for their hours of homework a day were they on average have none of the worries a poor child does. Does this address that poor children are more likely to also suffer abuse and mental illness? Like mentioned what about kids that can’t learn or comprehend the forced standardized way? Just let em fail? These children regularly are not in “special education”(some of those are a joke in their own and full of neglect and abuse) programs cause most aren’t even acknowledged as having disabilities or disorders.

But yes all and all those pesky poor kids just aren’t being worked hard enough lol pretty sure poor children’s existence just in childhood is more work, stress, and responsibility alone than an affluent child’s entire life cycle. Love they never once talked about the quality of education in the classroom being so bad between the poor and affluent it can qualify as segregation, just basically blamed poor people for being lazy, good job capitalism for failing us once again!

why the hell?

you should feel bad for saying this, this article can be helpful for people who has to write a essay about it

This is more of a political rant than it is about homework

I know a teacher who has told his students their homework is to find something they are interested in, pursue it and then come share what they learn. The student responses are quite compelling. One girl taught herself German so she could talk to her grandfather. One boy did a research project on Nelson Mandela because the teacher had mentioned him in class. Another boy, a both on the autism spectrum, fixed his family’s computer. The list goes on. This is fourth grade. I think students are highly motivated to learn, when we step aside and encourage them.

The whole point of homework is to give the students a chance to use the material that they have been presented with in class. If they never have the opportunity to use that information, and discover that it is actually useful, it will be in one ear and out the other. As a science teacher, it is critical that the students are challenged to use the material they have been presented with, which gives them the opportunity to actually think about it rather than regurgitate “facts”. Well designed homework forces the student to think conceptually, as opposed to regurgitation, which is never a pretty sight

Wonderful discussion. and yes, homework helps in learning and building skills in students.

not true it just causes kids to stress

Homework can be both beneficial and unuseful, if you will. There are students who are gifted in all subjects in school and ones with disabilities. Why should the students who are gifted get the lucky break, whereas the people who have disabilities suffer? The people who were born with this “gift” go through school with ease whereas people with disabilities struggle with the work given to them. I speak from experience because I am one of those students: the ones with disabilities. Homework doesn’t benefit “us”, it only tears us down and put us in an abyss of confusion and stress and hopelessness because we can’t learn as fast as others. Or we can’t handle the amount of work given whereas the gifted students go through it with ease. It just brings us down and makes us feel lost; because no mater what, it feels like we are destined to fail. It feels like we weren’t “cut out” for success.

homework does help

here is the thing though, if a child is shoved in the face with a whole ton of homework that isn’t really even considered homework it is assignments, it’s not helpful. the teacher should make homework more of a fun learning experience rather than something that is dreaded

This article was wonderful, I am going to ask my teachers about extra, or at all giving homework.

I agree. Especially when you have homework before an exam. Which is distasteful as you’ll need that time to study. It doesn’t make any sense, nor does us doing homework really matters as It’s just facts thrown at us.

Homework is too severe and is just too much for students, schools need to decrease the amount of homework. When teachers assign homework they forget that the students have other classes that give them the same amount of homework each day. Students need to work on social skills and life skills.

I disagree.

Beyond achievement, proponents of homework argue that it can have many other beneficial effects. They claim it can help students develop good study habits so they are ready to grow as their cognitive capacities mature. It can help students recognize that learning can occur at home as well as at school. Homework can foster independent learning and responsible character traits. And it can give parents an opportunity to see what’s going on at school and let them express positive attitudes toward achievement.

Homework is helpful because homework helps us by teaching us how to learn a specific topic.

As a student myself, I can say that I have almost never gotten the full 9 hours of recommended sleep time, because of homework. (Now I’m writing an essay on it in the middle of the night D=)

I am a 10 year old kid doing a report about “Is homework good or bad” for homework before i was going to do homework is bad but the sources from this site changed my mind!

Homeowkr is god for stusenrs

I agree with hunter because homework can be so stressful especially with this whole covid thing no one has time for homework and every one just wants to get back to there normal lives it is especially stressful when you go on a 2 week vaca 3 weeks into the new school year and and then less then a week after you come back from the vaca you are out for over a month because of covid and you have no way to get the assignment done and turned in

As great as homework is said to be in the is article, I feel like the viewpoint of the students was left out. Every where I go on the internet researching about this topic it almost always has interviews from teachers, professors, and the like. However isn’t that a little biased? Of course teachers are going to be for homework, they’re not the ones that have to stay up past midnight completing the homework from not just one class, but all of them. I just feel like this site is one-sided and you should include what the students of today think of spending four hours every night completing 6-8 classes worth of work.

Are we talking about homework or practice? Those are two very different things and can result in different outcomes.

Homework is a graded assignment. I do not know of research showing the benefits of graded assignments going home.

Practice; however, can be extremely beneficial, especially if there is some sort of feedback (not a grade but feedback). That feedback can come from the teacher, another student or even an automated grading program.

As a former band director, I assigned daily practice. I never once thought it would be appropriate for me to require the students to turn in a recording of their practice for me to grade. Instead, I had in-class assignments/assessments that were graded and directly related to the practice assigned.

I would really like to read articles on “homework” that truly distinguish between the two.

oof i feel bad good luck!

thank you guys for the artical because I have to finish an assingment. yes i did cite it but just thanks

thx for the article guys.

Homework is good

I think homework is helpful AND harmful. Sometimes u can’t get sleep bc of homework but it helps u practice for school too so idk.

I agree with this Article. And does anyone know when this was published. I would like to know.

It was published FEb 19, 2019.

Studies have shown that homework improved student achievement in terms of improved grades, test results, and the likelihood to attend college.

i think homework can help kids but at the same time not help kids

This article is so out of touch with majority of homes it would be laughable if it wasn’t so incredibly sad.

There is no value to homework all it does is add stress to already stressed homes. Parents or adults magically having the time or energy to shepherd kids through homework is dome sort of 1950’s fantasy.

What lala land do these teachers live in?

Homework gives noting to the kid

Homework is Bad

homework is bad.

why do kids even have homework?

Comments are closed.

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Are you looking for strategies to help students who have trouble finishing homework tasks? If so, keep reading.

1. Chart homework tasks finished.

2. Converse with the learner to explain (a) what the learner is doing wrong (e.g., not turning in homework tasks ) and (b) what the learner should be doing (i.e., finishing homework tasks and returning them to school).

3. Urge the learner to lessen distractions to finish homework (e.g., turn off the radio and/or TV, have people whisper, etc.).

4. Take proactive steps to deal with a learner’s refusal to perform a homework task to prevent contagion in the classroom (e.g., refrain from arguing with the learner, place the learner at a carrel or other quiet space to work, remove the learner from the group or classroom, etc.).

5. Select a peer to model finishing homework tasks and returning them to school for the learner.

6. Urge the learner to realize that all behavior has negative or positive consequences. Urge the learner to practice behaviors that will lead to positive outcomes.

7. Urge the learner to set up an “office” where homework can be finished.

8. Get the learner to assess the visual and auditory stimuli in their designated workspace at home to ascertain the number of stimuli they can tolerate.

9. Create an agreement with the learner and their parents requiring that homework be done before more desirable learning activities at home (e.g., playing, watching television, going out for the evening, etc.).

10. Make sure that homework gives drill and practice rather than introducing new ideas or information.

11. Designate small amounts of homework initially . As the learner shows success, slowly increase the amount of homework (e.g., one or two problems to perform may be sufficient to begin the homework process).

12. Provide consistency in assigning homework (i.e., designate the same amount of homework each day).

13. Make sure the amount of homework designated is not excessive and can be finished within a sensible amount of time. Remember, secondary students may have six or seven teachers assigning homework each day.

14. Assess the appropriateness of the homework task to determine (a) if the task is too easy, (b) if the task is too complicated, and (c) if the duration of time scheduled to finish the task is sufficient.

15. Praise the learner for finishing homework tasks and returning them to school: (a) give the learner a concrete reward (e.g., classroom privileges, 10 minutes of free time, etc.) or (b) provide the learner an informal reward (e.g., praise, handshake, smile, etc.).

16. Praise the learner for finishing homework tasks based on the number of tasks the learner can successfully finish. As the learner shows success, slowly increase the number of tasks required for reinforcement.

17. Praise those students who finish their tasks at school during the time given.

18. Send home only one homework task at a time. As the learner shows success finishing tasks at home, slowly increase the number of homework tasks sent home.

19. Show the tasks in the most attractive and exciting manner possible.

20. Find the learning materials the learner continuously fails to take home. Give a set of those learning materials for the learner to keep at home.

21. Consider using an education app to help the student sharpen their organizational skills. Click here to view a list of apps that we recommend .

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Dear ADDitude: My Teen Won’t Do His Homework!

“My 13-year-old rushes through his homework and often forgets to hand it in. He also has ODD, so he is so stubborn and doesn’t want to study or accept help. He is smart, but his attitude and lack of motivation are holding him back. What can I do?”

Defiant Over Homework: Reader Question

Defiant over homework: additude answers.

ADHD, ODD, and puberty are a tough combination. Work on one challenge at a time. First, handle the missing assignments. Set up a meeting with your son’s teachers to find out which assignments are missing, and come up with a schedule for getting him caught up. Choose to work on a few assignments per night until he is caught up. I would suggest not allowing any screen time until that day’s assignments are complete. Follow up with his teachers to make sure they received the completed assignments. If it is possible to e-mail assignments, once they are completed, that would be ideal.

Now you can focus on the quality of the work and his motivation to do it. Many 13-year-old boys are not motivated to do schoolwork. This may be a sign of his age, his ADHD , his ODD, or a combination. If you find less screen time helps, keep this policy up until schoolwork is completed for the evening. Although teens with ODD often resent and argue with rules, you should keep certain rules in place. Clearly explain to your son the consequences and rewards. Be consistent with your approach, and focus on what he is doing right, rather than what he is doing wrong.

Posted by Eileen Bailey Freelance writer, author specializing in ADHD, anxiety, and autism

My son is 13, in 7th grade, and also rushes through all work and homework. He has a gifted IQ but currently has two low D’s in two classes.

The reason my son does so poorly in school is mostly due to his executive functioning deficits  and the fact that teachers won’t provide the support he needs in that area.

[ Take This Test If You Think Your Child Has Oppositional Defiant Disorder ]

Ask for a parent-teacher meeting to address missing assignments, and ask the teacher to accommodate your son by reminding him to turn things in. Read this: ADHD in Middle School Survival Guide .

As for rushing through, I don’t know what to do. Individuals with ADHD are only motivated when something is of interest — it’s the way their brains work. I keep reminding myself that grades aren’t everything, but it does hurt his self-esteem.

Posted by Penny ADDitude community moderator, author on ADHD parenting, mom to teen boy with ADHD, LDs, and autism

Rushing through homework is so common and kids with ADHD. One thing that I really love for these students is called “designated homework time.” It’s basically based on the premise that kids should have about 10 minutes of homework per grade level. So a third grader should have about 30 minutes of homework, a 6th grader about 60 minutes of homework, and so on.

[ Smart Homework Strategies for Teachers & Parents: A Free Handout ]

If your child is miraculously doing homework for, say, a third grader in three minutes, even though you know they have a lot more, you can set the time expectation and say, “All right, Jimmy, you’re going to have 30 minutes to do your homework each day even if you say you have none at all.” Then, set the timer and make sure that Jimmy has this designated homework time. Even if he says he’s done, he still has to read for pleasure, or practice his math facts. That set period of time really reduces rushing because kids know that they’re not going to get up and be able to play XBox after three minutes.

Also keep in mind that sometimes when kids rush, they have a hard time paying attention to detail. It’s not just that they want to make us upset or that they ignore when you say, “Go back and check your work.” Instead what you want to say is, “As you’re doing your homework and you come to one that’s hard for you, circle that one so then you can go back at the end and work through that with a little bit more time.”

I also encourage younger kids to make a game out of it and I’ll say, “Okay, let’s say that you’re going to review five questions that were hard for you. Put a little box on the upper right hand corner of your worksheet and every time you go back and you check one of those hard questions, give yourself a tally mark.” For every set number of tally marks, kids can earn a reward.

Posted by Ann Dolin, M.Ed. Founder of Educational Connections, and author of Homework Made Simple

Defiant Over Homework: A Reader Answers

My daughter is 15 years old, and has struggled with homework all through school. Each night, my wife or I checked all homework and made her fix errors or rewrite things that were rushed or poorly done.

She eventually figured out we were not going to let her get away with a rush job. There were no video games, TV shows, or other activities until we said the evening’s assignments were complete. Our kids loved to read so we even took away books.

Eventually, we got an IEP. For one accommodation, the teacher checked and initialed her assignment book at the end of the day and asked if everything was turned in at the same time. The school had a computerized system so we could track missing work.

Part of the problem is her backpack and binders looked like an explosion went off. Our new system seems to be working. Straight A’s this last report card.

Take it one step at a time and teach the behavior you want your son to follow. Give yourself kudos for caring so much.

Posted by Augie

My daughter rushes through homework, too! I’ve been diligently checking it and making her correct where needed. But she recently had her first big “project” that I knew was going to drive me crazy, requiring hours of research and typing.

I made a couple of attempts to start her working on it. She hurried through, doing sloppy work, continually asking, “Can I stop now?” Then, I hit upon a solution that worked for us. I told her she had to work for 30 minutes before a break, and even if she “finished,” she’d have to read in a text book.

This eliminated her desire to hurry-up-and-finish because there was nothing to look forward to. She kept a close eye on the count-down timer, but actually slowed down with her work. It took quite a few 30 minute sessions, with nice-sized breaks in-between, but she got it done, and nicely, too. And as an added bonus, there was a lot less whining.

She doesn’t know it yet, but I’m going to make the 30-minute rule apply to daily homework, too!

Posted by Fair Hope

We found that using an “ADHD watch,” which vibrates every 5 minutes has helped our son refocus when doing homework (and at school) while on the computer. Since he doesn’t seem to be able to judge the passing of time, this lets him know it has been 5 minutes and he needs to refocus. He could easily “go down a rabbit hole” for hours following links without realizing it.

We also instituted a reward system where I pay him if he completes an assignment correctly within “x” amount of time and he pays me if he doesn’t. Homework got done very quickly after the first time he paid me!

Posted by kfwellman

My son gets a half hour of “down time” after school and before starting homework, but , he doesn’t get to start video games until after the work is done. If he gets into that game mindset, he won’t want to stop and then it becomes a battle to get him off it. So, he can play, watch a little TV, or whatever for a half hour, and then it’s homework time. When the homework is done, he is rewarded with a half hour of video game time.

I’ve also read many times that, in addition to making them feel successful, the video games make them feel like this is the ONE area of their lives over which they have some control, which actually helps his behavior and defiance. I mean, think about it: They struggle all day and have difficulties with peers, teachers and their own feeling of self-worth, but, when it comes to video games, they are the ones in control for a change. It also has to do with the instant gratification they get from the games. That’s why they are so addictive. So, the games do a number of things for them.

I don’t like taking the games away as punishment because I know that the games do all these things for my son, but I try to make it clear where the games fall on the hierarchy of priorities, and sometimes I do have to use them to get my son to do what he needs to do.

Posted by JAMurphy

My son is 15 and I don’t believe he’s too motivated either. Fortunately, the grades have been okay, but he hates to do homework and he did not study for his final exams. It seems that school just taxes him and when he gets home, the thought of having to concentrate just does him in behaviorally.

I try not to overreact to all of this (It’s hard sometimes!), and I’ve pretty much come to terms with the fact that he probably never will like school. It’s just not an ADHD-friendly place, unfortunately. Each semester, I meet with teachers to explain his challenges. Organization is a huge one for my son. I tell them that these are brain issues, not attitude issues. I don’t want to baby my son, but it is hard to find the balance between helping and being over-involved. I tell him he needs to fulfill his responsibilities and that I am always available to help him if needed.

I try to remind my son that his schoolwork is for himself , not me or his father. I told him that when he doesn’t do well or chooses not to do something, he’s not letting me down. Then I ask him who he’s letting down and he always knows the answer. “Me,” he says. I try to tell him that making the effort is like giving himself a gift. Sometimes he buys this, sometimes not.

So my mindset these days is to try and get through with the least abount of damage possible. At the same time, I try to find and use my son’s gifts and talents outside of school so he has things to feel good about. I don’t take away sports as a consequence because he needs it, for example.

Also, if you haven’t read Chris Dendy’s book on teenagers and ADHD, it is an absolute must-read. It helped me a lot. One of her best pieces of advice was, “Give yourself permission to be more involved with your child that you normally would.” These kids need someone who loves them no matter what.

Posted by momto3kids

[ Free Resource: Proven Homework Help for Kids with ADHD ]

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My son hates doing homework, and I struggle to help him. Education experts say I need to give him more freedom so he can excel.

• My son doesn't like to do homework after a long day of school.
• I also get worried about helping him because I learned to do the work a different way years ago. 
• Education experts told me to give him freedom; we found colorful pens helped. 

We're more than three months into the school year, and even though we have our school-year routines established, there's still one contentious spot in my household: homework. My son is in fourth grade; he's been doing homework since he was in kindergarten and we still argue about it.

I guarantee that at least one or two nights a week, he'll give me a hard time about doing homework . He needs a break when he gets home from school, so he doesn't immediately get to work — but without fail, he will grumble about it at 7 p.m. even though he does his homework at the same time every school night.

To make homework time easier for both of us, I sought expert advice.

I've always had a complicated relationship with homework

When I was a kid, homework felt like such a chore, especially in subjects where I didn't feel as academically confident — such as math or science . I'd get home from a full day of learning, and then my parents expected me to sit at the kitchen table and work for two or more hours on the same work I'd been doing all day. If it was a subject I'd mastered, homework felt like a waste of time. But if it was a subject I struggled with, homework felt like torture.

Now that I'm a parent, I sometimes wonder why kids even need homework in the first place. After a long day of school and after-school activities, I think my kid needs a break.

But Janine Bempechat, a clinical professor at Boston University's Wheelock College of Education & Human Development, said homework is useful for a child's education.

"Homework can be a powerful tool to reinforce learning and to provide children with all-important opportunities to practice newly acquired or acquiring skills," Bempechat told Business Insider.

Still, I struggle with how to help my son during homework time

We recently had parent-teacher conferences, and my partner and I admitted to my son's teacher that we often feel out of our depth because sometimes we teach him the way we learned math as kids, but fear that's somehow messing his education up.

As much as I fundamentally understand my child's math worskheets, all that logic goes out the window the minute he calls me over to help. I must steel my nerves, mentally putting on armor before I walk over to the kitchen table to help.

Jennifer Alfaro, a mother and the assistant principal of instruction at Camino Nuevo Charter Academy in Los Angeles, said she understands that parents get stressed and confused when trying to help.

"With Common Core, math strategies are different and so parents feel like they cannot help students because they do not want to confuse the student," Alfaro told BI.

Her words felt validating as a parent. Standards have changed since we were in school, and it's easy for even the most present parent to feel left behind by the way schools now teach the same concepts.

But I learned homework doesn't have to be stressful — for me or my kid

Bempechat stressed the importance of creating healthy habits from the beginning to give kids a routine and listening to them about where and when they feel most comfortable doing their homework.

Giving my son the freedom to choose where he does his homework has greatly improved his desire to do it. He likes to sit at a table to write, but when he's reading, sitting on the couch or in his room helps him feel more comfortable.

His school doesn't have strict rules about writing utensils for homework, so he likes to use colored pens to make it more exciting. He has a pen with multiple color inks, and he'll rotate through them during the week. It's a small win, but I'll take it!

Snacks while doing homework also make it more appealing for him. Young minds need fuel, so letting him eat a bowl of pretzels or some Doritos makes homework time go more smoothly — if he doesn't get orange dust on his worksheets.

Alfaro also gave some direct feedback for parents who may feel stressed and overwhelmed with helping our kids with homework: "Just be present for students so that they feel supported."

For those of us who struggle to keep up with the changing landscape of homework, she shared that "telling students that they might not know exactly how the teacher taught something but that they can help them" is a way to alleviate some of that stress.

Unfortunately, homework isn't going anywhere, as much as some of us wish it would. We need to look at homework as more than a necessary evil and as a way for parents to be an active part of our kid's education.

People use me for my homework:

I am feeling really stressed at the moment. I have just moved up into Year 9 and the work has started getting harder. We are beginning to have homework piled on us, but everyone leaves it until the last minute. I manage to stay on top of mine most of the time and pretty much always have it done way before it is due. However some people in my class don’t, they will be doing their homework at break or lunch the day it is due. I am quite a smart person and so everyone turns to me for help, they all want the answers of the homework that I spent time doing. At the moment, I have just been handing the answers around, but it is beginning to stress me out. Yesterday, I was added into a group chat where people were asking about our science homework, everyone kept badgering me so in the end I just texted a picture of my homework. I want to stop doing that because I worry that if I get one wrong, and everybody has my answers, and so everybody gets that question wrong, I will be blamed and everyone will hate me. However, I also feel that if I don’t give them the answers, they will hate me. Most of the time, the only messages I get is from people wanting to copy my answers, people who have left their homework until the last minute. Let’s take today for example, I got two messages, but both of them were people wanting help with our English homework, due tomorrow. They were both from people I don’t usually speak to, and am not very close with. I didn’t give either of them my answers, but I had to lie, and say that I had already handed it in the stop them begging for the answers. I feel like I am being used and that people are only friends with me so that they can copy my homework and use my knowledge to benefit them. HELP!!

To take a phrase from Nancy Reagan, just say no.

It’s fine to help friends with concepts and can be a good way for you to solidify concepts, but this goes way beyond. At my D’s school this would have been an honors code violation for academic dishonesty. Not only for copying someone else’s homework, but also for knowingly letting someone copy off of you.

Do NOT give out your homework answers.

Just because someone messages you, you don’t need to respond. My D had this problem early on in HS (along with people wanting to be her partner for projects) and we told her to tell people that her parents sucked and we were taking her phone away in the evenings.

If confronted directly say the homework is not done yet, or that you turned it in (like you did). It’s up to you to set limits and learn to say ‘no’.

It’s hard because teenagers always want to be liked. You have to say no. Giving people your homework is cheating and you would be deemed to be as guilty as the person(s) copying your work. Use your parents as an excuse if you have to. People who are using you for your homework are not your friends and you are better off having nothing to do with them. You will see who your friends really are once you say and stick to no.

You’d definitely get in just as much trouble as them for giving your homework answers/photo/whatever out.

That said, just keep saying you already turned it in, or you haven’t done it yet either.

If there’s anyone who you could see yourself working on homework together, forming a study group or that sort of thing, then I’d give that a shot.

My daughter in 9th grade got in trouble for allowing others to copy her homework. The school designated this as “cheating” and teacher gave her a zero on the assignment.

Setting boundaries with others is an important skill to have.

To be honest, I’ve had the same dilemma. I’d say just say no to those who ask. Sure you feel very guilty at first but after your rejection, it’d take guts for them to ask again. However, if your friendship isn’t built off of a one sided homework exchange, I’d say help them out if it’s a one time thing.

If you’re afraid of saying no, just push yourself to lol

okay I’m joking. I sound like a huge hypocrite but I’m afraid of saying no so, I usually just send it to them and tell them I’m not responsible for any wrong answers. Honestly, don’t stress over such trivial matters yk?

If you can’t just say, no…

Your phone is out of charge.

Your phone has been taken away.

Your parents have limited the hours you can use your phone.

Leave your phone turned off all day in your backpack stating that you forgot it at home. (these answers are assuming you are sharing via phone)

“I didn’t get it done.”

“I have no idea. I’m lost.”

You need to put a stop to this for many reasons including the fact that you could get caught cheating. Even though you are the one supplying the answers, I can tell you the school that my son attends would charge you with cheating as well. You are also now competing with your classmates for class rank. Helping them, hurts you.

These kids using you for answers are not your friends. You can’t worry about letting them down.

I agree with @Empireapple . My kids used to be in the same position. The older one would tell people that she didn’t see the message, or if she did she would say she forgot to send it. Sometimes she would tell people that she wasn’t finish with her homework yet. After few times (people couldn’t count on you giving them your homework) they will move on.

Both of my kids were straight A students, but they didn’t talk about it with their friends. Whenever people asked how they did on a test they would just say, “I did fine. It was a tough test.” (or something like that).

As others mentions, it is cheating by giving your homework to others. You could get written up for it and it could stay on your record.

In college students are graded on curve. It gets to be a lot more competitive. I know there were times when my kids wouldn’t share their notes from class with someone if he/she consistently doesn’t show up.

How awful it would be to have to go through the rest of high school lying every day.

So don’t. Just say no, and say it with confidence. “No, I’m not risking getting suspended any more because YOU didn’t do your homework!”

You’ll probably only have to say this once or twice. Right now you’re enabling the others. You can put a stop to that any time.

If pressed, you can honesty say that some adults (the posters on this thread) have gone over the consequences with you and the price and risk is too high.

You are being used! In the end, no one respects that, even if sharing your homework may make some people act friendlier.

Some posters have suggested some lines like “I haven’t done it yet.” If that works for you, and they soon get the message and stop badgering you, then great.

But why not just take a social risk and be honest: “I’m tired of doing the work for everyone else. I’m not going to do that anymore.” or " Sorry, but it’s really not my problem " or, just “No, I’m not sharing homework but good luck with it” or “I’ll tutor you sometime if you want but I’m not your homework slave.” Or something in your own words. If they try to argue, don’t respond. You don’t owe them anything and they know it. Some people will be mad, but in the end you’ll get more respect. Your real friends will get it and understand.

OP, I am going to anticipate another problem you have or will likely encounter and that is group projects. You will be asked by the same people who ask you for your homework to be their partner/in their group and you will end up doing all the work. Don’t choose your partners based on “popularity” (unless the popular kid is also a hard worker). My kids ran into this and they learned to pick their partners based on kids who they knew to be hard workers as well. If the teacher designates the groups, the only thing you can do is be very clear at the beginning as to who is responsible for what. Unfortunately in those situations, you will likely have to cover for lazy/weak members, but that happens in the real world as well.

Some things to try:

“I just read a story about a kid who shared his homework answers and then he got suspended…So I can’t do that anymore. But if you tell me what you got for a question and can tell you if I got the same thing.”

“Show me how you approached the problem and I will let you know if you are on the right track.”

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A Lady's Relationships

My Friend Keeps Asking Me For Homework (Problem Solved)

“ My friend wants to copy my assignment, should I share my homework?” We have heard those words many times. Is your friend a homework mooch who piggybacks off the hard work of others? Are you always being bombarded with requests from your friend to let her copy your work? Why can’t she spend time doing the work instead of asking you? It’s not like you are not in the same class, so she has an equal amount of time to do her homework, but no, she asks you for yours.

If your friend is a bottom feeder who never does her homework, you have come to the right place, we have the perfect solutions that you must try, and hopefully, with a prayer, she will eventually do her work.

Table of Contents

11 Things that you must do when your friend keeps asking you for homework

When your friend keeps asking you for homework there are two things that you must do, first, you can offer to help your friend understand the work but not share your answers, and second if she continues to ask for your homework you have to set boundaries.

Ignore her request

Do what everybody else does and ignore her, maybe she will get the hint and leave you alone, if she sends you a message asking you if you saw her homework request, act like you didn’t see it. You can say “ Oh, I am sorry I was busy and my phone battery died” . Let’s hope that she will have done her work by then.

Come up with an excuse

Make something up, you can tell her that the last time you let someone copy you got into trouble, and if you would do it again your place at school might be compromised. You can also say that the last time it happened you were given a low grade and you had to take extra classes and that your parents were suspicious of your reasons. If you are stuck, say something like “ I don’t think I can risk getting caught again” or “ I am also struggling with this”.

When you feel like you can’t do something No should always be your go-to answer, depending on how old you are you may be afraid that your friend will be mad at you, you are probably thinking “ If I say no my friend will think I am mean ” . That’s okay, she can think of anything that she would like, copying could get you both dismissed from school and that is when real problems will begin. Remember that in some states if you get caught copying it could mean a 5-year ban, imagine 5 years of no school because you were caught helping your friend who should be helping herself.

Unfriend her

If she starts getting nasty and saying things like “ You are so stingy with your homework” Or starts spreading rumors about you it’s a good thing because you don’t need a friend who will throw a tantrum because they didn’t do their work and want to copy yours, real friends respect boundaries even if it means that they might fail the class. If she speaks badly about you and you have to see her don’t worry, there is nothing wrong with your ex-friend being in the same class as you , this is about your education.

Offer to help her

Okay, we can give her the benefit of the doubt if this is the first time that she is asking for your homework or assignment. You can set time aside after school or on the weekend to help her with the section of the work that she is struggling with. When you help her, keep your eyes open and do not let her charm you into doing the work for her, you are offering you help but this doesn’t mean thinking on her behalf.

Think of the outcomes

Many things could happen if you give her your work, what if you let her copy everything and she ends up receiving better marks than you, this has happened before. It’s not like you can go to the teacher and say “ Why did I get a lower grade than my friend when she occupied me?”

Organize a study group

This is the perfect way to kill not one, not two but three birds with one stone. Doing group work in the classroom is great because you are helping your friend with her homework, you are maintaining your friendship without her feeling like you don’t care and lastly, you get to form a social group of study buddies, it’s a win-win for everyone.

Study buddy groups are great because you won’t take the fall if your friend ends up failing, why would you when all the work and studying was done in a group, she won’t be able to blame you.

Be proud of your hard work

If your friend turns around and calls you a nerd or breaks off the friendship, keep your head high and be proud of your work. It takes a lot to understand everything that is going on in school, your efforts and determination for a good grade means you deserve it. Remind your friend that she will feel proud of herself when she stays up late at night and does her work.

Help only once

You are not the center for help, nor are you the teacher, help your friend once and make it a one-time thing, if the work is not related to group study, always helping her might mean that your work will suffer as a result of overextending yourself.

Inform your teacher

Tell your teacher that you have a friend who is struggling to understand the work and is asking you for help but you want them to get proper help. When you talk to your teacher, do not mention your friend’s name, keep the name anonymous, or create some fictitious character. Maybe your friend is not supposed to be in a particular course or class, telling a teacher or lecturer will help them see if they need to change any subjects or majors.

Give her online resources

Luckily for your friend, there are online resources like Google and Yahoo to help her when she needs it, tell her to use online resources to understand explanations, most subjects have forums like the Student Room Uk and she will be able to find tons of help by posting on there. Some schools have extended programs that offer tutors and things such as a peer support worker course online.

How do you say no to a friend asking for homework? (10 Things you can say)

• “I am not confident in my work either”
• ” I am sorry but I can’t”
• ” The last time I let someone copy it landed us both in trouble”
• ” The school has a plagiarism checker”-
• ” Tell me what you are struggling with and I will help you”
• ” No, this is the second time you are asking me”
• ” Is there a reason why you didn’t do yours”
• ” I don’t want to be involved in anything that will get me kicked out of the school”
• ” If you are having trouble with a section, Mr. Smith said anyone can come and ask him for help”
• ” I failed my last assignment, you don’t want to copy from me”

Should I share my homework answers?

Think about the consequences of sharing your homework answers, this might get you into big trouble and your teachers and parents might not trust you again.

Should I let my friend copy my homework?

No, you should not let your friend copy your homework because several things can happen such as getting in trouble at school or home or your friend might make it a habit to always ask you for your homework.

Is it OK to copy homework?

No, it’s not Ok to copy homework, if you are struggling it’s always best to ask your teacher for help or talk to your parents about getting a tutor.

To wrap it up, Darling

You love your friend with all your heart but it doesn’t mean that you should be taken advantage of. Should you help a friend? Yes, but not if it will get you into trouble. try our idea of helping her in a group work environment or when your teacher has given the class a group assignment, remember that depending on where your school is you might be expelled for plagiarism, why risk that? Friendships should be fun, they should be about crying, laughing, and talking about how cool the new Barbie movie is, not about assisting each other to copy, Darling let me know how it goes.