How much should a parent help with homework? That’s a question most parents face at some stage or another in their child’s education.
Unfortunately some parents tend to take over and end up virtually doing the whole job themselves. They think they are helping. In reality they are not. Doing it for them teaches the child nothing. Often we learn best by doing it ourselves. It’s okay to show an interest or to explain if your child is not clear about what to do, but you should never take over the task and do it for them.
The other danger with parents trying to help with homework is that methods that some of us were taught years ago are outdated now. For example in Math, the way we were taught to arrive at the answer to a problem, even in fairly simple math like long division, is not the way students are taught to do it any longer. If you start showing the child a different way of doing it, yes you might arrival at the correct answer but in the process you will s confuse the child.
Older siblings are often not a great help in this respect either, even if they are good at the subject. This is largely because more often than not they have neither the patience nor expertise to show someone else how to do it. Frustration if they don’t catch on easily, as well as sibling rivalry, can tend to make them unwise choices to help.
It is better to get someone less involved. If your child is struggling with Math or any other subject, in my opinion it is better to employ a tutor who specializes in that subject who can help them in this area. Yes, it will cost you a bit financially but it will usually be a more harmonious relationship than with siblings or parents trying to do it.
Related blogs
10 Ways Parents Can Help Their Child’s Education
Attitudes and Responses in Education