With all the distractions teens have at their fingertips these days, how do you make sure your children are getting the most out of homework time and not spinning their wheels and wasting time?
Emma Felske, 12, knows how easy it is to get distracted, but with help from her mom, Lisa Felske, who is an award-winning science teacher, we're all learning the best ways to get homework done most effectively.
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Step 1: Remove all distractions.
We're talking about the cellphone, the television, the stereo, the laptop, the tablet -- leaving your child to study in quiet without trying to respond to a text every two minutes.
Teachers say your child should be at the kitchen table with the parent nearby to supervise, not locked up in his or her bedroom where anything can be happening.
Step 2: Study in the same place, same time, every day.
This establishes a firm routine that will or should become hard to break, and it makes homework more of a habit and less of a drudgery, according to teachers.
It will also help take pressure off a parent's shoulders. You shouldn't have to ask every night if your child's homework has been done.
Step 3: Don't do too much.
Experts say the ideal homework time limit for kids is 10 minutes per grade level. That means if your child is in first grade, it's 10 minutes. If your child is in fifth grade, it's 50 minutes, and so on. If children do more than that, teachers say kids will shut down mentally and lose a lot of what they are trying to accomplish. They have to stay fresh.
Step 4: Parents need to be present.
Education experts say kids need to know you care and that school work is considered a priority in your household, not an after thought. At least one parent should be present with the child as he or she works through homework to supervise and answer questions if needed.
If you don't understand what the lesson your child is working on is, ask your child to explain in detail what he or she is doing. Teachers say that is one of the best ways for a child to lock-in that knowledge, by re-explaining the lesson learned.
Step 5: Talk to the teacher.
If your children are having a lot of trouble doing their homework assignments without your help, or if you do not understand what your children are working on and are unable to help, education experts say schedule a parent-teacher conference. When you are able to meet with your child's teacher and explain your problems, the teacher can help you one-on-one come up with a plan to succeed.
Those tips have worked beautifully for Emma and Lisa Felske. Emma had straight As throughout elementary school and now in middle school she is taking all advanced classes and getting high marks.
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