When you're helping your child with homework, do they tend to ask questions about one subject in particular (maths, English, etc.) or does it vary depending on what exactly their learning? Or, do they just get on with it and do fairly well across all subjects? We're polling this question now, but would love to hear your further thoughts.
TheSchoolRun
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At 6, Olly's still at the age where we sit down together to do homework, rather than leaving him to get on with it. His ability level varies from one subject to another, and he needs more help with maths homework, mostly because he doesn't read the instructions as thoroughly as he ought. He loves researching things though, and most of his homework is peppered with extra things he's found out on topics.
I quite like doing homework with him, we have a house rule that it gets done straight away so we get the rest of the night for fun stuff, and it seems to be sinking in. Hopefully it'll stay this way, because we're very lucky not having the usual battles with him yet.
I've said it varies, although it is possibly literacy and maths with dd. She prefers maths, but sometimes makes silly mistakes by not reading the question properly, so we usually go through it together.
With YS, we have to work with him to make sure he knows what he is doing - he generally has a task to do, researching or something, rather than worksheets, and adult help is expected. When he has had worksheets, it is merely a matter of making sure he understands what to do.
ES we expect to get on on his own now, and he generally does. He only gets book reviews and maths worksheets though, so he knows full well what is expected. Now ES is 8, I rarely comment on the quality of anything he has done either - I consider it to be down to the teacher to tell him is something is not up to standard.
Es is well beyond the age of needing any real help but when he was younger it was more literacy, his grammar wasnt the best but it was also because he wanted to rush through work.
OA it definitely helps to get the homework out of the way first so it doesnt become a battle. I always insisted homework was done as soon as we came in and then the evening was for doing nice things. At nearly 13 Es comes straight in from school and sits down and gets his homework out of the way.
When DD was at primary, I was very "hands on" at making sure she knew her spellings and tables for weekly tests, and that she read to me every day (until she was a free reader, I think). Used to help her with other homework (history, geography, maths, English) to make sure that she had understood it, and done it correctly. She never had project based tasks (yay!!).
Once she got to secondary, I took a complete back seat as I wanted her to learn how to manage her time etc, and she won't do that if I "make" her do homework at a particular time. I want her to realise that if she leaves the week's homework until Sunday because she has spent the evenings on FB/i phone/computer etc, then she will have either a very unpleasant Sunday or Monday when she has to explain to the teachers. She learnt quite quickly that the best time to do homework, for her, was on the day it was set and at the first opportunity!
I don't now read or check her homework, or check that she has done it. She sometimes asks for help, more like ideas for an answer in literature questions, or in maths and science if she doesn't understand.
She is in Year 9. I think (not sure) that hers will be the first year with no assessments done at home for GCSE. I am confident I would've kept my nose out of those, too!
Alex hates me interfering with his homework...
DD got increasingly snappy too as she got older, because she knew that I would insist on it being done properley (by my definition)!! Now she does what she thinks is appropriate. One day, I hope that will be more than the bare minimum!
The teen rarely asks for help with homework these days, but will occasionally ask us to read things and check things and talk to us about it. For the most part she gets on with it herself though.
The boy is 9 - nearly 10 and we still have to sit with him to ensure he concentrates enough to get it done, he doesn't focus and will take forever and gets upset over it still - I don't spoonfeed him, but I have to take teh time to sit and talk him through it, and make suggestions that he can build on and focus on one or two ideas rather than the billions he has in his head that he then struggles to get down on paper.
I imagine he will be the same in Secondary school - that we will have to sit with him to get it done.
My kids use to do home work with me nowadays they ask my help only when they are stuck but they do show me for corrections