Talk to Explore Learning about helping your DCs with their homework - you could win a £250 Love2Shop voucher NOW CLOSED

[AngelieMumsnet]

We've been asked by Mumsnet Family Friendly Innovation Award winners, Explore Learning, to find out about Mumsnetters' experiences with helping their DCs with their homework.

Explore Learning say "As a tuition provider, it's our aim to teach children skills that are directly transferable to the classroom, and give them confidence to tackle their work at school (we don't set any extra homework for our members to do). We also aim to reduce the stress for parents at homework time, and would like to find out more about what would make lives easier for mums and dads when it comes to helping or encouraging their kids."

So, how - if at all - do you help your DCs with their homework? Do you sit with them while they work on it? Or if your DCs are older, do you just leave them to it? What are the challenges when it comes to homework? When's the best time to tackle it? Are there any subjects which you find it harder to help your DCs with? Where's the best place to do it in your home?

Whatever your experiences of helping your DCs with their homework, Explore Learning would love to hear about it.

Every MNer who posts on this thread will be entered into a prize draw, where one winner will receive a £250 Love2Shop voucher.

Please note your comments may be included on Explore Learning's social media channels, and possibly elsewhere, so please only post if you're comfortable with this.

Thanks and good luck,
MNHQ

Ds's school have homework time at the end of the day, so its only reading, spellings, timestables, and anything ds hasn't done. I'm pretty happy doing any subject with him, and we sit at the dining table together

In truth I think my DS (9) has far too much and it really impinges on our family time. Every week he has a book to read, maths, literacy and project work. I help him if he needs it. Maths and English comes easy but the project work is usually harder. The fun creative homeworks are usually a source of competition - one dad recently hand carved a load of chess pieces! They loked great but I don't know what his son learnt from it!

He is also active after school doing hobbies, seeing friends and Cubs,and also has Explore Learning twice a week. To be honest I wish that could just be once a week as it hard work fitting it in twice - I wish one weekly session at Explore Learning was an option!

DD os about to start school today so this is new territory for us. I am not sure that she will have much, mostly phonics sounds I imagine. I plan to sit down with her at the kitchen table. We will see, I am a homework newbie.

Reading is just fitted in wherever we can. Although I'd like to get into more of a routine with that TBH now that my youngest has it too. DD is a very fluent reader now so it is stress free and fairly quick but DS is still at the learning to blend stage (and has a speech disorder so it's doubly tricky) and although we keep it very low key, it's still hard for him and can be frustrating.

In infant school DD had a project every few weeks (stuff like researching someone and making a poster) and I made sure to spread it out over a few different sessions so it wasn't overwhelming.

She has just started juniors and I think the homework will be a bit more regular. I will have to see what the planned schedule is and then work homework time into our routine.

We always go to the park on the way home now - we have no garden and it's important to me that they get some time to unwind and play before getting on with homework.

At the moment I think DD still needs a fair bit of help. I find it tricky not to interfere too much. I'm a perfectionist when it comes to presentation so I try and strike a balance between encouraging neatness and being too harsh

The main thing for me is keeping them positive about school work. Saying that finding out their new homework is exciting, that it's fun to do etc. So far this has worked although I'm not so naive to think it'll last forever!

Lurleene I'm sniggering at hand carved chess pieces!

Dd is in P1 so gets some drawing, reading, writing and numeracy homework.

I try to keep it lighthearted and I don't worry if its not perfect.

In my opinion- homework is like optional further studies. If dd is in the mood we will do more than usual, if dd is tired/grumpy then we do the bare minimum.

Ideally id like to her to enjoy learning so I am not going to stand over her demanding that she gets things right. I also don't care about presentation at this stage. So long as they have a bash then that is fine by me.

DS has only just started year 2 and hasn't had any homework yet. In year 1, it wasn't too bad. I sit with him when he does the homework, he doesn't really like sitting by himself to do it and is only 6. I'm sure this will change as he gets older.

Once a term they get a bigger project, usually a model to build. I have to help him with this as DH tends to take over-which appears to be what loads of other parents do as well judging by the elaborate creations that get given in!!

Dd1 is just in Year 1. Last year she had daily reading and sight words. We do this after she has had a small snack on return from school, if she is hungry she is unlikely to concentrate. If I leave it too late she gets too tired.

On Friday she would have sentences to write using sight words and one other piece of homework which could be literacy, numeracy or project based. I would split this over two days and try and do it in the morning when her concentration is better or during dd2's afternoon nap time when there is less distraction. This is always done at the dining table. I always help her with it because I find she learns more when I do. She gets to play computer games after she has completed her homework.

We read almost every night here even if it's only one page. I'm happy to help with any subject at primary, but not sure what the work will be like when they're older.

Mine have regular reading book changes, weekly spellings, weekly maths and then harder pieces which they tend to have 2 or 3 weeks to complete.

I resent the time homework takes out of our evenings, especially on weeks when they go to their dad's all weekend. However, if they are really tired or under the weather I won't force them to read.

They tend to do homework at the dining table while I potter around cooking dinner and keep an eye on their progress.

DD has just started reception this week so no homework as yet. I am looking forward to getting stuck in with her, doing scrapbooks, projects, reading etc. Bit scared of the maths though!

I am very involved with the primary homework, spellings, reading and topics. I leave my DS at secondary to get on with it independently but I check it to make sure he knows what to do and offer help and advice too.

I try to do homework after we get hone, following a snack, if it is not a childminder day. I sit with the child at the table, and try to guide where needed. Some of it depends onthe child. DD would do more alone than DS.

Yes I struggle with the primary maths too! I just don't use it in my daily life and am very out of practise at, for example, long multiplication/division. I worry about confusing Dd when I'm helping with homework. I really enjoy 'helping' with her more creative homework, but she doesn't really need my input for that

DS1 has just started in year 1. I am dreading homework. I work until 5 three days a week and he goes to child minder. By the time I collect him he is exhausted and I can't see how on earth we are going to manage. He doesn't even manage to read on those nights as he's so tired.

DDs primary school had this system where they gave out a homework grid every 4 weeks or so. This consisted of maybe 18 - 20 tasks and the dc were expected to choose around 4 a week of these - could be writing a paragraph, researching something, writing a poem, making a poster etc. Of course what happens is the children pick the "easy" tasks first so by the last week are left with all the ones that involve a fair amount of writing...dd is dyslexic. Homework would only need to be handed in at the end of the agreed period. They had weekly spellings & reading on top. I hated this kind of homework. There was never any feedback and rarely did it have anything to do with what they were doing in class. dd needs a fair bit of support and I work full time - not getting home until after 7..30 3x a week. Luckily her child minder would do some with her. She's now at High School - homework is useful - it's an extension of work done in class. I help her - usually at the kitchen table. I expect her to tackle it on her own as much as possible but give her support when required. I can cope with it all so far. ds is in his 4th year at high school so works independently in his bedroom. I nag him to get on with it but have minimal input.

Apart from reading I'm not really keen on regular homework at primary. the odd topic challenge or book review is plenty, but they are at school for a long day and need down time.

Now they are secondary, they get quite a bit. I will help if asked but try to encourage independence. They also help each other as they are quite close in age, which is nice.

I would sit with my child and make sure it's not left to the last minute to do if and at a time when they are able to give it their full concentration ie not too tired, hungry or about to go out.

Ds (5) has just gone into year 1 and knew he would be getting homework this year. He was very upset about this.
I introduced giving him spend of £1 a week if he completed his homework without crying about it everyday. Ds thought he was very grown up receiving his own money and this has worked for us so far.
I remind everyday after tea about his homework, and I help him complete it if he needs it. He does it on the dining table where were about and on hand

Ds1 is in year 1, he reads to me every night before he goes to sleep - he reads a chapter to me and then I read a chapter to him. Other homework (spellings, writing etc) we tend to do at the weekend while his younger brother is having a nap. He sits at the kitchen table and I'm around if he has questions/wants to show me something but I don't hang over him if that makes sense.

As he gets older I plan for him to do some in his bedroom so he gets used to working independently.

When he gets

With my stepson I find it's best to talk through his homework. He tells me what it is and how he thinks he'll approach it, I ask questions and sometimes give my thoughts on an approach.

Fortunately up until now most work has been done at school - DD is supposed to read, and occasionally do some maths, but she doesn't find it challenging and we generally get it done in the car whilst waiting for DS.

DS has just reached the point of having some work to do at home, and for the first time I find myself unable to help with content in some subjects (Latin and Greek - I have no chance) so all I can do is to encourage him to structure it, try and stop him procrastinating (do as I say, not as I do). School are teaching them study skills as well, which I need to pay more attention to so that I can reinforce those at home, I think. This summer he spent a lot more time stressing over the (not huge) amount of holiday work he had than he did actually doing it, and it had much more of an impact on his holiday that it should have done as a result.

I always look through the homework so I know what he's doing at school.
When he does it, I hang around so if he needs help I can help. He'll do it on the dining table.
I try to get him to do it as soon as he gets it. He knows he can't play any computer games until it's done and it avoids a Sunday evening panic.

All through primary school homework (Apart from reading and "sums" was torture: anything requiring thinking or writing or making posters/models etc. was only achieved with a combination of bribes, threats, and doing it for him.

Now at last he is a teenager, and has developed the maturity to do as little as necessary to keep out of trouble at school. I simply provide space and materials.

All through primary school homework (Apart from reading and "sums" was torture: anything requiring thinking or writing or making posters/models etc. was only achieved with a combination of bribes, threats, and doing it for him.

Now at last he is a teenager, and has developed the maturity to do as little as necessary to keep out of trouble at school. I simply provide space and materials.

I will talk when I have recovered from listening to 13 biff chip and kipper books read aloud in a monotone... all twelve on the library shelves and his reading book from school.