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MNHQ

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

237 replies

AngelieMumsnet · 09/09/2014 13:06

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

OP posts:
Shakey1500 · 16/09/2014 20:05

DS is in Year 3.

He has homework once a week on a Friday to be handed in the following Wednesday.

We encourage him to do it Friday evening while school is relatively still fresh in his mind and to get it out of the way.

I have a quick glance and if it's something I don't think he'll have trouble with, I leave him to it and check it later. If it's a bit tricky we'll do it together with me prompting him if needed.

We don't really stress about it yet Grin

sharond101 · 16/09/2014 21:05

My DS is only 2 but had homework from a craft group we went to. We sat together sticking down stars and colouring in. It was really nice. I was majorly competitive with it I have to say and did it on the evening it was given. When he is older there will be time set aside after school to do homework in a quiet place. I believe it's good to teach children to concentrate at home as well as at school however from what I have heard it can be a bit excessive.

Patilla · 16/09/2014 23:25

DS is in Y1 and already has homework which seems so young. Some children in the class are only just five. Babies really.

That said, I make time to sit with DS and encourage him.

We do his daily reading after breakfast, it can be a little
Rushed but he is less tired and so gets more out of it in my opinion.

That and his little sister is still trapped in her highchair at that time and so can't run crazy trying to distract her big brother!

lpbarton · 17/09/2014 10:05

I have a horrible suspicion that I'm stricter over my DS's homework than I ever was over mine! Does that make me a dreadful person? I wasnt mean enough though to sign him up to homework club on lunch times but I have made him do it twice! We've also done a fair bit a cramming on the way to school before a test!

Cambam2010 · 17/09/2014 10:21

My DS (4) started Reception in September. So far we have only had to tackle Biff and Chip books. At the moment he is very disinterested as there are no words and he is used to quite intricate stories and keeping his attention is difficult. Hopefully he'll grow to love them as I see them as being a long journey for us...

agoodinnings · 17/09/2014 11:27

DD is in senior school and gets 15 homeworks per week. Each evening I ask her what she is planning to achieve and double check with her that she is doing the HW in the right order (i.e. I make sure that she has done the ones that need to be handed in the next day). I read through things for her and sometimes give her inspiration.

DS1 is at middle school and I made the mistake of leaving him to it last year. This alienated his teachers somewhat and resulted in a poor end of year report. He has decided that he'd better do his reading record this year...

DS2 is just going into KS2. I have made mistakes with him as well in that we didn't read the school book each night in the earlier years. This resulted in him not progressing quickly enough through the reading scheme (and missing out on the resulting 'Kudos', despite being able to read quite well).

All of my DC love learning and will happily work at home on stuff they are interested in. Whilst I am not a fan of HW in primary school (apart from times tables and spellings) I am a big fan of learning and do extra things with the DC according to their interests.

del2929 · 17/09/2014 11:50

we have reading everynight which i have to sit and listen to. i also help out and always sit with my dcs while theyr doing their homework.

BellaVida · 17/09/2014 21:56

I have 4 DC under 10. My biggest challenge is having enough time to supervise them, between after school activities, dinner and baths! Rather than be on top of them every second, I am focusing on trying to teach them good techniques for producing their work independently, like reading questions carefully, planning and presentation and keeping a homework diary. My youngest has only just started school, so doesn't really get homework as such, so I am just trying to nurture her interest of books.

The most time consuming homeworks are the craft or science projects, which involve trekking out at short notice to buy special materials. Not fun!

There are times when I feel like a tutor myself though. I better prepare myself for the long haul.....

rydley · 17/09/2014 22:50

I have always enjoyed helping children with their homework, the eldest are 15 and 13 now and do their own homework. the 2nd aged 10 requires most help as he is in his final year, we like to be relaxed after dinner in the family room and like to spend upto one hour but we take a break at weekends and let him relax. I feel it is a good habit to get into and teaches children good study habits, my youngest has started reception this year and I shall be doing the same with her, I know from experience the time spent at home with your children with school work is acknowledged by the teachers when your child does well at school.

mummyofcutetwo · 17/09/2014 23:52

I tend to sit with my 6yo to encourage him to keep going. He tends to give up if not 100% sure that he's doing things perfectly, so needs the reassurance.

Purpleflamingos · 18/09/2014 09:55

My day is in yr1. We read every night and three times a week he has 6 words to learn (the same ones all week) for a spelling test. We go to the park for 45 mins after school with friends as much as possible then when we are home the rule is no tv until spellings are done which only takes 5 mins max.
We read after dinner, before bed, and again in the morning before school. Books are changed everytime they read at school with reading logs checked everyday.

My only two rules are;
Never sit down to help when stressed (you or them).
Never try to do it in a rush.

It ends in tears if you do.

fuzzpig · 18/09/2014 10:26

First homework of the year done. Both had to design a cover for their book. They really enjoyed sitting down together but it really reminded me I need to get organised as it was a mad scramble to find paper, pens etc and the table is a mess... Blush

charlieralphsmummy · 18/09/2014 11:28

I sit with my son and go through his homework with him as he is still quite young. When he is older I will check that he knows what to do but leave him to get on with it unless he asks for help, I hope that I will always be able to go through it with him and understand it though!
At present I help him after school, but do not do it for him. We always read together every night in his bed, and have done since he was tiny - it's nice that he can now read to me :)

sfancy · 18/09/2014 12:52

My son is only in reception and has loads of homework! I find this difficult and absurd but try to make things into a game. I am also looking for a tutor as I find the process excrcuating!

cheekylittledevil · 18/09/2014 14:14

DD is in year 9 and just gets on with it - usually while watching TV, playing on her iPad, texting and Facebooking on her laptop - all at once!
DS is in year 10 and has just moved to a school with a homework club - yay! I can now stop nagging him about doing his homework.
Both kids have desks in their rooms, plenty of materials and resources and a Mum who is willing to help if required.

MamaMummyMum · 18/09/2014 17:34

Homework is a tricky one in this house.

With three children currently at school, I have found it difficult in the past to divide my time between them.

I'm lucky that my kids are eager to learn so actually getting them to sit and do the work has never been a problem.

This year their primary school have made the homework process clearer as they have set out specific days for reading, spellings etc. In turn making it slightly easier to form some sort of routine at home.

We sit at the dining room table away from any distractions.

I read what they are doing before they do it and I help when asked, although I have to admit to having googled answers before because I wasn't quite sure myself what was being asked of them (I'm definitely not smarter than a 10 year old!!).

supermariossister · 18/09/2014 17:45

i dont mind helping with homework and will listen to anyone read :) i have felt in the past that they do get too much homework but i think the idea is to spread it out over the week whereas mine prefer to tackle it all in one go

I feel out of my depth when anyone asks me about math though i am terrible at maths and try to avoid using it if at all possible because i have no confidence in my ability.

Foxymumma · 18/09/2014 21:46

As I am a separated parent and working part time, I always feel its very hard to fit in enough time to eat dinner, play, wash, catch up on the day, let alone to all the reading school books and maths we should be doing during the week.

My boys are 5 and 7 and so they still need me with them or near them with home work, whether its listening to them read, setting them up for doing a homework alone but just being nearby to motivate them.

I do think it is important to encourage learning outside of school in different ways and really want to instill a love of reading in them. My solution is to always make sure we have a book to read on the bus, whilst waiting for one child to finish art club etc so we can do the odd 10 minutes here or there.

Also I sometimes set up one of the boys to do some maths on the computer for quarter of an hour whilst making the dinner.

There is always mental maths quizzes which they love to participate in if it a chance to win against each other.

So, in conclusion, we just about manage small chunks here or there sandwiched between general life.

LEE88 · 18/09/2014 23:26

I sit at the table with my DS and have learnt from experience not to do it when he is tired, I find a quiet half hour on a Sunday afternoon works best, oh and thank goodness for google!

Hopezibah · 18/09/2014 23:29

When homework needs to be done then everything else is on hold (like TV and computer time) until homework is done.

I largely leave them to it in terms of what they actually do but sometimes they need something explained to them or a bit of support coming up with an idea of what to write about e.g. if there is a choice of topic.

I let them research things on the internet for their homework and I will let the teacher know if i've had to help significantly.

They enjoy the topic based work more than just doing worksheets of maths etc. And i believe it is good practice for them to learn to manage their time, and manage a project start to finish.

stephgr · 19/09/2014 01:37

I am really clear with my children that homework must be started within 15 minutes of returning home and if it isn't then there's no tv, ipads, phones or games. This works! If they ask for help I give it but I always talk them through how they can do it and we work through it together. However, there have been times where I have done the homework for them but that has only been when they've completely given up and there doesn't seem to be much to learn from the homework they've been set. as they are all under 10 we haven't yet had homework I can't help with. I am just hoping the maths doesn't get much harder!

rupert23 · 19/09/2014 09:57

My son age 7 has just started a new school and has home work of half an hour every night. i think it is a good thing and we always sit down and discuss it together . i think it will help him prepare as when he gets to secondary school he will have much more. It also gives me an opportunity to sit down with him individually as i have other children and chat about school and how its going.

Maddaddam · 19/09/2014 10:38

I do help my dc (aged 14, 13 and 10) but the emphasis is on them getting into good study patterns rather than me "making" them do it. So I encourage them thinking of a time to do it before the last minute and making sure they don't keep putting it off.

I also focus on the Fun of Learning when I do help them - rather than academic work being a chore I do tend to try and get them to see it as an exciting challenge where possible. e.g. learning languages as fun and useful when going abroad, maths as a game.

MyNameIsInigoMontoya · 19/09/2014 10:52

So far ours has just been reading (which they quite like so it's not a big issue) and spellings which are at weekends. We always try to do the weekend homework at the start of the weekend (sometimes even Friday night) to get it over with and so it doesn't get forgotten. Mostly once we get them started they don't need much help, but we are generally nearby to help if needed.

On the whole getting homework done has not been TOO bad so far (though it may change as they get older!). Certainly compared to getting piano practise done it's easy!

Tandia · 19/09/2014 14:47

It really depends on the child. My eldest needs very little guidance and will just get on with it until it is done. My second needs constant monitoring, supervision and, to be honest, nagging, to get him to focus at all. He is bright and can do it, but actually doing it is another story!