Parenting Tips
By Myrna B. Shure, Ph.D
For the WHYY Children's Service

Get Involved, but Not Do the Homework

Your child has homework that he cannot, or will not do. Do you help him? If so, how? You could do it for him so it will get done. But what's the real goal?

If your child says homework is boring, you can spice it up. Let him help you cook dinner and discuss the difference between a quarter of a teaspoon vs. a half. If he likes basketball, ask him if he'd be happier if the 76ers got 100 + 10 points or 40 + 50 - 2 points. You can also ask, "Would you feel sadder if you had 4 dimes and 1 nickel, or 4 quarters?" You can vary this according to what your child is learning. When you buy things at a store, let your child connect anything she's learning to real life. For example, you can say, "I just paid a quarter for this pack of candy. Then ask, "Did I pay 25 pennies, or 4 nickels and 6 pennies?" etc.

If your child is very young, you can place two apples on the left and two on the right and let her count them. Let her choose other objects to place on the table. If your child is learning to subtract, take away some and let her do that too.

Ask your children questions about a story they're reading, what the characters did, how they felt, what else they could do to solve any problems described, and how the story ended. Let them make up different endings. Help older children look up some background about the subject, in the library or on the internet. If the book describes an era within your lifetime, tell them about what life was like for you and how it's different now.

Be creative. Let your child be creative too. Research shows that parents who are involved have children who do better in school. In an activity so important now in your child's life, it shows him you care - and he will care too.