Homework is a great way to reinforce what children learn in the classroom and provide opportunities to practice skills independently. Unfortunately, it can be a source of stress for many children—especially those who are naturally disorganized and tend to “spin their wheels” at homework time. Luckily, there are lots of aids that will help keep children on task and focused on what they need to accomplish. Here are some of Huntington’s tried-and-true homework tools for students:
Homework completion chart – Perfect for younger children who do not get a lot of homework but still need a simple way to mark off when they are complete with it, a homework completion chart teaches children good habits like writing down assignments and managing their tasks. Your child can keep this chart on hand during homework and check off subjects as finished. Here’s an example of what this chart might look like:
Week of: February 12
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Monday |
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
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Math |
X |
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Spelling |
X |
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Reading |
X |
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Subject homework checklist – For children who struggle to keep track of multiple subjects, a weekly “by subject” homework checklist is a good way to keep tabs on what they need to do each night and what is coming up. One week’s sheet should list out each subject (math, reading, science, etc.) and have five boxes underneath for the days of the week. One subject would look like this:
Subject: Math
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Day |
Homework |
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Monday |
Workbook p. 12-13 Read Math text p. 25-27 Review today’s notes |
X |
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Tuesday |
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Wednesday |
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Thursday |
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Friday |
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Daily assignments sheet – For those who like having the “big picture,” the daily assignment sheet is an invaluable tool. You can make copies for each day of the week. The idea is to get your child into the habit of recording to-dos at the end of each class and using that as his or her guide at homework time that night. Here’s an example:
Date: Monday, March 10
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Subject |
Assignment |
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Anything coming up? |
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English |
Read text Chapter 2 Worksheet |
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Test Friday Report due March 22 |
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Math |
Text p. 14-17 |
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Science |
Read text Chapter 3 Review notes from today |
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Quiz Thursday on Chapter 3 |
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History |
No homework, but study flash cards |
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Test Thursday |
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Spanish |
Worksheet |
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Paper due March 25 |
Project plan – For times when children have bigger projects to work on over the course of a few weeks, it’s a smart idea to break up the assignment into manageable tasks with deadlines. Encourage your child to create such a project plan as soon as the project is assigned. There are many ways to create a project plan, but here’s one possible structure:
Class: Social studies
Assignment or project: Research paper
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Task |
Start date |
Deadline |
Done |
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Select topic |
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October 1 |
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Create outline |
October 2 |
October 4 |
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Research sources |
October 5 |
October 6 |
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Narrow down to best materials |
October 7 |
October 7 |
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Revise outline |
October 8 |
October 8 |
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Rough draft |
October 10 |
October 12 |
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Brainstorm visual aids |
October 13 |
October 13 |
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Draft #2 |
October 14 |
October 15 |
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Choose visual aid and start collecting materials |
October 14 |
October 16 |
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Draft #3 |
October 16 |
October 17 |
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Finalize visual aid |
October 17 |
October 18 |
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Finalize report |
October 18 |
October 19 |
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Proofread final report |
October 20 |
October 20 |
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Turn in paper |
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October 21 |
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One of the keys to homework success is to stay organized, and charts and checklists help children do just that. In combination with use of the day planner, have your child try a few different methods and tools to discover what helps him or her be the most successful. Embracing such methods will give your child a sense of responsibility and ownership, help him or her stay focused on what he or she must do and when, and put those goals front and center.
