5 Tips to Help Your Kids Do Their Homework Efficiently

It's that time of year again! Time for school and the dreaded homework. It's hard enough on the kids being at school all day, but to have more to do at home, that get's to be a bit much and hard on families trying to juggle everything.

We all want our kids to succeed but not at the expense of their childhood.

Here are some steps to make things go a bit smoother and hopefully still find time for family and friends as well as after school activities so many families are involved in.

1. Make it an effort to get on a good schedule for your family and not vary from it during the school months. This involves the parents making sure they are home on time and have things feeling normal. Think about maybe allowing a medium amount of time before homework begins for them to zone out and recharge. I recommend 30-40 minutes. If you make the down time too long they lose the focus of concentrating they had from school, thus making it take longer to refocus and complete the tasks at hand.

2. Set aside part of a room or a spot at the kitchen table that is just for them to do their homework. Make some house rules with regards to being quite at certain times that are set aside just for homework. Turn off the tv, radios and such. Make sure they know they need to have their work done by a certain time if possible. Perhaps have movie time after homework or whatever they like to do, they can look forward to it.

3. Parents, try to be available during this time to answer questions and guide them along. This may also include making sure they aren't playing around or procrastinating during this time.

4. Try to keep the mood light and happy. It is bad enough having to do the homework but when emotions begin running high, this make it very hard to concentrate. On this note, make it a point to set the tone by being cheerful when giving the order to begin homework. Let them know you will be there to help. Provide a snacks during this time at least something to drink preferably . Water makes the brain work more efficiently, second to that would be orange juice or something not filled with sugars and corn syrups, as this will make them more likely to be hyper than able to concentrate.

5. It's the parents job to keep unscheduled guest appearances from interrupting the quiet zone. Life is not set in stone. Sometimes it requires flexibility. When unexpected things happen, try to roll with the flow and be willing to help your child later in the night to finish up. If you have control over who comes over and when, try to limit these interruptions for the sake of your kids. When it is not possible to complete the homework for some unexpected event,(occasionally do not abuse this) write your child a note or call their teacher. The less anxiety your child experiences the more able he or she will be able to learn.

I hope these tips have helped you in getting a direction set and a tone set for your kids this school year. Homework can be overdone, I wouldn't feel at all embarrassed to call the teacher and complain if the load was over the top "too much". This is each families decision. I hope your child has a stress free and enjoyable year at school and while doing their homework. They will thank you someday for all the care you took to ensure it went well for them.