If homework is a source of frustration and stress in your home, it doesn’t have to be that way! Read on to learn effective strategies to reduce your child’s homework stress.
Author
Katie Wickliff
Published
July 2024
If homework is a source of frustration and stress in your home, it doesn’t have to be that way! Read on to learn effective strategies to reduce your child’s homework stress.
Author
Katie Wickliff
Published
July 2024
If homework is a source of frustration and stress in your home, it doesn’t have to be that way! Read on to learn effective strategies to reduce your child’s homework stress.
Author
Katie Wickliff
Published
July 2024
Key takeaways
Table of contents
As a parent who has felt the frustration of watching my child be reduced to tears because of her homework each night, I’ve often wondered: do these maths worksheets and reading trackers really make a difference to a child’s academic success? Or does homework cause stress without having a positive impact on learning?
If your child experiences a significant amount of homework stress, you may feel at a loss to help. However, there are several things you can do at home to minimise the negative effects of this stress on your child–and you! We’ve put together a list of research-based practices that can help your child better handle their homework load.
Does homework cause stress? Short answer: Yes. It’s been well documented that too much homework can cause stress and anxiety for students–and their parents. However, do the benefits of homework outweigh the costs? Is homework “worth” the frustration and exhaustion that our children experience?
Findings on the benefits of homework at the primary school level are mixed, with studies showing that homework appears to have more positive effects under certain conditions for certain groups of students.
After examining decades of studies on the relationship between homework and academic achievement, leading homework researcher Harris M. Cooper has proposed the “10-minute rule,” suggesting that homework be limited to 10 minutes per year group level. For example, children in Year 1 should do no more than 10 minutes of homework, Year 2 no more than 20 minutes, and so on as a general rule of thumb.
Because of these research findings, Doodle believes that an appropriate amount of quality homework can help students feel more positive about learning and can provide parents with a critical connection to their child’s school experience. But to keep learning positive, we need to reduce the amount of stress both students and parents feel about homework.
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Creating an after-school routine and sticking to it helps children feel organised, but with sports, tutoring, or music lessons, many children have varying weekday schedules. As a former classroom teacher and private tutor, I suggest that families post a weekly schedule somewhere visible and communicate that schedule with their child.
At our house, we have a dry-erase calendar posted on the wall. Every Sunday evening, I write both of my children’s schedules for the following week–including homework time. We go through the calendar together, and they reference it often throughout the week. I can tell both my son and daughter feel better when they know when they’ll get their homework done.
Ideally, your child should have a dedicated homework space. It doesn’t matter if that space is a desk, a dining room table, or a kitchen countertop. What does matter is that the homework area is tidy, because an unorganised homework area is very distracting.
Encourage your child to start their homework as early as possible. Help them review their assignments, make a plan for what needs to be completed, and then dive in. Naturally, children are more tired later in the evening which can lead to more stress.
If you can see your child becoming frustrated or overwhelmed by their homework, encourage them to take a breather and come back to it later. As a teacher and tutor, I called this a “brain break” and believe these breaks are essential. Taking a short break will give your child a chance to step away from a frustrating problem or assignment.
Sometimes, homework can become just too stressful and overwhelming. In that case, it really is okay to stop. Children can learn to advocate for themselves by making a list of questions for their teacher and asking for help the next day. Depending on their age, you might need to help role-play how to approach their teacher with their frustrations.
Additionally, parents should never feel afraid to contact their child’s teacher to talk about homework issues. When I was teaching primary school, I always wanted parents to feel comfortable reaching out about any issues, including homework stress.
Sleep is critical to a child’s overall wellbeing, which includes their academic performance. Tired kids can’t concentrate as well, which can lead to feeling more overwhelmed about homework assignments. According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, kids aged 6-12 should get at least 9 hours of sleep each night.
Organising a homework group a few times a week is another way for your child to view homework more positively. Working as a group encourages collaboration, while discussions can solidify concepts learned in class.
No matter what your school experience was like, it’s important to model a growth mindset for your child. A growth mindset is the belief that your abilities can develop and improve over time. So if your child says something like “I can’t do this!” first acknowledge their frustration. Then, encourage them to say, “I may not understand this yet, but I will figure it out.” Speaking positively about tough experiences takes practice, but it will go a long way in reducing homework stress for your child.
Feeling stressed about homework is no fun. Completing worksheets and memorising facts is necessary, but playing games is a great way to inject some excitement into learning. Doodle’s interactive maths app is filled with interactive exercises, engaging maths games, and unique rewards that help kids develop their skills while having fun.
Try DoodleMaths for free!
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Many studies have shown that homework and stress often go hand-in-hand, often because many children feel pressure to perform perfectly or they have trouble managing their emotions–they get overwhelmed or flooded easily.
You can help your child reduce homework stress in several ways, including by establishing a routine, creating a homework space, encouraging breaks, and making homework fun with online games or maths apps.
Parents, sign up for a DoodleMaths subscription and see your child become a maths wizard!
Lesson credits
Katie Wickliff
Katie holds a master’s degree in Education, has over 15 years of education experience as a primary classroom teacher, and is Orton-Gillingham certified tutor. Most importantly, Katie is the mother of two primary school students, ages 8 and 11. She is passionate about maths education and firmly believes that the right tools and support will help every student reach their full potential.
Katie Wickliff
Katie holds a master’s degree in Education, has over 15 years of education experience as a primary classroom teacher, and is Orton-Gillingham certified tutor. Most importantly, Katie is the mother of two primary school students, ages 8 and 11. She is passionate about maths education and firmly believes that the right tools and support will help every student reach their full potential.
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