Looking for tips on how to help your foster child with their homework?
Whether you struggle to actually get them to do it, or you’re struggling to figure out the answers yourself – homework can be a difficult task to deal with. However, it’s also extremely important for your child’s success to ensure they are keeping up with it.
We know just how difficult this issue can be. That’s why we thought we’d share 3 great tips for helping foster children with their homework below…
1. Be prepared to educate yourself too
As much we may not want to face it, times have changed! You could have been the class genius back in the day, but that’s not going to help you when the subjects covered now are completely different to what they used to be.
Many parents look at their child’s homework and panic as they have no idea what the answers are. It can be embarrassing when you literally can’t help if your child is struggling. So what can you do? Educate yourself!
Get in touch with the teachers and ask what topics are being covered. Use the internet to do your own research. If they ask a question and you don’t know the answer, look it up together, rather than simply saying you “don’t know”. Getting involved and being prepared to learn more yourself, will go a long way to helping them succeed – it is also a great way to bond with your foster child.
2. Provide the right equipment
A computer with reliable internet access is a must for children today. The internet is a useful tool for researching everything they might need help with. Now, obviously there should be some rules applied to internet use during homework time. If the child is young enough, you can add parental controls to restrict the websites they can go on. This will stop them wasting time on social networking sites or playing games.
As well as a computer, a printer will usually be required, along with paper, pens, pencils and learning tools such as dictionaries and encyclopaedias.
3. Consider rewards
If your child hates doing their homework and you often struggle to get them to do it, rewards can work well as an incentive. It could be if they complete their homework each night for a week, they get a special treat at the weekend. Or a longer-term reward where they receive a larger gift if they continue to do their homework for a month.
Of course, this method should only be adopted if your child is really applying themselves and actually learning something from their homework, rather than just rushing it to receive rewards.
These are just three tips to help your foster child with their homework. If you have any more, feel free to share them on our Facebook page.