It’s the day many parents and carers have been dreaming about… the kids are finally back at school! You love your child, of course you do! But after six long weeks together, it can feel like utter bliss having a short, much needed break. However, before you get too excited, remember – the return to school brings a whole new range of potential problems.
One thing it helps to be prepared for is homework. Children today seem to receive a lot more homework than they used to. Unfortunately, the level of enthusiasm to do homework hasn’t changed a bit!
The majority of kids aren’t going to be thrilled with having to complete homework assignments every day. So, if you want them to succeed, you’re going to need to plan ahead to ensure homework not only gets done, but that help is available if needed.
Not sure how you can help your foster child with their homework? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered! Below you’ll find some tips and advice to help you encourage and support your child….
Set up a daily homework routine
As with anything, the key to ensuring homework gets done is to have a set routine in place. This could be something as simple as each day, when they return from school, you sit down together and discuss what homework needs to be done.
If the child isn’t renowned for their honesty in this department then you can always contact the school to get an idea of how frequently homework is set. The teachers will be able to tell you which days your child should have homework and for which subjects.
Once you know what homework has to be done, you can either have them complete it before your evening meal, or straight after. Make sure you stick to whichever schedule you decide upon.
Do it together
Now, this doesn’t mean take over and do the child’s homework for them! Instead, sit down together and be there to guide them when necessary. Talk about the subjects they are covering. Actually discussing the homework and asking questions will enhance the learning process. They’ll also likely be much more willing to do it if they aren’t alone and it’s turned into a more enjoyable task.
Ensure they have the right equipment
It is highly likely that your child is going to need access to a computer and the internet in order complete their homework or undertake further learning around a subject. However, other learning tools can also come in useful such as an encyclopaedia, dictionary and thesaurus. Whilst these can be found online, don’t dismiss the usefulness of having physical copies too.
Providing further help
As well as helping them with their actual homework, it’s a good idea to do additional things to enhance their learning; making their homework easier. Reading together, watching educational programs, drawing and playing educational games can all help expand their learning capacity and enthusiasm for a subject.
Overall, helping your child with their homework doesn’t just improve their education, it also helps the two of you to bond. Often foster children didn’t receive a lot of support with things such as homework prior to being put into a placement, so just having you there to help will be very much appreciated – even more than you might realise.