When I was a kid, my working mom rarely helped me with my homework. She came home exhausted well after 5 p.m., which isn't exactly the recipe for homework success. Most of the time, I worked it out on my own and paid the consequences if something wasn't done right.
For Citi, by Ana Connery
Now I have a third-grader and I'm the working mom, and while I wish I had more time to spend with him doing homework, I also want him to figure things out for himself. It's a skill he'll need long past the age of 8. Still, some days it feels like he has way more homework (and questions!) than I ever did, and then I feel as whiny and overwhelmed as he does.
As the ultimate Multitask Master, I'm always looking for ways to do it all, with ease. These tips helped us rethink our nightly routine:
1. Make your car a mobile classroom
Keep books and spelling lists in the family car, so your kids can read or study on their way to sports practice or while running errands.
2. Turn to techFaceTime, Skype, and Google
Hangouts are just a few of the ways you can connect with your child when you're at work during homework time. You can even set a daily 'date' to go over any questions.
3. Set aside time in the morning
Just about everyone is exhausted at the end of the day, and tackling homework is the last thing anyone wants to do. For some families, mornings are a much better time. Your energy levels are higher and you may be better able to focus.
4. Have kids work while you cook
Try having kids do their homework while you're cooking dinner, so by the time the food is ready, so is the homework. If they need help, you're right there.
Keep books and spelling lists in the family car, so your kids can read or study on their way to sports practice or while running errands.
2. Turn to techFaceTime, Skype, and Google
Hangouts are just a few of the ways you can connect with your child when you're at work during homework time. You can even set a daily 'date' to go over any questions.
3. Set aside time in the morning
Just about everyone is exhausted at the end of the day, and tackling homework is the last thing anyone wants to do. For some families, mornings are a much better time. Your energy levels are higher and you may be better able to focus.
4. Have kids work while you cook
Try having kids do their homework while you're cooking dinner, so by the time the food is ready, so is the homework. If they need help, you're right there.
5. Enlist the help of siblings
Deploy your older children to help their younger siblings in your absence
6. Sign up for an after-school program
Lots of working parents enroll their kids in after-school programs, in part to ensure that homework is done within close proximity to an adult who can answer questions. Make it a rule that homework must be completed before playtime. You can let the supervisors know that you want your child to focus on homework for 30 minutes first, before other activities.
7. Provide an incentive
Create a new house rule: by the time you arrive home from work, homework must be done or the kids aren't allowed to play video games or watch TV.
Deploy your older children to help their younger siblings in your absence
6. Sign up for an after-school program
Lots of working parents enroll their kids in after-school programs, in part to ensure that homework is done within close proximity to an adult who can answer questions. Make it a rule that homework must be completed before playtime. You can let the supervisors know that you want your child to focus on homework for 30 minutes first, before other activities.
7. Provide an incentive
Create a new house rule: by the time you arrive home from work, homework must be done or the kids aren't allowed to play video games or watch TV.
Ana Connery is the VP of Content for TodaysMama.com and a single mom to Javier, an 8-year-old master hide-and-seeker and lover of year-round costumes. Ana has held senior positions at some of the country's most celebrated magazines, and has appeared on The Today Show, Good Morning America and CNN as a parenting expert.
The content reflects the view of the author of the article and does not necessarily reflect the views of Citi or its employees, and we do not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of the information presented in the article
The content reflects the view of the author of the article and does not necessarily reflect the views of Citi or its employees, and we do not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of the information presented in the article
