As parents, it is our responsibility to be there to help kids with schoolwork. Sometimes, however, we help too much to the point that we’re already the ones doing it for them. Many parents are guilty of that. In any case, that is not the right way to help kids with schoolwork, because all it ever does is take away their self-responsibility. In an article for ParentInvolvementMatters, Rick Ackerly outlines ways parents can help kids with schoolwork yet increase their self-responsibility and ownership of their learning at the same time.
How to properly help kids with schoolwork
Ackerly suggests that parents should make an effort to build intellectual curiosity into their family life, especially when kids are still too young to go to school. Playing school with them is also recommended. This is a personal favorite, because playing school where kids take on the role of a teacher as opposed to you being the student can be quite enjoyable. Other tips shared by Ackerly include asking “dumb” questions and working together in the same room with your child.
I myself am guilty of interfering too much with my child’s schoolwork, but I have since stopped doing it. Instead of, say, solving math problems myself, I have since resorted to asking leading questions, making appropriate examples just so he can figure it out for himself. In short, when you help kids with schoolwork, you should be a guide, not a rescuer.
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