If your son/daughter knows that you care about their homework, they will be more likely to want to do it and hand it in on time. You can encourage learning while you are out and about together, in the car, shopping, eating meals and even in your local community.

1. Make Time

Make time, even five minutes could help! It’s a good idea to set a routine for homework (and stick to it) – like after tea. It helps to know what homework your child has and get a sense of how long it should take them. There’s always something happening that you can both talk and learn about!

2. Your experience counts

Try and link life and leisure experience to your child’s school work eg visits to the park, museum or days out. Remember your child will enjoy spending time with you alone. Learning together and sharing experiences will help your relationship grow stronger. Your child will enjoy learning about you and your experiences, as well as doing new things together.

3. Take an interest

Let them know you want to be involved. Make time to ask your child about what they are studying and what they have learned. Another great way to show you are interested is to attend school activities such as parents’ evenings and sport events. There are lots of ways you can help your child with their homework, especially if they get stuck. Have a chat about what they did last time it happened and what you could do to help, or where you could both look for help.

4. Lend a hand

Let them know you’re there to help. Help your child to use resources that are available to them such as the local library, the Internet or books. Talk about school and learning activities in family conversations and make sure – that if they need help they know they can ask you to give them a hand.

5. Watch the telly

Use TV programmes as prompts for discussion and learning, eg popular soaps and soap characters’ lives could provide topics for discussion. Make sure TV time is a set time and that it does not get in the way of study time. Make TV a treat for progress rather than a background feature.

6. Remove distractions

Help your child concentrate by creating the best learning environment, eg take the dog out of the room or turn the volume down on the TV. Provide an area that is light and fairly quiet. It doesn’t have to be fancy – the kitchen table, a space in their bedroom or a corner of the living room will be fine, as long as homework is given priority and they are not interrupted.

7. Have a look

Check to see how your child is getting on with their homework. By seeing their progress you will find out if they need any more help or encouragement. When they’ve finished, have a look and see how well they’ve done with their work.

8. Give praise

Let them know they’re doing a good job! Let your child know that you are pleased with their progress. Help them to make activities and learning tasks feel more achievable by showing them just how much they have already achieved. Remember – you can show them how not giving up and hard work can lead to success.

9. Go to school

Talk with your child’s teachers – they will be pleased that you want to get involved. Let them know that you are keen to help your child with their study and that you want to get involved in their learning experiences. See Building a relationship with your child’s teacher, you could ask them questions about:

• How your child is doing at school.
• What they might be struggling with.
• How you can help your child.
• What your child’s behaviour is like at school.

10. Reward progress

Set goals and provide treats for achievements. Let your child know that you are there to encourage and support them to learn. Let them know that they are making good progress and that you are pleased with their efforts. Help them to try new experiences and get the most out of their time at school.