10 Tips For Kids
Homework Success

The new school year is underway. These tips for kids homework success can help make it the best year yet.

For best results, studying needs to become part of your child's daily routine. He gets up in the morning, brushes his teeth, and goes to school. 

When he comes home from elementary school in the afternoon, he eats a snack and then hits the books in his special place. 

None of this routine is ever open for discussion or debate. Here are my top 10 tips for kids homework success stories.

1.  Tips For Kids Homework Success - Same Time Every Day

Doing homework should be part of the daily regimen. Otherwise, it either becomes a daily battle or is not done when bedtime rolls around.

If homework is part of the routine, you won't have to renegotiate it daily. Times can be adjusted for soccer practice, piano lessons, etc.

But even then, have a routine: For example, Susie usually does homework every day from 3 to 4. On Tuesdays, the routine becomes piano lessons after school from 3 to 4 and homework from 4 to 5.

2.  Same Place for Kids Homework

Designate one spot in the house for each kid's study hall. It should be in a quiet corner, far from distractions. 

Depending on the child, however, that special place might need to be somewhere you can keep an eye on things. Not every kid works intently when shut away in a bedroom full of video games and toys.

3.  Tips for Kids Homework Success - Outfitting a Homework Area

Ideally, each child should have a desk, but specific furniture is optional.

A friend's daughter likes to study at the kitchen counter while the mom cooks and another child works at the dining room table. Wherever the child studies, she will need a large, flat surface and good lighting. 

4.  Essential Homework Tools and Supplies

Keep a drawer or basket of school supplies nearby so she doesn't have to jump up and down whenever she needs to erase or staple something. 

She will also need a file drawer or bucket for papers or ongoing projects. Older kids will need access to a computer, too. 

5.  Tips For Kids Homework Success - Just for Reference

Designate a nearby shelf for a dictionary, a thesaurus, grammar book, and other references.

6.  Keep It Down

During homework time, enforce a code of silence. No TV. No music. Impose an hour of quiet time on younger kids.

7.  Help is at Hand

Be available to answer questions when your child is studying. Check the homework when she finishes. Make sure she didn't just rush through.

8.  Divide and Conquer

Teach your child how to manage long-term projects by dividing them into smaller units. Get out the calendar and plan times that she will complete these units. Schedule them on the calendar.

9.  Time Management Skills

If your child has many activities during the week, use weekends to best advantage. If he has to do a chapter of spelling each week, for example, he might be able to work a little ahead on a rainy Sunday and get a bit of a cushion.

If the child is frenetically busy every day, you need to impose some time management skills on his schedule.

10.  Turn Off the TV

Establish a TV-free zone during the week. If the kid knows there are no TV or computer games to enjoy after homework, he may be more inclined to devote more time to homework.

If the kids know you're serious about homework, they'll get serious, too. Set aside a lot of free time on weekends for them to hang out with their friends and waste time.

But keep weekdays tightly structured.