We are all finding and coming to grips with our new “normal.” For many parents, this includes picking up an additional hat when it comes to your children—this is the hat of at-home teacher. Whether it’s making sure your children show up for their online Zoom classes on time, helping with schoolwork, or helping with math (and maybe still trying to make sense of those Common Core math problems), you have inherited the role of teacher. Here are some simple tips to help you (and your child) get through the school days, at home or even when school returns back to “usual”—whatever and whenever that may be.

4 Tips for making homework a less painful experience (for you and your student)

1. Feed them! At the end of the day, tired and hungry is a recipe for disaster when it comes to homework. A good protein snack will go a long way in fueling the mental energy necessary to tackle home assignments
2. Don’t take the bait. When the going gets rough and the homework drama heats up, keep your cool.  Study barriers can manifest as anger, upset, shouting, crying, and a whole host of others, so don’t take it personally.
3. Keep it simple. Homework should be a continuation and practice of concepts covered in class.  If the work is obviously too hard and overwhelming for the student, spend the time picking out some key words found in the materials and get them defined so the student is confident in their use and meaning.  This simple action alone will assist in an overall greater understanding of the subject and help ease the overwhelm.
4. Validate, validate, validate. It is a maxim that whatever you validate, you will always get more of.  Putting attention on and pointing out the things they do wrong, validates those wrong things.  Validate the things your student is doing well at and tell them so.  They will appreciate it and it will act as a positive motivation for them to continue.  They don’t have to be an honor roll student in order to garner a little bit of praise for their work and effort