How Can Parents Help Their Child Prepare for School Assignments?

Preparing for School Assignments: Parent Tips

Find out What Your Child Needs to Know

To effectively help your child prepare for her assignments, you'll need to find out what she is studying in school. Often, you can contact the school and the teachers to get a curriculum guide. Many teachers have a syllabus specifically for their class. Once you know the material, you can search for activities and study guides on the Internet.

Help with Homework

The homework assigned by your child's teacher is usually given to help him practice the skills and apply knowledge that was presented in class. When you help your child with his homework, you not only help him with his overall grade, but you also help him prepare for upcoming tests.

Get a Tutor

If you're unable to help your child yourself or you can't seem to find enough practice materials, consider hiring a tutor. You can get a private tutor for your child or look into tutoring programs. Many tutors specialize in certain subject areas, so if you know what your child needs specific help on, you can match her up with the right tutor. You can also search the Internet for online tutoring services, some of which are free.

Teach Research Skills

You can also help your child prepare for school assignments by teaching him to do his own research. There are plenty of resources available for students online and in public and school libraries. By showing your child how to look for these resources on his own, you'll teach him to be responsible for his own learning as well as help him learn a skill that will be useful in the future.

Ask Critical-Thinking Questions

Another way to help your child is to ask critical-thinking questions. These types of questions go beyond memorizing material or answering with a simple yes or no. Critical thinking questions require her to spend time evaluating all of the information she knows to formulate a reasonable answer. By doing this, she is forced to think deeper about the material she's learned, which often leads to greater success on class work, assignments and quizzes.