As children move from primary to secondary education, their school life undergoes many changes. One of the biggest changes for teens is the volume and quality of assignments they are expected to complete and turn in.

Here, I outline 10 key strategies to help your child get organized and show how you can support their learning. With effective support and interest in their learning, your child will be motivated to put more effort into their school work, leading to an overall increase in the level of learning and performance.

1. Let him show you what has been set – often students receive a diary from school, in which they note the set homework and due dates of projects, etc.

2. Discuss each task and what it will entail: Ask your child what they think is being asked of them, for example, if they need to respond to a set text, do research, write short answers, or even design and make a poster. As exams approach, teachers will mark review assignments. Make sure your child knows and understands what the teacher expects of him for each assignment.

3. Help decide which ones have the tightest deadline. This is called prioritizing, something many parents have to do every day, like making dinner before sitting down to watch TV or paying the monthly electricity bill before the quarterly water bill. Your child will benefit from learning this skill early in life. The assignment due tomorrow needs to be completed before tackling a project that isn’t due until next week.

4. Allocate a time interval for completing the task – here you need to ask your child to estimate how long the work set can take. This type of goal setting allows you to understand how much weight to place on the task and the speed at which you should be able to complete it. For example, designing, making, and coloring a science poster will take between an hour and an hour and a half, while writing a sentence to explain the meaning of 10 key words in science will take about 20 minutes. If an assignment is taking much longer than expected to complete, you can verify that your child is still on track, that is, they are handling the assignment at the appropriate and expected level of detail. However, it’s best to be flexible and allow your child to learn that it’s okay for a task to take longer than initially estimated. In the long run, your child will learn to estimate the time required more accurately, an excellent skill for life as an adult.

5. Provide the necessary resources to complete the task: A plumber, doctor, chef, or electrician cannot be expected to turn in an assignment on time to the required standard if they lack the tools of their trade. By the same logic, a student cannot produce a quality assignment without the necessary resources, eg dictionary, atlas, construction paper, scissors, glue, internet connection, etc.

6. Provide an appropriate environment for your child to study: a comfortable chair and table in a quiet place is fine. Dining tables are ideal if your child doesn’t have her own room or space for a desk in her room. Some people find it helpful to have a bit of background noise while they work, eg the radio or mp3 player; others prefer to work quietly without audible or visual distractions. Find out what works best for your child and try removing distractions or providing the mood to help calm them down.

7. Check in on your progress regularly: every 10-15 minutes ask or (unobtrusively) look over your shoulder or sit next to you for a minute to find out how you are coping, i.e. are you having difficulties or finding it easy or interesting , etc.

8. Stay close but keep busy – Your physical presence will help your child in two ways: i) it shows you are interested in their learning and the learning process and ii) you are there to support them if needed.

9. Support him, but don’t do it for him. It can be tempting for understanding parents to complete homework for the child, particularly if it is difficult for them; keep in mind that you won’t be doing your child any favors if you i) take away the opportunity to learn through experience, ii) don’t allow them to risk failure, iii) take away the opportunity to be responsible, and iv) taking away your chance to succeed.

10. Praise him when he finishes his work properly. This is enough encouragement for you to take on more responsibilities next time. In fact, he’ll eventually start starting homework time without you having to remind him. And ultimately, that’s what you want for your child: a confident, responsible approach to tackling any task head-on, knowing that his efforts will be supported and rewarded.

Key concepts:

  • Help him stay organized by prioritizing and setting a target time to accomplish each job.
  • Provide the necessary facilities and resources to enable the satisfactory performance of duties.
  • Support and encourage his efforts, but don’t do it for him, so he can learn from his mistakes and enjoy his successes.
  • Celebrate and praise his achievements and efforts by acknowledging what he has done well before criticizing his shortcomings.