Getting a Handle on Homework

My fourth-grade son has been having a hard time keeping up with his homework. For weeks he was forgetting to bring things home, couldn’t remember when things were due, and was perplexed about upcoming tests. Sometimes he would wait to do an assignment until the night before it was due– only to find out he’d been assigned more homework that day. At the first teacher meeting we learned how far behind he had fallen. Let’s just say he wasn’t the only one who was frustrated! He needed help, so I decided to turn him into a client.

At the beginning of the year I had set up three baskets on the window ledge in our dining room, (that‘s homework central at our house.) Two of the baskets were used to hold assignments, notebooks, and folders for each boy. The third basket was for recycled paper used for rough drafts or math problems.

So when he started to fall behind, I could see that he needed more than baskets! So I bought him a clipboard. The clipboard holds several items. There is a list of regularly scheduled assignments along with any study sheets. We attached a monthly calendar, so that we could do long-range planning for any upcoming projects or tests. Each night we write a checklist for the assignments due the next day. The clipboard is easy to spot in a stack of papers and it keeps all of the important information in one place.

This has helped reduce the stress and frustration for the whole family. If you’re battling a similar situation, give it a try.

What other homework tricks do you have?

Posted October 22, 2007, filed in It's That Time, Organizeit Projects, Living Simply