Streatham Wells Parents’ Evening Wednesday 14 October Parents, Children and Homework What can a parent do?

WELCOME ! Introductions Plan for the hour What’s the point of Homework?

5 Solution Focused Ideas For Parents 1 If it’s not broken don’t try to fix it…..

5 Solution Focused Ideas For Parents 2 If it’s working, do more of it…

5 Solution Focused Ideas For Parents 3 If it’s not working, do something different…

5 Solution Focused Ideas For Parents 4 Talk about what you want, not what you don’t want….

5 Solution Focused Ideas For Parents 5 There are always exceptions to every problem….

10 Homework Tips Parents Have Shared With Me 1 Thinking about it How you think about something affects how you feel about it……. Fun? Interesting? A job to be done? This is all going to end in tears….. 2 Getting into Step with it decide the routine in advance, consult your child, when, where, consistent, normal daily/weekly activity, break or wind down first or afterwards Review with your child, is it working, what has worked better, what might you try out Make it clear when you are being flexible over the routine and departing from it

10 Homework Tips Parents Have Shared With Me 3 Giving choices Every child is different, including every one of your children! Choice when deciding the routine, choice over the homework itself, what to do first, how to do it etc Involving children in choices can increase cooperation and independence skills Different learning styles, including different from you! 4 Choose your battles You don’t need to win every battle only the most important ones. Let some things go and stand your ground. Being flexible, changing your mind, backing off, negotiating or moving on from something you decided is also teaching your child important life skills.

10 Homework Tips Parents Have Shared With Me 5 Whose Homework is it? It might feel like yours sometimes but it isn’t ! Asking questions is better than giving answers Resist the temptation to do it! 6 Credit in the bank! 10 bits of positive feedback to 1 bit of negative feedback reward more than punish Notice and comment on every tiny sign of what you want to happen more

10 Homework Tips Parents Have Shared With Me 7 Chunk it Up break things down in to small tasks, subjects, activities or time periods Or places to do it, homework club, aftercare setting and home suggest small breaks between comment on progress and completion 8 Encourage independence in thought, in action, Young children sit near, older children you may be about for consultation but not too near, encourages child to think things through for themselves first before asking for help ask your child why homework is important, doing things for your own reasons is always easier

10 Homework Tips Parents Have Shared With Me 9 Positive thinking Stay in the moment, don’t catastrophise ahead, if your child finds something hard to do or doesn’t like particular homework it often only means that, nothing else about them, nothing else about their future. 10 Lead from behind all children follow parents’ examples more than parents’ advice They can screen out what you say, but not what you do. Use reading writing and maths in your everyday life with them, show them how it matters Demonstrate and talk about your Life Skills: how you organise yourself, how you plan what to do, how you keep at things, how you finish things, how you feel good afterwards

The Experts’ Discussion Small groups discussion on homework with your child, share: 1 Something you are already doing which works for you and your child 2 Something you already do which you are thinking you might do more of in the future 3 Something you haven’t done which you are thinking you might try out in the future

Homework For Parents! Read a poem Tell someone how much they mean to you Walk a journey you would usually do by car/bus Pay yourself a compliment every day Learn to skim a stone Make of list of what you are grateful for in your life