Children are more successful in school when parents take an active interest in their homework and other school activities that require the parents to be involved.

Most working parents find it difficult to make time to support their children when it comes to school work either because they are tired, come home late or even assume that all is well at school.

However, experts say that even though your child is brilliant and does not need support in academic work, the involvement of a parent or guardian in supporting school going children shows kids that what they do is important and that the parent is following up.

According to John Muneza, a teacher and parenting counsellor, often the main problem can be trying to help them too much or being too tough on them, which makes it a nightmare for them.

It’s best to try and not pressure them as much as possible, especially at the beginning of the term, now that most kids, including those in public schools, are back to school.

"When the new academic year is beginning, children take time to settle in school after the long holiday but as the term goes on, they eventually get into it,”

"It’s best to not start too strict, so they can develop a not so antagonistic relationship with homework and school. This also goes hand-in-hand with trying to give your children the responsibility for their homework,” Muneza explains.

He explains that the idea of bringing homework is for parents to be involved in their children’s learning, but not to police them on their academic performance.

"There are cases where children dread asking their parents for support because they fear they will be beaten or reprimanded for failing to answer a certain question and in reality, that is not the essence of homework,” he explains.

It is important for parents or guardians to just talk to them about school and what they have learnt and listen with genuine interest.

Parents and guardians are advised to only use positive questions and don’t try to interrogate them if there’s something they don’t want to answer or don’t seem to understand well.

Making time to support your children

Experts say a parent or guardian’s involvement in their children’s school work is very important and helps them improve their academic performance, gives them reassurance and motivates the learners to do even better.

Helping with homework or any other school work shouldn’t mean spending hours on the table, buried in books.

Parents can be supportive by demonstrating study and organization skills, explaining a tricky problem, or just encouraging kids to tackle challenges. Most times, that is all they need and they do the work themselves.

Below are some tips working parents or guardians can consider to support their school going children. In fact, the most unpopular and unsaid fact is that parents also learn a thing or two in helping their children.

Know the teachers

Most times parents and guardians don’t bother much to find out or connect with the teachers of their children and that makes it difficult to track the academic performance of the kids.

It is advised that parents or guardians should make an effort to know the teacher and what they’re looking for from a parent when it comes to supporting a child.

Make time to attend school events, parent-teacher conferences and school open days to meet your child’s teachers and ask about their homework policies and how you should be involved.

That way teachers will tell you about your child’s weaknesses and strengths as well as areas they want you to engage.

Follow up on homework

The easiest yet difficult task for parents or guardians is following up if the children have homework or not. If you don’t ask, sometimes they will not mention that they have homework and tomorrow they take it back to school.

Ask and make sure kids do their own work and only chip in when they need you. They won’t learn if they don’t think for themselves and make their own mistakes. Parents can make suggestions and help with directions. But it’s a kid’s job to do the learning.

As an adult, your job is to be a motivator and monitor, asking about assignments, quizzes, and tests. Give encouragement, check completed homework, and make yourself available for questions and concerns.

The next day, find out if it was marked. Some children don’t bother handing in their homework and that affects their overall marks and academic performance.

Set up a home work schedule

Parents or guardians can schedule time during the school days and over the weekends to specifically attend to their children’s homework and check through the entire week of school work.

If you don’t do that, the little ones will find a window to relax or be reluctant. Set up a homework-friendly area at home and make sure that the scheduled time for homework is known to them. It automatically creates a routine in their head.

Know what the best time to do it is. Some kids work best in the afternoon, following a snack and play period; others may prefer to wait until after dinner. Just make sure it is not done when they are sleepy or when it is too late.

Make it easy for them

It is true that at school, the pressure can be really too much on children, particularly those in candidate classes. It is advised that the home environment to do homework or support children should not be as strict as it is at school.

Some children particularly in upper classes will have hefty assignments to tackle and could be under pressure already. A parent or guardians’ job is to encourage them through this difficult work.

Help them to break up their homework into manageable chunks and create a work schedule for the night if necessary — and take time for a 15-minute break every hour, if possible.

It is important to keep distractions to a minimum, which means no TV, loud music, or phone calls.

However, occasionally you can allow them to make a phone call to a classmate about an assignment, which can be really helpful and helps them to ease their nerves. Homework is not an exam after all.

Applaud their work and efforts

A parent or guardian’s job does not stop at supporting the children to do their homework. Find out if they aced the previous homework and applaud their efforts. A simple ‘hi five’ can make a huge difference in your child’s academic performance.

Identify challenges

By being fully involved in your child’s homework, you have an opportunity to know if your child is having trouble with school work and help them. Discuss the challenges with the teachers to see if it is the same issue at school.

Some kids have trouble seeing the board and may need glasses; others might need an evaluation for a learning problem or an attention or comprehension disorder and you won’t find out if you are not involved in their homework.