Free homework planner for kids
This easy homework planner will make homework time easier for your children. Sonja Walker, teacher at Kids First Children’s Services in Sydney’s northern beaches, shares easy homework tips that help kids and parents.
Do your children become overwhelmed by the enormity of homework?
Nightly reading, spelling and maths tasks are complicated in later primary school and high school by assignments and projects.
Sometimes it’s hard for kids, who are also trying to fit extra curricula sport, music and interest activities in to an already packed weekly routine, to get it all done.
So here is a simple tool designed to keep your child get organised and to learn, from an early age, that homework can be managed… as long as they have a plan that they can stick to.
Here’s how it works
1. Create a new plan every week
No two weeks are identical, so encourage your children to consider their commitments and plan their time accordingly. If your child has sports training, a birthday party or a tuition class to attend, this all needs to be taken in to account…and just as activities change, so do the tasks that teachers will ask your children to complete. Most kids are visual learners and in order to learn, they need resources that they can see, touch and refer to frequently. Download your free Homework Planner below and then, each week, print a fresh one for your child to use.
2. Each week, when homework is assigned, help your child to fill the plan in
Your child might need prompts, such as ‘What do you have to do for maths?’ or “what did Mrs Jones ask you to write in your school diary?…however, don’t do all the work for them! You may also need to remind them about planned activities after school, eg soccer or dance classes. Ensure that your child makes the choices about what will be done and when. This makes them accountable for the decisions they have made
3. Stick the homework plan in your child’s homework book, on their noticeboard or even the fridge
A visible, easy reminder of what needs to be done will help your child stay on track and will be a point of reference when they are unsure or can’t remember what comes next.
4. Each day, help your child by directing them to their plan
“What bit of homework did you decide you’d do today?” Is a good reminder.
5. Encourage your child to ‘tick’ the finished box when they have completed a homework task
This visual sign of a job completed gives kids a feeling of achievement. It’s a great opportunity to offer important praise and is a good strategy for parents who are not home during homework time. When you get arrive from work, ask to see your child’s homework plan and congratulate them on the effort they have made.
6. Help your child to use the homework plan to hand work in on time
Each morning (or even better, each night before they go to bed) encourage your child to check the plan and make sure that everything that is due in the following day is in their bag.
Research shows that when we actively teach children to break a task down into manageable ‘chunks’, they are more likely to be able to successfully complete it.
Homework doesn’t have to be a hassle, and when we teach our kids how to plan and think ahead, we are giving them skills for life.
© 2015 Kids First Children’s Services
Is homework a hassle for your child?
Kids First’s fully qualified teachers have helped thousands of children to feel more confident about homework, and we can help your child too.
Our fun, pressure-free classes are held in Sydney’s northern beaches support primary and high school aged students. Follow the links below to find out more about the support we give to kids in subjects like:
- Primary Maths
- High school Maths
- Primary English
- High school English
- OC, Selective Schools and Scholarship Exam Preparation
We also offer our innovative Homework Hub, where qualified teachers will support and supervise your children as they get their homework finished without fuss.
Find out more about Kids First different approach to tuition here, or call us today on (02) 9938 5419 for a free 30 minute education screening for your child.
