How to help your child with their school work

You don’t need to understand everything your child is learning at school. You can still help your child learn. If your child needs help and you don’t have time, it’s okay to ask another trusted adult, their brother or sister, or a trusted teenager to work with them. The following tips might be useful for you or other trusted people in your child’s life.

Be positive about learning

• Children watch and copy what their parents say and do.
• Say good things about school and learning when you are talking to your child.
• When your child is interested in something, try to answer their questions.
• It’s okay if you don’t know the answer. You can find out the answer together.

Talk to the teacher

• It’s okay to talk to your child’s teacher.
• The people at the school want to help your child.
• You can contact the school at any time.

Create a quiet place for study

• A quiet place to study at home will help your child learn better.
• Remind your child to take breaks from their study.
• Encourage your child to move around as this will help them think better.

Help your child understand how they learn

• Help your child to study in a way that works for them.
• Some children learn better in the mornings while others prefer to study at night.
• Some children learn best by reading while other children like to learn by doing things.
• Some children like to work in groups while others like to work alone.

Ask questions to help your child

• You can help your child with their school work by asking them questions.
• When you ask questions, it can help your child work out the answers.
• Here are some questions you could ask your child to help them solve a problem:
• What next step could you try?
• What kind of thinking did you use to get this far?
• Can you think of another way to approach this problem?
• How did your teacher tell you to work out this problem?

Ask your child to teach you

• Ask your child to teach you something they are learning.
• When people pretend to teach another person, it can help them learn the thing they are teaching.
• With younger children, make it a game. For older children, it can be a fun way to learn together.

Look online

• There are many websites created to help children learn.
• Ask your child’s teacher to suggest websites you and your child can use at home.

Teach your child to ask for help

• Tell your child that everyone needs help sometimes.
• Tell your child what to say when they need to ask for help.
• Tell them if they need help at school, they should ask their teacher.
• Explain to your child that being able to ask for help means they are brave.

Learn together at home

• You can help your child learn by doing things together at home, including:
• cooking and baking: helps with reading and maths
• playing board games and card games: helps with maths and problem-solving skills
• shopping and handling money: helps with maths
• playing outside and talking about birds and insects and plants: helps with science.

Get help with computers

• Most schools expect students to use computers as part of their learning.
• If you are having trouble with your child’s computer, please speak to the school.

Need help?

• If your child is having trouble learning at school, please talk to their school.
• The school wants to help your child.
• You can also discuss your worries with your doctor.