Home | Provider Resources | About Us | Contact Us | Search

School and Homework

Print Version (PDF, 2MB)

Back to all Preventive Health Programs

1. School and Homework
2. Talk With Your Child's Teachers
3. Ways You Can Help With Homework

1. School and Homework

Children with ADHD often have problems at school and with homework. This newsletter focuses on these problems because school is an important part of children’s lives.

In this issue, we talk about ways you can help your child manage homework so that school is not as stressful.

back to top

2. Talk With Your Child's Teachers

Tell teachers about your child’s ADHD. If your child is involved in activities outside of school, tell the instructors or coaches. All of them can better work with your child when they know about the ADHD. Talk to them about:

• Medicines. Tell teachers about any medicine your child is taking. Explain the side effects of the medicine. It is important for your child to stay on the medicine and to see his or her doctor on a regular basis. Let the teachers know if the medicine changes.
• School activity and homework schedules. Learn what your child needs to do for school. Ask your child’s teachers for a list of activities and homework assignments each week. Find out what the teacher expects, how long the homework should take, and the due date. Meet with teachers regularly to learn how your child is doing. Discuss homework or behavior problems that happen at school. Let your child know what the teacher tells you.
• Working with others. Learn how your child acts with other children at school. Your child might have problems working or playing with other children. Talk with your child about these problems.

Starting Early

These tips will help your child learn good study habits. You can try some of these things even before he or she has homework:

• Read with your child.
• Tell your child stories.
• Encourage your child to look up homework related topics on the Internet.
• Talk about news stories with your child.
• Make trips to museums or the library.
• Limit watching television, playing video games, and using the phone (regular phone, cell phones, and texting).

back to top

3. Ways You Can Help With Homework

Find a good place for your child to work. Find a quiet and calm work place for your child. Some children with ADHD work best in a place where an adult watches them, like at the kitchen table. Other children work better in a place set aside just for them, like a bedroom. Some children need complete quiet to concentrate. Other children find that a radio playing in the background helps them concentrate.

Never allow televisions, telephones, cell phones, or video games in the homework spcae. They can change your child’s focus. Try different places and watch how your child works in each place. Notice how long it takes to finish homework and how well it’s done in different places. Decide where your child works best. Make this your child’s work place.

Organize your child’s workspace. Make sure your child has enough books and worksheets. Help your child organize a box or desktop with all the things he needs to do homework. This helps decrease distractions.

Label a different folder for each subject, and help your child make sure schoolwork goes in the right folder. Keep finished homework assignments in a separate folder. Help your child put this folder in his or her backpack every evening. This way, homework will not be forgotten at home.

Plan homework assignments with your child. Look at all of your child’s assignments before starting. Plan with your child what homework needs to be done that evening. At first, you should keep track of all the assignments that need to be done. After a while, have your child do this alone. Don’t forget tests or quizzes that your child needs to study for. Break down all big assignments into small parts. Divide them over the week.

Keep a weekly schedule and a daily schedule. Then you and your child can plan study time around other activities. Use a weekly schedule to plan for big assignments. Let your child decide the order for the evening’s assignments. Number the list with the order he or she chooses.

Start with an easy assignment but don’t keep the hardest assignments until the end. Hard assignments need the most focus. Your child may get restless or tired by the end. It’s best to put hard assignments in the middle of the working time.

Plan breaks. Estimate how much time it will take to finish homework. Plan breaks at specific times or when an assignment is done. Use a fun activity during a break as a reward. Be sure to plan enough time for your child to finish all homework.

Starting homework. Decide with your child what time homework should start. Give rewards for starting on time. Looking at past homework can help your child get started. Discuss the assignment and what is expected. This helps her to focus.

Sit with your child for the first few minutes. Once your child starts to work, you can leave the room. Keep checking to see how your child is doing. Refocus your child’s attention if he or she gets distracted or starts talking about other things. Stay until your child is busy again with the work. Remind your child of what needs to be finished. Be encouraging. Mention any reward that may be given when the homework is done.

If your child can’t focus, switch to a different homework assignment or take a short break. If he has too much energy, a physical activity or sport during the break is a good idea.

Teach your child to be responsible. Make your child responsible for small tasks. Have him or her write down homework assignments, bring home books, and start homework on time. Reward these behaviors. When your child is able to do these tasks, encourage him or her to do more. Bigger tasks include finishing homework without an adult watching, and completing well-done homework on time. When planning a schedule for homework, talk about rewards. Give larger rewards for larger assignments or for jobs that need special focus.

Supervising homework. Talk about assignments with your child. If your child is worried about the assignment, listen to his or her fears. Help your child to solve problems and plan assignments. Encourage and reward your child. At first, look over homework assignments to make sure they are complete. Later, encourage your child to look for mistakes. Look at homework together. If you see mistakes, don’t point them out right away. Wait for your child to find them. Try to have him or her fix mistakes. For example, have her look up a word in the dictionary instead of spelling it yourself. For older children, schedule time in their study plan to check and correct their own work.

Never do your child’s homework. This won’t help. Children need to learn the consequences of forgetting or not planning for their work.

back to top