Building Healthy Homework Habits
by 
Eva Patrikakou, Roger Weissberg, Mary Hancock, 
Michelle Rubenstein, and Jennifer Zeisz
Laboratory for Student Success 

One of the key goals of the Laboratory for Student Success (LSS) is to encourage school, family, and community partnerships to improve the academic performance and the socioemotional development of children and youth. Teachers face the challenge of educating an increasingly diverse student population which is growing up in varied home environments. Families and schools are both active participants in the education of children and youth. Parents/guardians and teachers need to collaborate to improve student achievement and school performance. Family members and educators each have a distinctive yet interrelated role to play, and each has an important voice to be heard. 

In order for students to succeed in the classroom, they must develop a structure of self-reliance and responsibility. Parents/guardians and teachers can collaborate in this process by enforcing good homework habits at home and at school. Involvement in homework can strengthen the connection between home and school and enhance child learning. When parents and teachers work together to achieve learning success, children can develop healthy homework habits that last a lifetime. 

Building Healthy Homework Habits

Getting Started Checklist

Assignment notebook	Check that homework is complete
Set daily hour for homework	Put assignment in bookbag
Have your child sit at a clean,  well-lit table	Praise your child for his/her effort
Supplies (e.g., pencils, paper, etc.)	Talk with teacher as needed
	Quiet! No television!

Can you help your child build healthy homework habits? Answer these questions to see if you are getting your child off to a good start! 

Homework can be done without a fuss. Have you:

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• Agreed with your child upon a set workspace for homework?  
• Provided all the necessary supplies to help your child work efficiently?
• Made sure the television is off and it is quiet in your child’s workspace?

To help your child get the most out of homework assignments, do you:


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• Check to make sure your child has finished all assignments? 
• Know how to help if your child is “stuck” or does not understand an assignment?
• Know where to draw the line between helping your child and doing the work for him/her?
• Talk to the teacher about problems your child has with homework?

To let your child know that homework is important, do you:


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• Ask to see homework and talk with your child about what he/she has learned each day?
• Talk to the teacher to find out about the class homework routine?
• Praise your child for effort?

If you have answered “YES” to these questions, keep up the good work! If not, you may want to talk to your child’s teacher or to other parents about successful ways to build healthy homework habits. Here are some helpful tips. 

More tips for building healthy homework habits:

Ask the teacher how much time your child should spend studying and reading each day. Ask how you can help. It is easier to keep track of homework when you know the routine. Keep in touch with your child’s teacher regularly.  

Have your child write down assignments in a special notebook. Have your child work at the same time and place every day. Your child may not rush through assignments if she knows a specific time has been allotted for homework. A clean table with a good light is a must! 

Look over your child’s homework and make suggestions for improvement in a positive way. Homework is practice and doesn’t have to be perfect. Check to see if it’s neat and complete. 

When your child is stuck, ask him to explain what he is doing. What questions would he ask the teacher? Ask your child what comes first, next, and so on. Review the directions and work together on the first problem. 

Contact the teacher as soon as you have a concern about homework. Work with the teacher to find a solution to the problem. 

Set a good example by doing your homework (paying bills, making a grocery list, reading) at the same time your child does her homework. 

Place finished work in the same place (e.g., a book bag) so it won’t get left behind.  

Show your child you are proud of his effort. A small treat or extra privilege can be given right after work is done. Hang up good papers for everyone to see. These things boost your child’s self-esteem. 

Partnerships is a publication of the Laboratory for Student Success (LSS), the mid-Atlantic Regional Educational Laboratory at the Temple University Center for Research in Human Development and Education. For more information about the LSS and other LSS publications, contact the Laboratory for Student Success, 1301 Cecil B. Moore Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19122-6091; Telephone: (215) 204-3000; E-mail: <lss@vm.temple.edu>. Also browse the LSS website at <http://www.temple.edu/LSS/>. Copyright (c) 1997 Temple University Center for Research in Human Development and Education.