One of a nanny's or au pair's most important role with school-aged children is being a homework helper. The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) studies show that families that hire great child care providers are in a stronger position to have children that are successful in school. Children of working parents that do not have the support of great homework helpers are less likely to achieve as well in school.
To develop good study habits nannies should make a Homework Contract that spells out what
is expected of the student.
First, make a checklist for each day of the week and every subject the student is studying at school. As they complete each assignment everyday the student should check the box when the work is completed. If no assignment is due in that subject fill in N/A for not applicable. Leave the subject blank if the student needs extra help when the mother or father arrives home after work. After explaining the checklist to the child, be sure to have the parents, nanny, and child sign the Homework Contract.
1. The homework area to study will be _____.
2. Assignment notebook will be checked by nanny and student before starting homework.
3. All homework and school materials are to be placed in backpack for the next day of school by
student.
4. No homework in front of TV, with music on, or talking on the phone.
5. If nanny and student cannot complete assignments tell the parents to ensure the parents can help the student complete their homework.
Click here for a great homework contract from familyeducation.com
It's important for parents to understand that ultimately it's up to their kids to do their homework. I can only do so much. I need the parents support.
ReplyDeleteA couple of things come to mind and it all depends on the learning style of the child.
ReplyDeleteI know some kids who can not sit down and do homework, so let them stand. They have even started to design school desks to reflect this.
The kids I care for love love love music, and I will look for songs that relate to something they are learning like school house rock last year for when one was learning multiplication.
I have seen other things where they suggest doing things require physical activity while learning something like jumping rope, or shooting hoops and they get an extra point if they score a quiz question right.
I used to have a charge quiz me on her spelling words and once in awhile I would deliberately spell something wrong to make sure she was following along. See she got to hear me say the letters when I got something right and then look at the letters too so she was studying that way.
This is a site I like for inspiration too.
http://www.4-adhd.com/article4.html
Lisa, my charge is a "haptic" learner. The educators recommend allowing him to use a stress ball while taking tests, but standing up is still hard to get the school to allow. MOST kids should NOT have music playing or tv on while doing homework. Only calm music in the background. The "school house rock" might work during fun times, not while doing homework.
ReplyDeleteI get that standing up in schools is hard, and trying to get schools to swap over to those. Here is a link I found that explains what they are http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVlS2TAb-js.
ReplyDeleteIn our case we have high tables so sometimes the 9 year old here will sit, and sometimes she will stand.
I should have clarified, it is often classical we will have on in the background if we have it on while they are actually studying. What I was thinking about above though is a section of homework time, is about finding a song they can sing related to what they are learning to help drill the lesson home.
Like, last year when 9 year old was learning the water cyle her teacher even found a song that covered it all. (we heard it over and over in our house)
And every once in awhile as she is walking around the house I will hear the school house rock songs in her head come out. When I was filling out math drill sheets when I was her age I was singing those songs. And when I was her age I actually had a teacher who used music all the time in the classroom to teach concepts.
Music is one of the Multiple Intelligences, it's the way so many of my charges and I have learned things.