good homework habits

Ages & Stages

Developing good homework habits.

Some children get right down to work without much encouragement. Others need help making the transition from playing to a homework frame of mind. Sometimes providing a ten-minute warning is all it takes to help a child get ready mentally as well as to move to the place she intends to work.

There is no universally right time to do homework. In some families, children do best if they tackle their homework shortly after returning home from school in the mid afternoon; other youngsters may do best if they devote the after-school hours to unwinding and playing, leaving their homework until the evening, when they may feel a renewed sense of vigor. Let your child have some say in the decision making. Homework can often become a source of conflict between parent and child—"Johnny, why can't you just do your homework with­out arguing about it?"—but if you agree on a regular time and place, you can eliminate two of the most frequent causes of homework-related dissension.

Some parents have found that their children respond poorly to a dictated study time (such as four o'clock every afternoon). Instead, youngsters are given guidelines ("No video games until your homework is done"). Find out what works best for both your child and the family as a whole. Once this is de­termined, stick with it.

Some youngsters prefer that a parent sit with them as they do their home­work. You may find this an acceptable request, particularly if you have your own reading or paperwork to complete. However, do not actually do the homework for your child. She may need some assistance getting focused and started and organizing her approach to the assignment. Occasionally, you may need to ex­plain a math problem; in those cases, let your child try a couple of problems first before offering to help. But if she routinely requires your active participation to get her everyday homework done, then talk to her teacher. Your child may need stronger direction in the classroom so that she is able to complete the assign­ments on her own or with less parental involvement. One area where children may need parental help is in organizing how much work will have to be done daily to finish a long assignment, such as a term paper or a science project.

If your child or her teacher asks you to review her homework, you may want to look it over before she takes it to school the next morning. Usually it is best if homework remains the exclusive domain of the child and the teacher. However, your input may vary depending on the teacher's philosophy and the purpose of homework. If the teacher is using homework to check your child's understand­ing of the material—thus giving the teacher an idea of what needs to be empha­sized in subsequent classroom teaching sessions—your suggestions for changes and improvements on your child's paper could prove misleading. On the other hand, if the teacher assigns homework to give your child practice in a particular subject area and to reinforce what has already been taught in class, then your participation can be valuable. Some teachers use homework to help children develop self-discipline and organizational and study skills. Be sure to praise your youngster for her efforts and success in doing her homework well.

In general, support your child in her homework, but do not act as a taskmas­ter. Provide her with a quiet place, supplies, encouragement, and occasional help—but it is her job to do the work. Homework is your youngster's respon­sibility, not yours.

As the weeks pass, keep in touch with your child's teacher regarding home­work assignments. If your youngster is having ongoing problems—difficulty understanding what the assignments are and how to complete them—or if she breezes through them as though they were no challenge at all, let the teacher know. The teacher may adjust the assignments so they are more in sync with your youngster's capabilities.

Whether or not your child has homework on a particular night, consider reading aloud with her after school or at night. This type of shared experience can help interest your child in reading, as well as give you some personal time with her. Also, on days when your child does not have any assigned home­work, this shared reading time will reinforce the habit of a work time each evening.

To further nurture your child's love of reading, set a good example by spend­ing time reading on your own, and by taking your youngster to the library and/or bookstore to select books she would like to read. Some families turn off the TV each night for at least thirty minutes, and everyone spends the time reading. As children get older, one to two hours may be a more desirable length of time each day to set aside for reading and other constructive activities.

As important as it is for your child to develop good study habits, play is also important for healthy social, emotional, and physical growth and develop­ment. While encouraging your child to complete her assignments or do some additional reading, keep in mind that she has already had a lengthy and per haps tiring day of learning at school and needs some free time. Help her find the play activities that best fit her temperament and personality—whether it is organized school sports or music lessons, free-play situations (riding her bike, playing with friends), or a combination of these.

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Everyone struggles with homework sometimes, but if getting your homework done has become a chronic issue for you, then you may need a little extra help. That’s why we’ve written this article all about how to do homework. Once you’re finished reading it, you’ll know how to do homework (and have tons of new ways to motivate yourself to do homework)!

We’ve broken this article down into a few major sections. You’ll find:

• A diagnostic test to help you figure out why you’re struggling with homework
• A discussion of the four major homework problems students face, along with expert tips for addressing them
• A bonus section with tips for how to do homework fast

By the end of this article, you’ll be prepared to tackle whatever homework assignments your teachers throw at you .

So let’s get started!

How to Do Homework: Figure Out Your Struggles 

Sometimes it feels like everything is standing between you and getting your homework done. But the truth is, most people only have one or two major roadblocks that are keeping them from getting their homework done well and on time. 

The best way to figure out how to get motivated to do homework starts with pinpointing the issues that are affecting your ability to get your assignments done. That’s why we’ve developed a short quiz to help you identify the areas where you’re struggling. 

Take the quiz below and record your answers on your phone or on a scrap piece of paper. Keep in mind there are no wrong answers! 

1. You’ve just been assigned an essay in your English class that’s due at the end of the week. What’s the first thing you do?

A. Keep it in mind, even though you won’t start it until the day before it’s due  B. Open up your planner. You’ve got to figure out when you’ll write your paper since you have band practice, a speech tournament, and your little sister’s dance recital this week, too.  C. Groan out loud. Another essay? You could barely get yourself to write the last one!  D. Start thinking about your essay topic, which makes you think about your art project that’s due the same day, which reminds you that your favorite artist might have just posted to Instagram...so you better check your feed right now. 

2. Your mom asked you to pick up your room before she gets home from work. You’ve just gotten home from school. You decide you’ll tackle your chores: 

A. Five minutes before your mom walks through the front door. As long as it gets done, who cares when you start?  B. As soon as you get home from your shift at the local grocery store.  C. After you give yourself a 15-minute pep talk about how you need to get to work.  D. You won’t get it done. Between texts from your friends, trying to watch your favorite Netflix show, and playing with your dog, you just lost track of time! 

3. You’ve signed up to wash dogs at the Humane Society to help earn money for your senior class trip. You: 

A. Show up ten minutes late. You put off leaving your house until the last minute, then got stuck in unexpected traffic on the way to the shelter.  B. Have to call and cancel at the last minute. You forgot you’d already agreed to babysit your cousin and bake cupcakes for tomorrow’s bake sale.  C. Actually arrive fifteen minutes early with extra brushes and bandanas you picked up at the store. You’re passionate about animals, so you’re excited to help out! D. Show up on time, but only get three dogs washed. You couldn’t help it: you just kept getting distracted by how cute they were!

4. You have an hour of downtime, so you decide you’re going to watch an episode of The Great British Baking Show. You: 

A. Scroll through your social media feeds for twenty minutes before hitting play, which means you’re not able to finish the whole episode. Ugh! You really wanted to see who was sent home!  B. Watch fifteen minutes until you remember you’re supposed to pick up your sister from band practice before heading to your part-time job. No GBBO for you!  C. You finish one episode, then decide to watch another even though you’ve got SAT studying to do. It’s just more fun to watch people make scones.  D. Start the episode, but only catch bits and pieces of it because you’re reading Twitter, cleaning out your backpack, and eating a snack at the same time.

5. Your teacher asks you to stay after class because you’ve missed turning in two homework assignments in a row. When she asks you what’s wrong, you say: 

A. You planned to do your assignments during lunch, but you ran out of time. You decided it would be better to turn in nothing at all than submit unfinished work.  B. You really wanted to get the assignments done, but between your extracurriculars, family commitments, and your part-time job, your homework fell through the cracks.  C. You have a hard time psyching yourself to tackle the assignments. You just can’t seem to find the motivation to work on them once you get home.  D. You tried to do them, but you had a hard time focusing. By the time you realized you hadn’t gotten anything done, it was already time to turn them in. 

Like we said earlier, there are no right or wrong answers to this quiz (though your results will be better if you answered as honestly as possible). Here’s how your answers break down: 

• If your answers were mostly As, then your biggest struggle with doing homework is procrastination. 
• If your answers were mostly Bs, then your biggest struggle with doing homework is time management. 
• If your answers were mostly Cs, then your biggest struggle with doing homework is motivation. 
• If your answers were mostly Ds, then your biggest struggle with doing homework is getting distracted. 

Now that you’ve identified why you’re having a hard time getting your homework done, we can help you figure out how to fix it! Scroll down to find your core problem area to learn more about how you can start to address it. 

And one more thing: you’re really struggling with homework, it’s a good idea to read through every section below. You may find some additional tips that will help make homework less intimidating. 

How to Do Homework When You’re a Procrastinator  

Merriam Webster defines “procrastinate” as “to put off intentionally and habitually.” In other words, procrastination is when you choose to do something at the last minute on a regular basis. If you’ve ever found yourself pulling an all-nighter, trying to finish an assignment between periods, or sprinting to turn in a paper minutes before a deadline, you’ve experienced the effects of procrastination. 

If you’re a chronic procrastinator, you’re in good company. In fact, one study found that 70% to 95% of undergraduate students procrastinate when it comes to doing their homework. Unfortunately, procrastination can negatively impact your grades. Researchers have found that procrastination can lower your grade on an assignment by as much as five points ...which might not sound serious until you realize that can mean the difference between a B- and a C+. 

Procrastination can also negatively affect your health by increasing your stress levels , which can lead to other health conditions like insomnia, a weakened immune system, and even heart conditions. Getting a handle on procrastination can not only improve your grades, it can make you feel better, too! 

The big thing to understand about procrastination is that it’s not the result of laziness. Laziness is defined as being “disinclined to activity or exertion.” In other words, being lazy is all about doing nothing. But a s this Psychology Today article explains , procrastinators don’t put things off because they don’t want to work. Instead, procrastinators tend to postpone tasks they don’t want to do in favor of tasks that they perceive as either more important or more fun. Put another way, procrastinators want to do things...as long as it’s not their homework! 

3 Tips f or Conquering Procrastination 

Because putting off doing homework is a common problem, there are lots of good tactics for addressing procrastination. Keep reading for our three expert tips that will get your homework habits back on track in no time. 

#1: Create a Reward System

Like we mentioned earlier, procrastination happens when you prioritize other activities over getting your homework done. Many times, this happens because homework...well, just isn’t enjoyable. But you can add some fun back into the process by rewarding yourself for getting your work done. 

Here’s what we mean: let’s say you decide that every time you get your homework done before the day it’s due, you’ll give yourself a point. For every five points you earn, you’ll treat yourself to your favorite dessert: a chocolate cupcake! Now you have an extra (delicious!) incentive to motivate you to leave procrastination in the dust. 

If you’re not into cupcakes, don’t worry. Your reward can be anything that motivates you . Maybe it’s hanging out with your best friend or an extra ten minutes of video game time. As long as you’re choosing something that makes homework worth doing, you’ll be successful. 

#2: Have a Homework Accountability Partner 

If you’re having trouble getting yourself to start your homework ahead of time, it may be a good idea to call in reinforcements . Find a friend or classmate you can trust and explain to them that you’re trying to change your homework habits. Ask them if they’d be willing to text you to make sure you’re doing your homework and check in with you once a week to see if you’re meeting your anti-procrastination goals. 

Sharing your goals can make them feel more real, and an accountability partner can help hold you responsible for your decisions. For example, let’s say you’re tempted to put off your science lab write-up until the morning before it’s due. But you know that your accountability partner is going to text you about it tomorrow...and you don’t want to fess up that you haven’t started your assignment. A homework accountability partner can give you the extra support and incentive you need to keep your homework habits on track. 

#3: Create Your Own Due Dates 

If you’re a life-long procrastinator, you might find that changing the habit is harder than you expected. In that case, you might try using procrastination to your advantage! If you just can’t seem to stop doing your work at the last minute, try setting your own due dates for assignments that range from a day to a week before the assignment is actually due. 

Here’s what we mean. Let’s say you have a math worksheet that’s been assigned on Tuesday and is due on Friday. In your planner, you can write down the due date as Thursday instead. You may still put off your homework assignment until the last minute...but in this case, the “last minute” is a day before the assignment’s real due date . This little hack can trick your procrastination-addicted brain into planning ahead! 

If you feel like Kevin Hart in this meme, then our tips for doing homework when you're busy are for you. 

How to Do Homework When You’re too Busy

If you’re aiming to go to a top-tier college , you’re going to have a full plate. Because college admissions is getting more competitive, it’s important that you’re maintaining your grades , studying hard for your standardized tests , and participating in extracurriculars so your application stands out. A packed schedule can get even more hectic once you add family obligations or a part-time job to the mix. 

If you feel like you’re being pulled in a million directions at once, you’re not alone. Recent research has found that stress—and more severe stress-related conditions like anxiety and depression— are a major problem for high school students . In fact, one study from the American Psychological Association found that during the school year, students’ stress levels are higher than those of the adults around them. 

For students, homework is a major contributor to their overall stress levels . Many high schoolers have multiple hours of homework every night , and figuring out how to fit it into an already-packed schedule can seem impossible. 

3 Tips for Fitting Homework Into Your Busy Schedule

While it might feel like you have literally no time left in your schedule, there are still ways to make sure you’re able to get your homework done and meet your other commitments. Here are our expert homework tips for even the busiest of students. 

#1: Make a Prioritized To-Do List 

You probably already have a to-do list to keep yourself on track. The next step is to prioritize the items on your to-do list so you can see what items need your attention right away. 

Here’s how it works: at the beginning of each day, sit down and make a list of all the items you need to get done before you go to bed. This includes your homework, but it should also take into account any practices, chores, events, or job shifts you may have. Once you get everything listed out, it’s time to prioritize them using the labels A, B, and C. Here’s what those labels mean:

• A Tasks : tasks that have to get done—like showing up at work or turning in an assignment—get an A. 
• B Tasks : these are tasks that you would like to get done by the end of the day but aren’t as time sensitive. For example, studying for a test you have next week could be a B-level task. It’s still important, but it doesn’t have to be done right away.
• C Tasks: these are tasks that aren’t very important and/or have no real consequences if you don’t get them done immediately. For instance, if you’re hoping to clean out your closet but it’s not an assigned chore from your parents, you could label that to-do item with a C.

Prioritizing your to-do list helps you visualize which items need your immediate attention, and which items you can leave for later. A prioritized to-do list ensures that you’re spending your time efficiently and effectively, which helps you make room in your schedule for homework. So even though you might really want to start making decorations for Homecoming (a B task), you’ll know that finishing your reading log (an A task) is more important. 

#2: Use a Planner With Time Labels

Your planner is probably packed with notes, events, and assignments already. (And if you’re not using a planner, it’s time to start!) But planners can do more for you than just remind you when an assignment is due. If you’re using a planner with time labels, it can help you visualize how you need to spend your day.

A planner with time labels breaks your day down into chunks, and you assign tasks to each chunk of time. For example, you can make a note of your class schedule with assignments, block out time to study, and make sure you know when you need to be at practice. Once you know which tasks take priority, you can add them to any empty spaces in your day. 

Planning out how you spend your time not only helps you use it wisely, it can help you feel less overwhelmed, too . We’re big fans of planners that include a task list ( like this one ) or have room for notes ( like this one ). 

#3: Set Reminders on Your Phone 

If you need a little extra nudge to make sure you’re getting your homework done on time, it’s a good idea to set some reminders on your phone. You don’t need a fancy app, either. You can use your alarm app to have it go off at specific times throughout the day to remind you to do your homework. This works especially well if you have a set homework time scheduled. So if you’ve decided you’re doing homework at 6:00 pm, you can set an alarm to remind you to bust out your books and get to work. 

If you use your phone as your planner, you may have the option to add alerts, emails, or notifications to scheduled events . Many calendar apps, including the one that comes with your phone, have built-in reminders that you can customize to meet your needs. So if you block off time to do your homework from 4:30 to 6:00 pm, you can set a reminder that will pop up on your phone when it’s time to get started. 

This dog isn't judging your lack of motivation...but your teacher might. Keep reading for tips to help you motivate yourself to do your homework.

How to Do Homework When You’re Unmotivated 

At first glance, it may seem like procrastination and being unmotivated are the same thing. After all, both of these issues usually result in you putting off your homework until the very last minute. 

But there’s one key difference: many procrastinators are working, they’re just prioritizing work differently. They know they’re going to start their homework...they’re just going to do it later. 

Conversely, people who are unmotivated to do homework just can’t find the willpower to tackle their assignments. Procrastinators know they’ll at least attempt the homework at the last minute, whereas people who are unmotivated struggle with convincing themselves to do it at a ll. For procrastinators, the stress comes from the inevitable time crunch. For unmotivated people, the stress comes from trying to convince themselves to do something they don’t want to do in the first place. 

Here are some common reasons students are unmotivated in doing homework : 

• Assignments are too easy, too hard, or seemingly pointless 
• Students aren’t interested in (or passionate about) the subject matter
• Students are intimidated by the work and/or feels like they don’t understand the assignment 
• Homework isn’t fun, and students would rather spend their time on things that they enjoy 

To sum it up: people who lack motivation to do their homework are more likely to not do it at all, or to spend more time worrying about doing their homework than...well, actually doing it.

3 Tips for How to Get Motivated to Do Homework

The key to getting homework done when you’re unmotivated is to figure out what does motivate you, then apply those things to homework. It sounds tricky...but it’s pretty simple once you get the hang of it! Here are our three expert tips for motivating yourself to do your homework. 

#1: Use Incremental Incentives

When you’re not motivated, it’s important to give yourself small rewards to stay focused on finishing the task at hand. The trick is to keep the incentives small and to reward yourself often. For example, maybe you’re reading a good book in your free time. For every ten minutes you spend on your homework, you get to read five pages of your book. Like we mentioned earlier, make sure you’re choosing a reward that works for you! 

So why does this technique work? Using small rewards more often allows you to experience small wins for getting your work done. Every time you make it to one of your tiny reward points, you get to celebrate your success, which gives your brain a boost of dopamine . Dopamine helps you stay motivated and also creates a feeling of satisfaction when you complete your homework !  

#2: Form a Homework Group 

If you’re having trouble motivating yourself, it’s okay to turn to others for support. Creating a homework group can help with this. Bring together a group of your friends or classmates, and pick one time a week where you meet and work on homework together. You don’t have to be in the same class, or even taking the same subjects— the goal is to encourage one another to start (and finish!) your assignments. 

Another added benefit of a homework group is that you can help one another if you’re struggling to understand the material covered in your classes. This is especially helpful if your lack of motivation comes from being intimidated by your assignments. Asking your friends for help may feel less scary than talking to your teacher...and once you get a handle on the material, your homework may become less frightening, too. 

#3: Change Up Your Environment 

If you find that you’re totally unmotivated, it may help if you find a new place to do your homework. For example, if you’ve been struggling to get your homework done at home, try spending an extra hour in the library after school instead. The change of scenery can limit your distractions and give you the energy you need to get your work done. 

If you’re stuck doing homework at home, you can still use this tip. For instance, maybe you’ve always done your homework sitting on your bed. Try relocating somewhere else, like your kitchen table, for a few weeks. You may find that setting up a new “homework spot” in your house gives you a motivational lift and helps you get your work done. 

Social media can be a huge problem when it comes to doing homework. We have advice for helping you unplug and regain focus.

How to Do Homework When You’re Easily Distracted

We live in an always-on world, and there are tons of things clamoring for our attention. From friends and family to pop culture and social media, it seems like there’s always something (or someone!) distracting us from the things we need to do.

The 24/7 world we live in has affected our ability to focus on tasks for prolonged periods of time. Research has shown that over the past decade, an average person’s attention span has gone from 12 seconds to eight seconds . And when we do lose focus, i t takes people a long time to get back on task . One study found that it can take as long as 23 minutes to get back to work once we’ve been distracte d. No wonder it can take hours to get your homework done! 

3 Tips to Improve Your Focus

If you have a hard time focusing when you’re doing your homework, it’s a good idea to try and eliminate as many distractions as possible. Here are three expert tips for blocking out the noise so you can focus on getting your homework done. 

#1: Create a Distraction-Free Environment

Pick a place where you’ll do your homework every day, and make it as distraction-free as possible. Try to find a location where there won’t be tons of noise, and limit your access to screens while you’re doing your homework. Put together a focus-oriented playlist (or choose one on your favorite streaming service), and put your headphones on while you work. 

You may find that other people, like your friends and family, are your biggest distraction. If that’s the case, try setting up some homework boundaries. Let them know when you’ll be working on homework every day, and ask them if they’ll help you keep a quiet environment. They’ll be happy to lend a hand! 

#2: Limit Your Access to Technology 

We know, we know...this tip isn’t fun, but it does work. For homework that doesn’t require a computer, like handouts or worksheets, it’s best to put all your technology away . Turn off your television, put your phone and laptop in your backpack, and silence notifications on any wearable tech you may be sporting. If you listen to music while you work, that’s fine...but make sure you have a playlist set up so you’re not shuffling through songs once you get started on your homework. 

If your homework requires your laptop or tablet, it can be harder to limit your access to distractions. But it’s not impossible! T here are apps you can download that will block certain websites while you’re working so that you’re not tempted to scroll through Twitter or check your Facebook feed. Silence notifications and text messages on your computer, and don’t open your email account unless you absolutely have to. And if you don’t need access to the internet to complete your assignments, turn off your WiFi. Cutting out the online chatter is a great way to make sure you’re getting your homework done. 

#3: Set a Timer (the Pomodoro Technique)

Have you ever heard of the Pomodoro technique ? It’s a productivity hack that uses a timer to help you focus!

Here’s how it works: first, set a timer for 25 minutes. This is going to be your work time. During this 25 minutes, all you can do is work on whatever homework assignment you have in front of you. No email, no text messaging, no phone calls—just homework. When that timer goes off, you get to take a 5 minute break. Every time you go through one of these cycles, it’s called a “pomodoro.” For every four pomodoros you complete, you can take a longer break of 15 to 30 minutes.

The pomodoro technique works through a combination of boundary setting and rewards. First, it gives you a finite amount of time to focus, so you know that you only have to work really hard for 25 minutes. Once you’ve done that, you’re rewarded with a short break where you can do whatever you want. Additionally, tracking how many pomodoros you complete can help you see how long you’re really working on your homework. (Once you start using our focus tips, you may find it doesn’t take as long as you thought!)

Two Bonus Tips for How to Do Homework Fast

Even if you’re doing everything right, there will be times when you just need to get your homework done as fast as possible. (Why do teachers always have projects due in the same week? The world may never know.)

The problem with speeding through homework is that it’s easy to make mistakes. While turning in an assignment is always better than not submitting anything at all, you want to make sure that you’re not compromising quality for speed. Simply put, the goal is to get your homework done quickly and still make a good grade on the assignment! 

Here are our two bonus tips for getting a decent grade on your homework assignments , even when you’re in a time crunch. 

#1: Do the Easy Parts First 

This is especially true if you’re working on a handout with multiple questions. Before you start working on the assignment, read through all the questions and problems. As you do, make a mark beside the questions you think are “easy” to answer . 

Once you’ve finished going through the whole assignment, you can answer these questions first. Getting the easy questions out of the way as quickly as possible lets you spend more time on the trickier portions of your homework, which will maximize your assignment grade. 

(Quick note: this is also a good strategy to use on timed assignments and tests, like the SAT and the ACT !) 

#2: Pay Attention in Class 

Homework gets a lot easier when you’re actively learning the material. Teachers aren’t giving you homework because they’re mean or trying to ruin your weekend... it’s because they want you to really understand the course material. Homework is designed to reinforce what you’re already learning in class so you’ll be ready to tackle harder concepts later.

When you pay attention in class, ask questions, and take good notes, you’re absorbing the information you’ll need to succeed on your homework assignments. (You’re stuck in class anyway, so you might as well make the most of it!) Not only will paying attention in class make your homework less confusing, it will also help it go much faster, too.

What’s Next?

If you’re looking to improve your productivity beyond homework, a good place to begin is with time management. After all, we only have so much time in a day...so it’s important to get the most out of it! To get you started, check out this list of the 12 best time management techniques that you can start using today.

You may have read this article because homework struggles have been affecting your GPA. Now that you’re on the path to homework success, it’s time to start being proactive about raising your grades. This article teaches you everything you need to know about raising your GPA so you can

Now you know how to get motivated to do homework...but what about your study habits? Studying is just as critical to getting good grades, and ultimately getting into a good college . We can teach you how to study bette r in high school. (We’ve also got tons of resources to help you study for your ACT and SAT exams , too!)

These recommendations are based solely on our knowledge and experience. If you purchase an item through one of our links, PrepScholar may receive a commission.

Ashley Sufflé Robinson has a Ph.D. in 19th Century English Literature. As a content writer for PrepScholar, Ashley is passionate about giving college-bound students the in-depth information they need to get into the school of their dreams.

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Top 10 Healthy Homework Habits

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Your homework habits might be affecting your grades. Are you staying on track with your assignments? Feeling tired, achy, or bored when it comes to homework time? Are you arguing with parents about your grades? You can change the way you feel by taking better care of your mind and your body.

Use a Planner

Did you know that poor organization skills can reduce your final scores by a whole letter grade? That's why you should learn to use a day planner the right way. Who can afford to score a big fat "0" on a paper, just because we got lazy and didn't pay attention to the due date? Nobody wants to get an "F" because of forgetfulness.

Use Practice Exams

Studies show that the best way to prepare for a test is to use a practice exam. If you really want to ace the next exam, get together with a study partner and create practice tests. Then switch exams and test one another. This is a great way to improve test scores! 

Find a Study Partner

 Practice exams are the best way to prepare for a test, but the strategy is most effective when a study partner creates the practice exam. A study partner can help you in so many ways!

Improve Reading Skills

Critical reading is "thinking between the lines." It means reading your assignments with the goal of finding deep understanding of a material, whether it is fiction or nonfiction. It is the act of analyzing and evaluating what you are reading as you progress, or as you reflect back.

Communicate With Parents

Parents are concerned about your success. It sounds simple enough, but students don't always realize how much parents can stress out about this. Whenever parents see a small sign of potential failure (like missing a homework assignment), they start fretting, unconsciously or consciously, about its potential to become a big failure.

Get the Sleep You Need

Studies show that teens' natural sleep patterns are different from those of adults. This often causes sleep deprivation among teens, since they tend to have trouble going to sleep at night, and have trouble waking in the mornings. You can avoid some of the problems that come with sleep deprivation by changing some of your nighttime habits.

Improve Your Eating Habits

Do you feel tired or dizzy a lot of the time? If you sometimes avoid working on a project because you just don't have the energy, you can increase your energy level by changing your diet. One banana in the morning might increase your performance at school!

Improve Your Memory

A great way to improve your homework habits is to improve your memory with brain exercise. There are many theories and ideas about improving memory, but there is one mnemonic method that has been around since ancient times. Ancient accounts show that early Greek and Roman orators used the "loci" method of remembering long speeches and lists. You may be able to use this method to enhance your memory at test time.

Fight the Urge to Procrastinate

Do you get the sudden urge to feed the dog at homework time? Don't fall for it! Procrastination is like a little white lie we tell ourselves. We often think we’ll feel better about studying later if we do something fun now, like playing with a pet, watching a TV show, or even cleaning our room. It's not true.

Avoid Repetitive Stress

Between text messaging, Sony PlayStations, Xbox, Internet surfing, and computer writing, students are using their hand muscles in all new ways, and they're growing increasingly susceptible to the hazards of repetitive stress injury. Find out how to avoid pain in your hands and neck by changing the way you sit at your computer.

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11 Ways to Deal With Homework Overload

Last Updated: March 2, 2024 Fact Checked

Making a Plan

Staying motivated, starting good homework habits, expert q&a.

This article was co-authored by Jennifer Kaifesh . Jennifer Kaifesh is the Founder of Great Expectations College Prep, a tutoring and counseling service based in Southern California. Jennifer has over 15 years of experience managing and facilitating academic tutoring and standardized test prep as it relates to the college application process. She takes a personal approach to her tutoring, and focuses on working with students to find their specific mix of pursuits that they both enjoy and excel at. She is a graduate of Northwestern University. There are 7 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 253,187 times.

A pile of homework can seem daunting, but it’s doable if you make a plan. Make a list of everything you need to do, and work your way through, starting with the most difficult assignments. Focus on your homework and tune out distractions, and you’ll get through things more efficiently. Giving yourself breaks and other rewards will help you stay motivated along the way. Don’t be afraid to ask for help if you get stuck! Hang in there, and you’ll knock the homework out before you know it.

Things You Should Know

• Create a checklist of everything you have to do, making sure to include deadlines and which assignments are a top priority.
• Take a 15-minute break for every 2 hours of studying. This can give your mind a break and help you feel more focused.
• Make a schedule of when you plan on doing your homework and try to stick to it. This way, you won’t feel too overwhelmed as the assignments roll in.

• Make a plan to go through your work bit by bit, saving the easiest tasks for last.

• Put phones and any other distractions away. If you have to do your homework on a computer, avoid checking your email or social media while you are trying to work.
• Consider letting your family (or at least your parents) know where and when you plan to do homework, so they'll know to be considerate and only interrupt if necessary.

• If you have the option to do your homework in a study hall, library, or other place where there might be tutors, go for it. That way, there will be help around if you need it. You'll also likely wind up with more free time if you can get work done in school.

• To take a break, get up and move away from your workspace. Walk around a bit, and get a drink or snack.
• Moving around will recharge you mentally, physically, and spiritually, so you’re ready to tackle the next part of your homework.

• For instance, you might write “I need to do this chemistry homework because I want a good average in the class. That will raise my GPA and help me stay eligible for the basketball team and get my diploma.”
• Your goals might also look something like “I’m going to write this history paper because I want to get better as a writer. Knowing how to write well and make a good argument will help me when I’m trying to enter law school, and then down the road when I hope to become a successful attorney.”

• Try doing your homework as soon as possible after it is assigned. Say you have one set of classes on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and another on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Do the Monday homework on Monday, instead of putting it off until Tuesday.
• That way, the class will still be fresh in your mind, making the homework easier.
• This also gives you time to ask for help if there’s something you don’t understand.

• If you want to keep everyone accountable, write a pact for everyone in your study group to sign, like “I agree to spend 2 hours on Monday and Wednesday afternoons with my study group. I will use that time just for working, and won’t give in to distractions or playing around.”
• Once everyone’s gotten through the homework, there’s no problem with hanging out.

• Most teachers are willing to listen if you’re trying and legitimately have trouble keeping up. They might even adjust the homework assignments to make them more manageable.

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• ↑ https://www.understood.org/en/articles/homework-strategies
• ↑ https://kidshealth.org/en/teens/homework.html
• ↑ https://kidshelpline.com.au/kids/tips/dealing-with-homework
• ↑ https://kidshealth.org/en/teens/focused.html
• ↑ http://www.aiuniv.edu/blog/august-2014/tips-for-fighting-homework-fatigue
• ↑ http://kidshealth.org/en/parents/homework.html
• ↑ https://learningcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/study-partners/

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10 Tips for Creating Good Homework Habits to Save Your Sanity

It happens to all of us at some point: screaming matches between parent and child over homework habits.

Just saying the word homework can suck the air right out of the room and throw everyone into high-stress mode. I love vacations because they offer a break from my kids groaning and me having to nag. But once they’re back at school the homework issues and frustration come roaring back.

I have often struggled over whether I have helped too much, nagged too much or was being naïve in believing them when they said they didn’t have homework . I didn’t want to be that parent who constantly emailed and called the teacher. There’s a fine line between being a strong advocate for my children and knowing when they need to take that role over themselves.

Unfortunately, homework is a fact of life—but the parent/child struggle doesn’t have to be. Finding a way to reduce the stress can improve not only the family dynamics, but also your child’s ability to focus and retain information, which can help build self-esteem.

So take a look at your child’s homework routine. And if there isn’t a routine, now is a good time to begin:

How to Start Good Homework Habits

1. it’s not too late.

Don’t worry if you haven’t already established good habits. Do it today. Set a routine now because the amount and difficulty of homework continues to grow.

2. Find the right time

After experimenting a bit, I found that our kids did best when they had a schedule. They came home from school, had a snack, and then would dive into the homework. Even when they had friends over, we stuck with the schedule and they all settled into it together. It takes the pressure off because they know they get to hang later.

3. Designate a space

Help your child set up an area dedicated to homework . Ours was our kitchen table because when my kids were young, they liked having me sit with them. My daughter continued that practice until senior year and I think it helped her stay focused. My son eventually moved his spot to another room. Wherever they do their homework, try to keep it a clean space. Messy areas can feel chaotic and be distracting.

4. Break work into bite-size pieces

Sometimes all of the homework is just too overwhelming. That’s especially true if you have a child with ADHD or learning differentials. Work with them to break down the steps they need to take to get the homework done. Setting smaller, manageable goals will make them feel they’ve accomplished something.

5. Give them breaks

Kids can’t just sit still for long periods of time. My daughter, who has ADHD, likes playing music or moving onto the deck when she needs a break. Letting them take a break, and encouraging them to decide when to get back to the homework, takes away the power struggle.

6. A tip for textbooks

Our schools have enough textbooks for the kids to use one in the classroom and leave a second copy at home. This means fewer books are lost and the kids stay better organized, not to mention the ability to actually carry their backpacks! If your school doesn’t have the resources for this, you may be able to access textbooks online or rent them from Amazon.

7. Offer suggestions for coping

Teach stressed-out kids a few mindfulness techniques. Slow, deep breathing, playing white noise, or using an app like Calm can all be helpful for managing homework stress, as well as helping them in other areas of their lives.

8. Feed the beast

No matter how old you are, it’s really hard to concentrate when you’re hungry. Hunger can also make kids cranky without them knowing why. So definitely offer them a snack before or during homework sessions.

9. Encouragement goes a long way

If you believe they can do it, they will too. School can be stressful. When they’re frustrated or say they can’t do it, add this word: yet . As in, “You can’t do it yet .”  Yet is the best little word for offering gentle encouragement .

10. Just relax

Sometimes you need to take a step back. You can give your kids the best environment for doing their homework, but you can’t do it for them. Yes, it’s hard when it feels like grades count so much, but once you’ve prepared them and given them all of the tools to succeed, you need to let go and trust they’ll figure it out.

Dana Baker-Williams is a writer, not-so-perfect mom of two, and a parent coach and teen/child mentor. She offers advice from the trenches, sharing the good, the bad and the anxious—and always the heart and humor.

How to Use Homework to Support Student Success

Covid has brought many changes in education. what does it mean for homework.

Posted January 12, 2022 | Reviewed by Ekua Hagan

• Generally, homework should include about 10 minutes per night per grade level.
• The value of homework is debated, with questions about the right amount and potential for inequity.
• Families should view homework as a communication tool, strive to be good helpers, and monitor balance.

School assignments that a student is expected to do outside of the regular school day—that’s homework. The general guideline is 10 minutes of nightly homework per grade level beginning after kindergarten. This amounts to just a few minutes for younger elementary students to up to 2 hours for high school students.

The guidance seems straightforward enough, so why is homework such a controversial topic? School disruptions, including extended periods of remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, have magnified the controversies yet also have provided an opportunity to rethink the purpose and value of homework.

Debates about the value of homework center around two primary issues: amount and inequity.

First, the amount of assigned homework may be much more than the recommended guidelines. Families report their children are stressed out over the time spent doing homework. Too much homework can challenge well-being given the restricted time available for sleep, exercise, and social connection. In a 2015 study , for example, parents reported their early elementary children received almost three times the recommended guidelines. In high school, researchers found an average of three hours of homework per night for students living in economically privileged communities.

Second, homework can perpetuate inequities. Students attending school in less economically privileged communities may receive little to no homework, or have difficulty completing it due to limited access to needed technology. This can translate into fewer opportunities to learn and may contribute to gaps in achievement.

There isn’t a ton of research on the effects of homework, and available studies certainly do not provide a simple answer. For example, a 2006 synthesis of studies suggested a positive influence between homework completion and academic achievement for middle and high school students. Supporters also point out that homework offers additional opportunities to engage in learning and that it can foster independent learning habits such as planning and a sense of responsibility. A more recent study involving 13-year-old students in Spain found higher test scores for those who were regularly assigned homework in math and science, with an optimal time around one hour—which is roughly aligned with recommendations. However, the researchers noted that ability to independently do the work, student effort, and prior achievement were more important contributors than time spent.

Opponents of homework maintain that the academic benefit does not outweigh the toll on well-being. Researchers have observed student stress, physical health problems, and lack of life balance, especially when the time spent goes over the recommended guidelines. In a survey of adolescents , over half reported the amount and type of homework they received to be a primary source of stress in their lives. In addition, vast differences exist in access and availability of supports, such as internet connection, adult assistance, or even a place to call home, as 1.5 million children experience homelessness in the United States.

The COVID-19 pandemic has re-energized discussion about homework practices, with the goal to advance recommendations about how, when, and with whom it can be best used. Here’s a summary of key strategies:

Strategies for Educators

Make sure the tasks are meaningful and matched. First, the motto “ quality over quantity ” can guide decisions about homework. Homework is not busy-work, and instead should get students excited about learning. Emphasize activities that facilitate choice and interest to extend learning, like choose your own reading adventure or math games. Second, each student should be able to complete homework independently with success. Think about Goldilocks: To be effective, assignments should be just right for each learner. One example of how do this efficiently is through online learning platforms that can efficiently adjust to skill level and can be completed in a reasonable amount of time.

Ensure access to resources for task completion. One step toward equity is to ensure access to necessary resources such as time, space, and materials. Teach students about preparing for homework success, allocating classroom time to model and practice good study habits such as setting up their physical environment, time management , and chunking tasks. Engage in conversations with students and families to problem-solve challenges When needed, connect students with homework supports available through after-school clubs, other community supports, or even within a dedicated block during the school day.

Be open to revisiting homework policies and practices. The days of penalizing students for not completing homework should be long gone. Homework is a tool for practicing content and learning self- management . With that in mind, provide opportunities for students to communicate needs, and respond by revising assignments or allowing them to turn in on alternative dates. Engage in adult professional learning about high-quality homework , from value (Should I assign this task?) to evaluation (How should this be graded? Did that homework assignment result in expected outcomes?). Monitor how things are going by looking at completion rates and by asking students for their feedback. Be willing to adapt the homework schedule or expectations based on what is learned.

Strategies for Families

Understand how to be a good helper. When designed appropriately, students should be able to complete homework with independence. Limit homework wars by working to be a good helper. Hovering, micromanaging, or doing homework for them may be easiest in the moment but does not help build their independence. Be a good helper by asking guiding questions, providing hints, or checking for understanding. Focus your assistance on setting up structures for homework success, like space and time.

Use homework as a tool for communication. Use homework as a vehicle to foster family-school communication. Families can use homework as an opportunity to open conversations about specific assignments or classes, peer relationships, or even sleep quality that may be impacting student success. For younger students, using a daily or weekly home-school notebook or planner can be one way to share information. For older students, help them practice communicating their needs and provide support as needed.

Make sure to balance wellness. Like adults, children need a healthy work-life balance. Positive social connection and engagement in pleasurable activities are important core principles to foster well-being . Monitor the load of homework and other structured activities to make sure there is time in the daily routine for play. Play can mean different things to different children: getting outside, reading for pleasure, and yes, even gaming. Just try to ensure that activities include a mix of health-focused activities such as physical movement or mindfulness downtime.

Sandra M. Chafouleas, Ph.D., is a Distinguished Professor in the Neag School of Education at the University of Connecticut.

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When returning to school after summer break, many students are excited to see their friends and return to the routine of school. Although, many students and parents alike dread the idea of homework again. The topic can haunt parents as the stacks of flashcards and worksheets start to come out of backpacks. Many families deal with frustrations and tears from homework time, and the jury is still out on whether or not homework has a positive or negative effect on students. Many families have arguments about homework, and some students struggle tremendously to complete their homework. It can be a constant battle of wills with the child on one side and the parent on the other.

These frustrations and arguments that arise from homework are sometimes the results of poor preparation. Adjusting to homework time can be difficult for many students as they are already mentally spent from working all day in school. Homework, however, is a fact of life for most students, so it is important to establish good homework habits as soon as possible. Establishing good homework habits can make the routine smoother, studying more successful and it can also make everyone more relaxed and happier. Teaching good homework habits at a young age teaches the child self-discipline and good work habits. Having good homework habits can make the student more successful in school which leads to a more successful life. To establish good homework habits, try some of these tips:

• Create a routine

Whether you child begins homework as soon as they get home or they start working on it after dinner, creating a consistent routine tells the child what to expect. Knowing what to expect will prevent arguments and frustration from the child. Some students need time to recuperate after school ends while others do their best work while the information is still fresh in their mind. Experiment with different routines and see what works best. A child that struggles in school may benefit from taking a break from studies and instead play a video game which allows them to win and be a hero. Once their self-confidence and self-esteem are higher, working on homework may be more successful as they feel less defeated. Allow your child to have some input on what time of day they would like to complete their homework.

• Designate a place for homework

Some students work well in their bedrooms while others are successful at the kitchen table. No matter where it is at, designate a place for homework to be done. This place should be well lit and free from distractions such as television or younger siblings that may interfere. If you find your child fidgeting or distracted in an area, try out a new area to see if their concentration improves.

• Provide materials

Get a tub or designate a drawer to homework materials. Having a functioning pencil sharpener, markers, a ruler and other supplies will ensure that they will have the supplies they need to complete the homework. Sharpen several pencils, so they are ready to go should a pencil break and also provide a basic calculator for the student to check their answers. Having the materials already provided will prevent wasted time spent on searching for or preparing materials.

• Observe your child doing homework

Keep track of what your child is doing. Review their homework before they start. Did they learn about this in class today or is it new information? Note any distractions that occur and try to prevent them in the future. Is your child fidgeting or unable to focus? Rearranging the routine to allow for some downtime in between school and homework may help a child focus. Is your child struggling with a subject? Check their answers periodically to be sure they understand what is expected of them.

• Do not do their homework for them

Sometimes it can take serious self-control to not take the paper from them and write in the correct answer. While homework can be frustrating, it is often a necessary evil and is only productive when the child does it. If the parent helps too much or does the homework for them, the student does not learn anything and will likely struggle as a result. Help the student should a problem arise, walk them through math problems and give them hints on answers. However, should your child struggle on each question of a subject on a consistent basis, it may be time to contact the teacher with concerns.

• Stay in contact with the teacher

Usually, your child’s teacher will inform you of the expectations for homework whether it is through a presentation or a flyer sent home. Learn the expectations and ask the teacher any questions you may have. Ask if the homework is supposed to reinforce what is taught at school or prepare the student for what’s coming up next. Does the teacher expect all the answers to be correct or does she want the child to get incorrect answers so she can address the missed problems if there are any? If your child is ill for longer than a day, contact the teacher right away to get a homework packet, so your child doesn’t fall behind.

Establishing a routine, making expectations clear, providing materials, preventing distractions and helping your child through problems are all ways to improve their success in homework. Regardless of your opinion on homework, it is often part of the classroom, and the students must complete it to get a passing grade. Creating a distraction free environment will prevent mistakes and confusion as well as speed up the process. Your child’s success in school largely depends on their ability to complete homework, and the good homework habits begin with you. Show your child how to establish routines, work efficiently and meet expectations with homework as you will not only help them get better grades in school, but you will also teach them self-discipline which will go a long way.

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How to Build Good Study Habits: 5 Areas to Focus On

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Growing up, I learned the importance of good study habits early.

I was responsible for writing down my homework assignments each day, checking I had all the right books the night before school, and making flashcards to study spelling or vocab words. If I didn’t stay diligent in these study habits, then I was bound to hear about it from my mom.

Establishing good study habits at an early age paid off. In high school and college, I was able to focus on learning the material instead of learning how to study. I never got bad grades because I forgot to turn in homework, and if I ever did poorly on a test I had no one to blame but myself.

However, I recognize that not everyone has the benefit of learning good study habits early in life. For many people, college is the first time you even have to think about how to study and manage a schedule all on your own.

To bridge the gap, I’ve put together the following guide to good study habits. First, we’ll look at what good study habits are and why they matter. Then, we’ll give some practical examples of good study habits in action (and how they can solve some common academic issues).

What Is a Good Study Habit?

Before we go any further, we need to define what a good study habit is. To start, we should define “habit”.

A habit is an action (or series of actions) that you perform automatically in response to a particular cue. For instance, the sound of your alarm going off might cue the habit of getting out of bed and walking into the kitchen to make coffee (or, for some of us, hitting the snooze button).

But what makes a habit “good”? Generally, we define a good habit as one that helps you achieve your goals and live in line with your values . A bad habit, meanwhile, is detrimental to your goals and values in the long-term (even if it relieves pain or provides pleasure in the short-term).

A good study habit, then, is a habit that helps you achieve your academic objectives while still supporting your broader goals and values.

3 Reasons Good Study Habits Matter

Good study habits matter for three main reasons: focus, grades, and mental health.

Starting with focus, having the right study habits in place frees up your mind to concentrate on the material you’re learning.

Instead of having to think about how to create flashcards, for example, you can focus on using flashcards to learn a new language .

If your study techniques aren’t automatic, meanwhile, they can distract you from the larger work you’re trying to do.

While good study habits won’t automatically raise your GPA , they’ll certainly improve your chances.

As an example, you’re likely to perform better on an exam if you’re in the habit of studying for it over several days (or weeks) instead of the night before.

Mental Health

Most important of all, however, is the benefit good study habits have for your mental health.

No matter how much “raw intelligence” you might have, poor study habits will make college stressful and anxious.

If you aren’t in the habit of starting research papers well in advance, for instance, then you’ll be in for some sleepless, caffeine-fueled nights. But if you habitually start your research papers early, then you can avoid the unnecessary stress that comes from procrastination.

5 Types of Good Study Habits (and How to Build Them)

Originally, this section was going to contain a long list of good study habits. But since we already have an extensive list of study tips , many of which are specific study habits, I decided to do something different.

Instead of listing yet more study tips, I’m going to examine some common college academic struggles that good study habits can help eliminate or avoid. This way, you can get some practical tips for building good study habits and putting them into action.

This section focuses on how to build good study habits, specifically. For a more general overview of how to build good habits, read this .

Study Habits for Doing Better on Exams

Are your exam grades lower than you’d like? If so, your study habits could be the culprit.

When it comes to studying for exams effectively, here are some habits to keep in mind:

Go to Review Sessions

Usually, your professor and/or TA will hold a review session before each exam. This review will only be helpful, however, if you attend it. Therefore, make a habit of going to any scheduled exam review sessions, especially in classes you find difficult.

How to build the habit: This is one of the easier habits on this list to build. All you have to do is put the review session on your calendar and then be sure you go to it. To make this easier, pay attention in class for any announcements of review sessions.

Make and Study Flashcards

If you’re studying for an exam that requires you to memorize lots of information, then flashcards are your friend. In particular, building a habit of daily flashcard review leading up to an exam can help your performance greatly.

How to build the habit: First, be sure you understand the best ways to make and study flashcards .

From there, we recommend using a flashcard app that reminds you to study the cards each day (and focuses your efforts on the cards you struggle with). This is a case where notifications on your phone can be a study aid instead of a distraction.

Study Habits for Writing Better Papers

No matter your major, you’ll have to write a paper at some point in college. And having the right study habits will make the process much easier and less stressful. Here are some study habits that will help you write better papers:

Don’t Procrastinate on Writing

I won’t deny it: I pulled my share of all-nighters in college. And usually, I was staying up late to finish a paper I’d procrastinated on.

While you can certainly write a paper in one night, it’s unlikely to be your best work. Instead, make it a habit to work on your paper a little bit each day in the week before the due date.

How to build the habit: If you’re struggling with procrastination, then read into the science behind why we do it .

From there, consider the stress and pain that will come from writing a paper in one night. Use that as motivation to work on your paper a little bit at a time.

Once you’ve done this for one paper and seen how much better it makes your life, you’ll be more inclined to do it with future papers.

Visit the Writing Center

While procrastination is a common issue with writing papers, you may also struggle with the writing itself. Depending on where you went to high school, in fact, you might never have learned how to write the kind of papers college requires.

If this is the case, get in the habit of visiting your college’s writing center when you’re working on a paper. The staff there would be more than happy to help you improve your writing.

How to build the habit: Going to the writing center is a fairly easy habit to build if you schedule your writing center appointments in advance.

This should be possible at most colleges, and it’s often required during high-demand times such as finals season. Making an appointment in advance adds some external accountability, so you’re more likely to show up.

For more paper writing tips, read this .

Study Habits for Completing Homework Faster

Homework is important for practicing and solidifying the concepts your professor discusses in lectures, but that doesn’t mean you should spend all your time outside of class doing it.

Here are some study habits to help you complete your homework faster, without sacrificing quality:

Schedule Your Homework Time

If you can fit all of your homework into a defined block each day, it will be much easier to get started on it. Plus, knowing that you only have to spend a defined amount of time working will reduce the dread that generally accompanies homework.

How to build the habit: First, find a time each day that’s free of obligations. Evenings will work well for some, while mornings are better for others; it depends on your schedule.

Then, put that block of time on your calendar with the title “Homework Time.” If you like, you can also break that block down into smaller chunks for each of the courses you’re taking.

Next, decide on a study space where you’ll do your homework: dorm room, library, student center, etc. Note that location on your calendar as well.

Finally, treat this block of study time like any other class, meeting, or appointment. If someone tries to schedule something during that time, tell them you already have an obligation.

Focus Completely On Your Work

You’ll get your homework done much faster if you only focus on the assignment at hand. But if you’re checking social media and your phone as your work, the process will take longer overall.

To avoid this issue, make a habit of distraction-free homework. When you’re working on homework, let nothing else fragment your attention.

How to build the habit: First, turn off your phone and put it away. If you can’t do that, then at least take some steps to make it less distracting .

Next, try to work without an internet connection whenever possible. If that isn’t practical, then use an app like Freedom to block distracting sites and apps.

If that still isn’t enough, then you can also try the Pomodoro technique .

Study Habits for Being Less Stressed

As I mentioned earlier, one of the main advantages of good study habits is reduced levels of stress.

Some study habits, in particular, are great at making the studying process less stressful. Here are a couple to try:

Use the Fudge Ratio

Due to something called the planning fallacy , humans are terrible at estimating how long things will take. The fudge ratio is a solution to this problem. It helps you create more accurate time estimates for tasks, using a simple formula that we’ll explain below.

Applying the fudge ratio to your studies will help you be less stressed since you’ll be in the habit of planning more time than you need to do assignments. If you get done early, then you’ll get a great sense of accomplishment. But if something takes the full time you “fudged,” then you won’t be caught off guard.

How to build the habit: To work the fudge ratio into your planning, you’ll need to keep track of how long you think tasks take vs. how long they truly take. Record these numbers somewhere you can review them regularly. For an accurate measure of how long tasks actually take, you can use time-tracking software .

Once you’ve done this for a bit, you can then compare your estimated times to your actual completion times. This will allow you to calculate a literal ratio that you can use to make future time estimates.

To calculate the fudge ratio for a task, use this formula:

Estimated completion time / Actual completion time = Fudge ratio

For instance, if you think it will take you 30 minutes to finish your Intro to Sociology reading but it actually takes you 45, then your fudge ratio for these reading assignments is 45/30 = 1.5. Now, you know that whenever you’re estimating how long reading will take for this class, you should multiply your estimate by 1.5.

Doing this for each class and assignment can be time-consuming. But with time, using the fudge ratio will help you get into the habit of making better time estimates overall. Eventually, you won’t need to do the tracking and math described here.

Not all classes are created equal. Sure, each instructor thinks their class is the most important on your schedule, but we all know that isn’t true. Some classes require more time and effort than others, and how you study should reflect that.

Specifically, you’ll be much less stressed if you prioritize studying the subjects that take the most work.

How to build the habit: During the first couple weeks of the semester, pay attention to how much work each class on your schedule will require. From there, you can decide where to prioritize your attention.

Then, spend most of your study time on the most difficult classes. Of course, you’ll still need to spend some time on your easier classes, but not nearly as much. Doing this will give you more free time and reduce your general stress levels.

Study Habits for the Forgetful

For our final area of habits, we turn to the pernicious problem of forgetting. Whether you’re having trouble remembering homework assignments or even showing up for class, these habits will help.

Keep a List of Your Assignments

If you’re having trouble remembering your assignments, then build the habit of keeping them on a list. This is a classic piece of advice. But if you put it into practice, it can change your life.

How to build the habit: First, decide where you’ll write down your assignments. We’re a big fan of to-do list apps for this purpose. But you could also go analog and use a paper planner. Just make sure it’s something you can easily carry with you to class.

Then, write down assignments as the professor gives them. In many cases, of course, the professor will expect you to refer to the syllabus for homework assignments. So be sure to review your syllabus each week (and bring a copy to class so you can note any changes).

Finally, review your list of assignments at the start of each homework session. As you complete an assignment, cross or check it off the list. With this habit in place, you’ll be much less likely to forget assignments.

Put Your Classes on Your Calendar

Unlike in high school, where your schedule is regimented and closely supervised, college offers more independence. While this can be exciting, it also means greater responsibility. And one of the first responsibilities you’ll face as a college student is showing up for class at the right time.

While simple in theory, it can be challenging to remember the time and location of all of your classes. Especially during the first couple weeks of class. To ensure you don’t forget when and where your classes are, put them on your calendar.

How to build the habit: Leading up to the first week of school, go online and consult the syllabus for each of your classes.

Note the class times and locations, and put that information on your calendar in recurring events. Make sure your calendar is set up to send you event notifications on your phone, and you should be able to remember each class no problem.

With time, of course, you’re likely to memorize you schedule and won’t need to consult the calendar. But having your classes on your calendar will still be helpful for planning, ensuring you don’t schedule a meeting or other event during a class.

If you’ve never set up a digital calendar, check out this guide to using your calendar efficiently in college .

Good Study Habits Aren’t Built in a Day

I hope this article has shown you the importance of good study habits, as well as how to start making them a part of your academic life.

As with any new habit, forming good study habits takes time and focus. For greater odds of success, work on forming one or two of these habits at a time. When they’re a solid part of your routine, you can add new ones.

Habit formation is such a vast topic, there was no way we could cover all the details in one article. For a deep dive into building habits that last, check out our habit-building course:

Building habits isn’t just about discipline; there are real-world steps you can take to set yourself up for success! In this course, you'll learn how to set realistic goals, handle failure without giving up, and get going on the habits you want in your life.

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Create Good Homework Habits With This 3-Step Plan

Motivate your child to finish their schoolwork successfully..

If your elementary schooler doesn’t like reading or doing homework without resistance, you’re not alone. 

Fortunately, there are steps you can take to spark your child’s interest in learning outside of the classroom. Creating structure in your child’s day with an after-school schedule will help them stay focused and avoid homework fatigue.

Here are tips to help your child use their after-school time well and ease some of the stress you both may be experiencing.

1. Set Up a Schedule 

Agree on a “lights out” time and work backward. Here's a sample homework schedule to help you with your planning. This schedule is designed for a child who dislikes doing homework, so it allows multiple breaks throughout the evening. (It’s worth noting, however, that some children do their best work right after school, when energy levels are still high.)

• 4:00 p.m.  Rest, relax. Kids need space and downtime in their schedules.
• 4:30 p.m.–5:30 p.m.  Sports, art, and other planned activities.
• 5:30 p.m.–6:30 p.m.  Homework time! Have your child do theirs in the kitchen or somewhere close by while dinner is being prepared, so they don’t feel isolated and can ask questions. If your child has a dedicated “homework nook,” be sure to pop in often to see how they’re doing and offer words of encouragement.
• 6:30 p.m.–7:30 p.m. Dinner and quality family time.
• 7:30 p.m.–8:00 p.m.  Homework wrap-up (if needed).
• 8:00 p.m.–8:30 p.m. Free time! If your family typically watches TV in the evening, you might consider switching on a streaming series or documentary that complements your child’s classroom instruction.
• 8:30 p.m.– 9:00 p.m. Nightly read-aloud! This is the time to get your 20-30 minutes of daily reading in for stronger literacy skills. (Here’s some benefits of reading to your elementary schooler nightly .)

2. Talk to the Teacher 

Your child’s teacher can tell you how much time students should be spending on homework nightly. Generally, students in elementary school should have between 10 and 15 minutes of homework for each grade year. This means a child in 4th grade may have between 40 and 60 minutes of homework a night; often this includes some reading.

Teachers will also have ideas for motivating students who are disinterested in doing homework. When you speak with your child’s teacher, raise any concerns you have about at-home learning, like if your child struggles to do their homework, since these may be signs of a learning disability .

Your child’s teacher will be able to discuss in-class performance, and together the two of you can create a day-to-night plan that promotes your child’s success.

3. Develop the Homework Habit

Once you establish a schedule that works for you and your child — including any limits on TV and tech time — be sure to stick to it. Consistency is key to developing good homework habits.

These are valuable years for teaching your child how to keep schoolwork, play, fitness, and other activities in balance. You’ll be helping them with an important life lesson — and hopefully establishing a little more harmony at home.

Get ready for your child to go back to school with our guide — it's full of recommended books, teacher tips, homework strategies for parents , and more resources for a successful school year. 

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6 Tips to Help Build Good Homework Habits

6 tips to help build good homework habits.

Parents have many ways to get involved in their children’s education. One way is by helping them build good homework habits for long-term success in school.

In addition to meeting educational needs, doing homework teaches your child to be responsible and to develop fundamental skills, such as organization, problem solving and time management.

Homework can sometimes be stressful and aggravating for parents and students alike, however.

For parents, these are common questions that might come up:

• Is my child spending too much time on the cellphone and playing videos and not enough doing homework?
• Does my child have too many extracurricular activities going on after school, leaving less time for homework?
• Does my child need help with homework? How much should I do?

Whatever the situation may be, know that you as a parent can do a lot to help your child develop good homework habits and head off any potential conflict over homework.

Know also that your pediatrician is ready to help with any developmental or learning concern . Learning disabilities are often not noticed until the child reaches school age.

“If you have any concerns about your child’s learning and development, contact your pediatrician and share your specific concerns,” says Jessica Yu, MD , a pediatrician at Scripps Clinic Mission Valley .

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is a good resource for parental tips for developing good homework habits, including the following:

1. Be a helper, not a “doer”

It’s important to know your boundaries when it comes to helping with homework. It may be tempting as a parent to get carried away and start doing your child’s homework to ensure a good grade or complete it on time. But remember homework assignments are made by the teacher and it is your child’s responsibility to finish and turn in their homework on time.

“The key is to provide guidance, not answers. Have your child identify what help is needed or if there is a problem that is affecting their schoolwork,” Dr. Yu says.

Have your child identify what he or she can do on their own and be ready to help when necessary. It could mean doing something as simple as providing flashcards to aid their learning.

Parents who are always correcting and striving to get their child to do the perfect job will not be teaching their child the lessons of owning up to responsibility.

You may ask to see completed work to ensure that directions are being followed, but don’t try to correct every flaw. You may ask if there might be another way to write something or to show the thought process behind a math problem, but don’t put words on paper or solve problems for your child.

If you can’t figure out the problem yourself — junior high math may be long forgotten by many — and your child is struggling, it may be time to ask the teacher for help.

2. Set up a homework schedule

Most children do best with a set routine and expectations around homework. Children develop different homework patterns, however.

Some prefer to do homework in the afternoon after returning from school. Others prefer doing homework in the evening after taking a break from a long day in school. Some engage in extracurricular activities, which is also good for their development, but may leave less time for homework. Some need help making the transition from playing to doing homework.

A 10-minute warning or reminder may help a child get ready mentally to tackle homework. “Just don’t let these notices become a source of conflict between you and your child,” Dr. Yu says.

A homework contract can help prevent homework conflicts. There could be an agreement to go over the week’s schedule on Sunday night and set an allotted time for homework.

3. Provide a quiet location for homework

Children need a consistent workspace in their bedroom or another part of the home that is quiet, well-lit and conducive to doing homework.

You can provide a comfortable chair and make sure they have all the supplies they may need nearby. Or, you can set up a homework station in an area that you can easily access, especially if you want to monitor their internet use.

If your child doesn’t have access to a computer or the internet at home, work with teachers and school administration to address these needs.

4. Limit screen time during homework

Managing media use can be tough. But children need to keep TV and video distractions at a minimum when they are doing homework. Excessive screen time can also have negative effects on sleep and lead to obesity and depression.

AAP recommends setting up a family media plan that can be customized to meet your family’s needs, including priorities like making sure to leave time for homework.

If cell phone calls and/or texting are distracting, the plan can call for that to stop during homework time. The plan can call for limits on the time spent watching TV or playing video games on school nights.

5. Praise the efforts, not the end results

Children need to learn perseverance. Praising their efforts in getting things done reinforces that value.

Getting a good grade deserves praise. But it’s just as important to celebrate completing a project or assignment.

With large projects, you may want to teach them how to complete their efforts in small chunks. That way you are also teaching them how to organize and manage their time.

6. Discuss concerns with your child’s teacher

If you see that your child is clearly struggling with concepts, it may be time to talk to the teacher. This is way more helpful than battling with your child or doing your child’s work. Remember you are in a partnership with your child’s teacher when it comes to his or her education.

Your child’s teacher can tell you what’s going on in the classroom, if homework assignments are being turned in and how well they are done. The teacher can advise what you can do at home to help your child improve in any subject he or she may be struggling with.

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What we know about homework

I went looking for evidence and found lots of it: there are at least a half dozen systematic reviews about the importance and effectiveness of homework, and all of its nuances.  The Center for Public Education and the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development both provide comprehensive essays that summarize the evidence on homework.

One 2007 analysis published by Duke University researchers in particular caught my attention . It included 50 separate studies on homework research that asked the specific question, “Does homework improve academic achievement?”  This study followed an earlier meta-analysis of approximately 100 studies published by the same researchers in 1989. Both reviews conclude that homework does help to improve academic achievement, primarily in the middle and high school.  For children in elementary school, the review concludes that while homework can help children develop good study habits, it does not help to improve students’ grades or standardized test scores.

Here are some other interesting take-home messages about homework:

• Students are more likely to complete and learn from homework assignments that have a purpose, for example, reviewing important concepts, improving students’ independence or providing opportunities to explore topics students are interested in.
• Homework assignments are most successful when they are easy enough for students to complete independently, but challenging enough to be interesting.
• Finding appropriate ways to involve parents with their children’s homework leads to improved academic performance.
• Homework provides more academic benefits for older students. For younger students, some homework can help them to establish study habits and routines, but too much homework detracts from family and play activities after school.
• There is strong evidence that homework improves learning for students with learning disabilities, most likely because these students benefit from additional time to practice new skills.

On a personal note, the evidence makes me wonder if my son receives a little too much homework for his age. In first grade, he receives a reading and a math assignment every day, and he often groans about completing them. I certainly plan to discuss the evidence about homework with his teacher at our first conference.

Homework word looks very easy, but for students they know more about it means. From a tutor point of view, Here are some other interesting take-home messages about homework like If a student will take homework help from experts, they will feel free to complete their own homework before deadline. They can feel stress free and can study well. Thanks

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Does Homework Really Help Students Learn?

A conversation with a Wheelock researcher, a BU student, and a fourth-grade teacher

“Quality homework is engaging and relevant to kids’ lives,” says Wheelock’s Janine Bempechat. “It gives them autonomy and engages them in the community and with their families. In some subjects, like math, worksheets can be very helpful. It has to do with the value of practicing over and over.” Photo by iStock/Glenn Cook Photography

Do your homework.

If only it were that simple.

Educators have debated the merits of homework since the late 19th century. In recent years, amid concerns of some parents and teachers that children are being stressed out by too much homework, things have only gotten more fraught.

“Homework is complicated,” says developmental psychologist Janine Bempechat, a Wheelock College of Education & Human Development clinical professor. The author of the essay “ The Case for (Quality) Homework—Why It Improves Learning and How Parents Can Help ” in the winter 2019 issue of Education Next , Bempechat has studied how the debate about homework is influencing teacher preparation, parent and student beliefs about learning, and school policies.

She worries especially about socioeconomically disadvantaged students from low-performing schools who, according to research by Bempechat and others, get little or no homework.

BU Today  sat down with Bempechat and Erin Bruce (Wheelock’17,’18), a new fourth-grade teacher at a suburban Boston school, and future teacher freshman Emma Ardizzone (Wheelock) to talk about what quality homework looks like, how it can help children learn, and how schools can equip teachers to design it, evaluate it, and facilitate parents’ role in it.

BU Today: Parents and educators who are against homework in elementary school say there is no research definitively linking it to academic performance for kids in the early grades. You’ve said that they’re missing the point.

Bempechat : I think teachers assign homework in elementary school as a way to help kids develop skills they’ll need when they’re older—to begin to instill a sense of responsibility and to learn planning and organizational skills. That’s what I think is the greatest value of homework—in cultivating beliefs about learning and skills associated with academic success. If we greatly reduce or eliminate homework in elementary school, we deprive kids and parents of opportunities to instill these important learning habits and skills.

We do know that beginning in late middle school, and continuing through high school, there is a strong and positive correlation between homework completion and academic success.

That’s what I think is the greatest value of homework—in cultivating beliefs about learning and skills associated with academic success.

You talk about the importance of quality homework. What is that?

Quality homework is engaging and relevant to kids’ lives. It gives them autonomy and engages them in the community and with their families. In some subjects, like math, worksheets can be very helpful. It has to do with the value of practicing over and over.

What are your concerns about homework and low-income children?

The argument that some people make—that homework “punishes the poor” because lower-income parents may not be as well-equipped as affluent parents to help their children with homework—is very troubling to me. There are no parents who don’t care about their children’s learning. Parents don’t actually have to help with homework completion in order for kids to do well. They can help in other ways—by helping children organize a study space, providing snacks, being there as a support, helping children work in groups with siblings or friends.

Isn’t the discussion about getting rid of homework happening mostly in affluent communities?

Yes, and the stories we hear of kids being stressed out from too much homework—four or five hours of homework a night—are real. That’s problematic for physical and mental health and overall well-being. But the research shows that higher-income students get a lot more homework than lower-income kids.

Teachers may not have as high expectations for lower-income children. Schools should bear responsibility for providing supports for kids to be able to get their homework done—after-school clubs, community support, peer group support. It does kids a disservice when our expectations are lower for them.

The conversation around homework is to some extent a social class and social justice issue. If we eliminate homework for all children because affluent children have too much, we’re really doing a disservice to low-income children. They need the challenge, and every student can rise to the challenge with enough supports in place.

What did you learn by studying how education schools are preparing future teachers to handle homework?

My colleague, Margarita Jimenez-Silva, at the University of California, Davis, School of Education, and I interviewed faculty members at education schools, as well as supervising teachers, to find out how students are being prepared. And it seemed that they weren’t. There didn’t seem to be any readings on the research, or conversations on what high-quality homework is and how to design it.

Erin, what kind of training did you get in handling homework?

Bruce : I had phenomenal professors at Wheelock, but homework just didn’t come up. I did lots of student teaching. I’ve been in classrooms where the teachers didn’t assign any homework, and I’ve been in rooms where they assigned hours of homework a night. But I never even considered homework as something that was my decision. I just thought it was something I’d pull out of a book and it’d be done.

I started giving homework on the first night of school this year. My first assignment was to go home and draw a picture of the room where you do your homework. I want to know if it’s at a table and if there are chairs around it and if mom’s cooking dinner while you’re doing homework.

The second night I asked them to talk to a grown-up about how are you going to be able to get your homework done during the week. The kids really enjoyed it. There’s a running joke that I’m teaching life skills.

Friday nights, I read all my kids’ responses to me on their homework from the week and it’s wonderful. They pour their hearts out. It’s like we’re having a conversation on my couch Friday night.

It matters to know that the teacher cares about you and that what you think matters to the teacher. Homework is a vehicle to connect home and school…for parents to know teachers are welcoming to them and their families.

Bempechat : I can’t imagine that most new teachers would have the intuition Erin had in designing homework the way she did.

Ardizzone : Conversations with kids about homework, feeling you’re being listened to—that’s such a big part of wanting to do homework….I grew up in Westchester County. It was a pretty demanding school district. My junior year English teacher—I loved her—she would give us feedback, have meetings with all of us. She’d say, “If you have any questions, if you have anything you want to talk about, you can talk to me, here are my office hours.” It felt like she actually cared.

Bempechat : It matters to know that the teacher cares about you and that what you think matters to the teacher. Homework is a vehicle to connect home and school…for parents to know teachers are welcoming to them and their families.

Ardizzone : But can’t it lead to parents being overbearing and too involved in their children’s lives as students?

Bempechat : There’s good help and there’s bad help. The bad help is what you’re describing—when parents hover inappropriately, when they micromanage, when they see their children confused and struggling and tell them what to do.

Good help is when parents recognize there’s a struggle going on and instead ask informative questions: “Where do you think you went wrong?” They give hints, or pointers, rather than saying, “You missed this,” or “You didn’t read that.”

Bruce : I hope something comes of this. I hope BU or Wheelock can think of some way to make this a more pressing issue. As a first-year teacher, it was not something I even thought about on the first day of school—until a kid raised his hand and said, “Do we have homework?” It would have been wonderful if I’d had a plan from day one.

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Senior Contributing Editor

Sara Rimer A journalist for more than three decades, Sara Rimer worked at the Miami Herald , Washington Post and, for 26 years, the New York Times , where she was the New England bureau chief, and a national reporter covering education, aging, immigration, and other social justice issues. Her stories on the death penalty’s inequities were nominated for a Pulitzer Prize and cited in the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision outlawing the execution of people with intellectual disabilities. Her journalism honors include Columbia University’s Meyer Berger award for in-depth human interest reporting. She holds a BA degree in American Studies from the University of Michigan. Profile

She can be reached at [email protected] .

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There are 81 comments on Does Homework Really Help Students Learn?

Insightful! The values about homework in elementary schools are well aligned with my intuition as a parent.

when i finish my work i do my homework and i sometimes forget what to do because i did not get enough sleep

same omg it does not help me it is stressful and if I have it in more than one class I hate it.

Same I think my parent wants to help me but, she doesn’t care if I get bad grades so I just try my best and my grades are great.

I think that last question about Good help from parents is not know to all parents, we do as our parents did or how we best think it can be done, so maybe coaching parents or giving them resources on how to help with homework would be very beneficial for the parent on how to help and for the teacher to have consistency and improve homework results, and of course for the child. I do see how homework helps reaffirm the knowledge obtained in the classroom, I also have the ability to see progress and it is a time I share with my kids

The answer to the headline question is a no-brainer – a more pressing problem is why there is a difference in how students from different cultures succeed. Perfect example is the student population at BU – why is there a majority population of Asian students and only about 3% black students at BU? In fact at some universities there are law suits by Asians to stop discrimination and quotas against admitting Asian students because the real truth is that as a group they are demonstrating better qualifications for admittance, while at the same time there are quotas and reduced requirements for black students to boost their portion of the student population because as a group they do more poorly in meeting admissions standards – and it is not about the Benjamins. The real problem is that in our PC society no one has the gazuntas to explore this issue as it may reveal that all people are not created equal after all. Or is it just environmental cultural differences??????

I get you have a concern about the issue but that is not even what the point of this article is about. If you have an issue please take this to the site we have and only post your opinion about the actual topic

This is not at all what the article is talking about.

This literally has nothing to do with the article brought up. You should really take your opinions somewhere else before you speak about something that doesn’t make sense.

we have the same name

so they have the same name what of it?

lol you tell her

totally agree

What does that have to do with homework, that is not what the article talks about AT ALL.

Yes, I think homework plays an important role in the development of student life. Through homework, students have to face challenges on a daily basis and they try to solve them quickly.I am an intense online tutor at 24x7homeworkhelp and I give homework to my students at that level in which they handle it easily.

More than two-thirds of students said they used alcohol and drugs, primarily marijuana, to cope with stress.

You know what’s funny? I got this assignment to write an argument for homework about homework and this article was really helpful and understandable, and I also agree with this article’s point of view.

I also got the same task as you! I was looking for some good resources and I found this! I really found this article useful and easy to understand, just like you! ^^

i think that homework is the best thing that a child can have on the school because it help them with their thinking and memory.

I am a child myself and i think homework is a terrific pass time because i can’t play video games during the week. It also helps me set goals.

Homework is not harmful ,but it will if there is too much

I feel like, from a minors point of view that we shouldn’t get homework. Not only is the homework stressful, but it takes us away from relaxing and being social. For example, me and my friends was supposed to hang at the mall last week but we had to postpone it since we all had some sort of work to do. Our minds shouldn’t be focused on finishing an assignment that in realty, doesn’t matter. I completely understand that we should have homework. I have to write a paper on the unimportance of homework so thanks.

homework isn’t that bad

Are you a student? if not then i don’t really think you know how much and how severe todays homework really is

i am a student and i do not enjoy homework because i practice my sport 4 out of the five days we have school for 4 hours and that’s not even counting the commute time or the fact i still have to shower and eat dinner when i get home. its draining!

i totally agree with you. these people are such boomers

why just why

they do make a really good point, i think that there should be a limit though. hours and hours of homework can be really stressful, and the extra work isn’t making a difference to our learning, but i do believe homework should be optional and extra credit. that would make it for students to not have the leaning stress of a assignment and if you have a low grade you you can catch up.

Studies show that homework improves student achievement in terms of improved grades, test results, and the likelihood to attend college. Research published in the High School Journal indicates that students who spent between 31 and 90 minutes each day on homework “scored about 40 points higher on the SAT-Mathematics subtest than their peers, who reported spending no time on homework each day, on average.” On both standardized tests and grades, students in classes that were assigned homework outperformed 69% of students who didn’t have homework. A majority of studies on homework’s impact – 64% in one meta-study and 72% in another – showed that take home assignments were effective at improving academic achievement. Research by the Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA) concluded that increased homework led to better GPAs and higher probability of college attendance for high school boys. In fact, boys who attended college did more than three hours of additional homework per week in high school.

So how are your measuring student achievement? That’s the real question. The argument that doing homework is simply a tool for teaching responsibility isn’t enough for me. We can teach responsibility in a number of ways. Also the poor argument that parents don’t need to help with homework, and that students can do it on their own, is wishful thinking at best. It completely ignores neurodiverse students. Students in poverty aren’t magically going to find a space to do homework, a friend’s or siblings to help them do it, and snacks to eat. I feel like the author of this piece has never set foot in a classroom of students.

THIS. This article is pathetic coming from a university. So intellectually dishonest, refusing to address the havoc of capitalism and poverty plays on academic success in life. How can they in one sentence use poor kids in an argument and never once address that poor children have access to damn near 0 of the resources affluent kids have? Draw me a picture and let’s talk about feelings lmao what a joke is that gonna put food in their belly so they can have the calories to burn in order to use their brain to study? What about quiet their 7 other siblings that they share a single bedroom with for hours? Is it gonna force the single mom to magically be at home and at work at the same time to cook food while you study and be there to throw an encouraging word?

Also the “parents don’t need to be a parent and be able to guide their kid at all academically they just need to exist in the next room” is wild. Its one thing if a parent straight up is not equipped but to say kids can just figured it out is…. wow coming from an educator What’s next the teacher doesn’t need to teach cause the kid can just follow the packet and figure it out?

Well then get a tutor right? Oh wait you are poor only affluent kids can afford a tutor for their hours of homework a day were they on average have none of the worries a poor child does. Does this address that poor children are more likely to also suffer abuse and mental illness? Like mentioned what about kids that can’t learn or comprehend the forced standardized way? Just let em fail? These children regularly are not in “special education”(some of those are a joke in their own and full of neglect and abuse) programs cause most aren’t even acknowledged as having disabilities or disorders.

But yes all and all those pesky poor kids just aren’t being worked hard enough lol pretty sure poor children’s existence just in childhood is more work, stress, and responsibility alone than an affluent child’s entire life cycle. Love they never once talked about the quality of education in the classroom being so bad between the poor and affluent it can qualify as segregation, just basically blamed poor people for being lazy, good job capitalism for failing us once again!

why the hell?

you should feel bad for saying this, this article can be helpful for people who has to write a essay about it

This is more of a political rant than it is about homework

I know a teacher who has told his students their homework is to find something they are interested in, pursue it and then come share what they learn. The student responses are quite compelling. One girl taught herself German so she could talk to her grandfather. One boy did a research project on Nelson Mandela because the teacher had mentioned him in class. Another boy, a both on the autism spectrum, fixed his family’s computer. The list goes on. This is fourth grade. I think students are highly motivated to learn, when we step aside and encourage them.

The whole point of homework is to give the students a chance to use the material that they have been presented with in class. If they never have the opportunity to use that information, and discover that it is actually useful, it will be in one ear and out the other. As a science teacher, it is critical that the students are challenged to use the material they have been presented with, which gives them the opportunity to actually think about it rather than regurgitate “facts”. Well designed homework forces the student to think conceptually, as opposed to regurgitation, which is never a pretty sight

Wonderful discussion. and yes, homework helps in learning and building skills in students.

not true it just causes kids to stress

Homework can be both beneficial and unuseful, if you will. There are students who are gifted in all subjects in school and ones with disabilities. Why should the students who are gifted get the lucky break, whereas the people who have disabilities suffer? The people who were born with this “gift” go through school with ease whereas people with disabilities struggle with the work given to them. I speak from experience because I am one of those students: the ones with disabilities. Homework doesn’t benefit “us”, it only tears us down and put us in an abyss of confusion and stress and hopelessness because we can’t learn as fast as others. Or we can’t handle the amount of work given whereas the gifted students go through it with ease. It just brings us down and makes us feel lost; because no mater what, it feels like we are destined to fail. It feels like we weren’t “cut out” for success.

homework does help

here is the thing though, if a child is shoved in the face with a whole ton of homework that isn’t really even considered homework it is assignments, it’s not helpful. the teacher should make homework more of a fun learning experience rather than something that is dreaded

This article was wonderful, I am going to ask my teachers about extra, or at all giving homework.

I agree. Especially when you have homework before an exam. Which is distasteful as you’ll need that time to study. It doesn’t make any sense, nor does us doing homework really matters as It’s just facts thrown at us.

Homework is too severe and is just too much for students, schools need to decrease the amount of homework. When teachers assign homework they forget that the students have other classes that give them the same amount of homework each day. Students need to work on social skills and life skills.

I disagree.

Beyond achievement, proponents of homework argue that it can have many other beneficial effects. They claim it can help students develop good study habits so they are ready to grow as their cognitive capacities mature. It can help students recognize that learning can occur at home as well as at school. Homework can foster independent learning and responsible character traits. And it can give parents an opportunity to see what’s going on at school and let them express positive attitudes toward achievement.

Homework is helpful because homework helps us by teaching us how to learn a specific topic.

As a student myself, I can say that I have almost never gotten the full 9 hours of recommended sleep time, because of homework. (Now I’m writing an essay on it in the middle of the night D=)

I am a 10 year old kid doing a report about “Is homework good or bad” for homework before i was going to do homework is bad but the sources from this site changed my mind!

Homeowkr is god for stusenrs

I agree with hunter because homework can be so stressful especially with this whole covid thing no one has time for homework and every one just wants to get back to there normal lives it is especially stressful when you go on a 2 week vaca 3 weeks into the new school year and and then less then a week after you come back from the vaca you are out for over a month because of covid and you have no way to get the assignment done and turned in

As great as homework is said to be in the is article, I feel like the viewpoint of the students was left out. Every where I go on the internet researching about this topic it almost always has interviews from teachers, professors, and the like. However isn’t that a little biased? Of course teachers are going to be for homework, they’re not the ones that have to stay up past midnight completing the homework from not just one class, but all of them. I just feel like this site is one-sided and you should include what the students of today think of spending four hours every night completing 6-8 classes worth of work.

Are we talking about homework or practice? Those are two very different things and can result in different outcomes.

Homework is a graded assignment. I do not know of research showing the benefits of graded assignments going home.

Practice; however, can be extremely beneficial, especially if there is some sort of feedback (not a grade but feedback). That feedback can come from the teacher, another student or even an automated grading program.

As a former band director, I assigned daily practice. I never once thought it would be appropriate for me to require the students to turn in a recording of their practice for me to grade. Instead, I had in-class assignments/assessments that were graded and directly related to the practice assigned.

I would really like to read articles on “homework” that truly distinguish between the two.

oof i feel bad good luck!

thank you guys for the artical because I have to finish an assingment. yes i did cite it but just thanks

thx for the article guys.

Homework is good

I think homework is helpful AND harmful. Sometimes u can’t get sleep bc of homework but it helps u practice for school too so idk.

I agree with this Article. And does anyone know when this was published. I would like to know.

It was published FEb 19, 2019.

Studies have shown that homework improved student achievement in terms of improved grades, test results, and the likelihood to attend college.

i think homework can help kids but at the same time not help kids

This article is so out of touch with majority of homes it would be laughable if it wasn’t so incredibly sad.

There is no value to homework all it does is add stress to already stressed homes. Parents or adults magically having the time or energy to shepherd kids through homework is dome sort of 1950’s fantasy.

What lala land do these teachers live in?

Homework gives noting to the kid

Homework is Bad

homework is bad.

why do kids even have homework?

Comments are closed.

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8 quick tips to encourage good homework habits

By Kate Bibby

01 Apr 2022

In this article:

Why is homework important?

1. designate a space for homework, 2. don’t simply dictate a routine, 3. set a regular homework time, 4. establish clear rules, 5. only help your child when they really need it, 6. be present and interested in what they’re doing, 7. give them encouraging feedback, 8. keep an open dialogue with their teachers.

As children get older, homework is a hugely important aspect of school life. As well as counting towards final grades and assessments, it encourages:

• independent learning
• time management
• self-discipline
• responsibility

Homework offers parents an insight into your child’s progress at school and can be a great way to involve yourself in their academic development.

However, children can be reluctant or find it hard to motivate themselves to start and complete homework. The key to success? Establish good habits with them from the get-go.

Here are our top tips for creating a homework routine that can help make your child’s time spent on it productive and well-structured.

This will help get your child into the right mindset when setting out to do homework. Make sure it’s well-lit, away from any distractions, and has everything they need.

Our survey found that most children do homework either at the kitchen table (especially if they’re younger) or in their bedroom (more so as they get older). If you have more than one child, it may help if they do homework in different areas of the house, so they don’t distract each other.

Homework is all about independent thinking – letting your child give their input on when, where, and how they want to do their homework will help them make the most of the time. Everyone learns differently, so try to be flexible around their preferences as much as possible.

Schedule this around when your child is most receptive to learning. For many children, this is straight after school when they are still in a learning mindset. Some, though, may first need some rest or play time before they can concentrate again. Whenever you decide is the right time, once set, try to stick to it as much as possible so that your child is mentally prepared for homework time each day.

Having a homework routine increases the likelihood of children regularly completing it by 22%.

Electronics, games, or other distractions can easily disrupt a routine. Ban them during homework time or make a rule that they’re only allowed once all homework for the day is completed. Win-win!

It’s great to help your child get organised and set up to do homework, but they need to do the actual work themselves. If they get stuck, give them pointers on how best to figure out a solution without telling them the answer directly.

Asking questions about your child’s assignments will make them feel like it’s a valuable use of time and encourage them to take pride in their work.

Praise and acknowledgement will incentivise your child to keep trying their best. If they get something wrong, don’t criticise; instead, work through it together, while emphasising their other strengths.

The more a teacher knows, the better they can support your child. If there are recurring problems around doing homework, speak to your child’s teacher and try to workshop a solution together with them.

In summary, it’s always a good time to get into good homework habits. The more it becomes an ingrained part of your and your child’s daily routine, the less it will feel simply like a chore to tick off the to-do list.

Remember, every family is different and there’s no single right way – try out different ideas to find out what works best for you and your child.

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How to Establish Good Homework Habits for Kids

Homework is the bridge between the home and the classroom. It reinforces what’s learned at school and can help raise red flags in subjects where children need extra help. It is crucial to establish good homework habits for kids early when the homework assignments are short and simple.

On the other hand, bad homework habits can lead to a negative attitude toward learning and difficulties staying focused on longer tasks. Here are our top tips for how to develop good homework habits for kids, as well as a few quick fixes to remedy bad homework habits.

Five Good Homework Habits for Kids

Start by building a foundation of good homework and study habits that dictate where, when, and how homework should be done. Here are six of the best homework habits you can help your child establish.

• 1. Set a Homework Schedule

One of the easiest ways to help your child develop their best homework habits is to set aside homework time each day. Having daily homework time will prevent procrastination and ensure that your child is on track to finish his work on time.

Some children may prefer to do homework as soon as they get home. Others may need some time to play and burn off energy before settling in with their assignments. If your schedule changes daily with after-school sports and activities, consider instituting homework rules instead. For example, your child might have to do his homework before having any screen time.

Setting a schedule will help homework become a regular part of the day, rather than a daily disagreement between you and your child.

• 2. Provide a Regular Homework Space

Another important part of establishing a regular homework schedule is providing your child with a space to do her homework . Older students may enjoy having a desk with storage for supplies and a large space to work.

Younger children who need more help with their homework may prefer working at the kitchen table or in another communal space in the house. This can be especially helpful when your child is working on subjects or tasks that he struggles with.

Wherever your child is most comfortable, make sure he has the room and supplies he needs to develop good homework and study habits.

• 3. Assist Your Child (But Not Too Much!)

One of the trickiest parts of establishing good homework habits for kids is deciding how much help they need. Some parents may be tempted to rush over the moment they see their child is getting frustrated. However, it is important for students young and old to challenge themselves and work through frustration.

At the first complaint or sign of frustration, encourage your child to keep trying. Here are a few easy ways to keep him moving on a tricky question or assignment:

• Ask if he has completed all the sections he understands before tackling the ones he doesn’t.
• Provide encouragement and praise when she makes a step in the right direction.
• Ask what she remembers from class that might help her.
• Determine if there are additional resources he may need, words he needs to have defined, or directions he needs to have clarified.

There will certainly be times when your child will need help, but homework is designed to reinforce skills and subjects taught in class. Doing your child’s homework or helping her too much will only hurt her learning in the long run.

• 4. Stay Positive and Confident

Keeping your cool will help homework become a positive opportunity for students to practice the skills they learn in the classroom. It’s also your chance to see what your child is learning and make sure he has the tools he needs to succeed.

Praise your child not only when she gets the answer right away, but when she struggles and perseveres. Remaining confident in her abilities throughout the process is key to her own self-belief.

• 5. Give Your Child A Say

With all of the tips above kept in mind — be flexible. School days are long, and some children may need a break before digging into homework after school. Talk with your child about when, where, and how he does his homework best.

Just like adults, some children may work better with music or white noise. Others may prefer silence. Some may like to be left alone and ask questions at the end, while others may like to go back and forth with a parent as they need. Children may prefer to do one subject at a time or bounce between them to stay interested.

Giving your child a voice will help her develop her personal best homework habits. In turn, she will have the skills she needs to grow her homework and study habits for the rest of her educational years.

Five Bad Homework Habits to Break

If good habits aren’t established early, bad homework habits can take root. Here are five of the most common bad habits and ways to fix them.

• 1. Procrastination

With after-school sports and extracurriculars, it can be easy to push homework until late at night or even until the morning of the day it’s due. Procrastination is one of the most common bad homework habits.

The solution? Set up rewards or privileges earned only after homework is done. Choose something that will motivate your child, like playing video games or watching his favorite TV show. Establishing this habit young will prevent arguments about when homework is done when he is older.

• 2. Getting Distracted by Screens

Text messages and social media can be huge distractions for children and young teens when completing homework. Multitasking means that homework is likely to take longer and not be done as well as if the child focused on one thing at a time.

The solution? Designate a place in another room where your child puts his phone during homework time. You may also want to monitor computer usage to ensure it is only being used for homework during homework time.

• 3. Having No Plan

Writing down assignments in an organized way is key to getting homework done. Students who rely on their memory are likely to forget assignments and struggle to complete long-term assignments.

The solution? Provide students with a planner to write down their assignments for the day. You can also utilize a calendar at home to plan out long-term assignments over the month to make sure they’re done on time.

• 4. Getting Overwhelmed

For struggling students or older students with a heavy workload, it can be easy to get overwhelmed with homework. When it comes to an especially hard assignment, your child may not be able to focus on it for very long without becoming discouraged.

The solution? Set a timer for 15-20 minutes. If your child stays focused and sticks with her homework, give her a break to cool off and relax. It will take longer to get the homework done, but she will learn more and get less frustrated in the process.

• 5. Incomplete Work

Your child may appear to be doing his homework, but he could be missing subjects or assignments each week. He writes them down in his calendar, but they aren’t completed.

The solution? Talk with your child. Does he need a tutor? Is he struggling to see the board? Maybe he is simply putting the work off because he doesn’t like or understand the subject. Fixing this problem relies on figuring out the cause through open conversations with your child and his teacher.

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Homework not only helps a child learn about school subjects, it is also one of the first ways kids develop responsibility. Learning how to read and follow directions independently, how to manage and budget time for long-term assignments, and how to complete work neatly and to the best of their ability are skills children need for life. Homework can be trying for children, but with a little help from Mom and Dad, it can be a positive learning experience. Here are some ways you can help.

1. Designate a regular place to do homework. This location needs to be well lit and quiet, without the distractions of the television, other children playing, or people talking on the telephone.

2. Choose a time every day to work on daily assignments. Some children do best if they tackle their homework shortly after returning home from school in the afternoon; other kids may do best if they devote the after-school hours to unwinding and playing, and do their homework in the evening. However, some children respond poorly to a dictated study time, such as 4:00 every afternoon, and may be better off if they’re given guidelines, such as “No video games until your homework is done.”

3. Let your child play a role in the setting the rules. Make sure that you and your child agree on the set time and place, which can eliminate some of the homework-related dissension between parents and children.

4. Observe your child’s homework habits. Is she stuck on a certain task or is she easily distracted? Does she understand the directions, or is she making the assignment harder than it really is? Is her studying interrupted by television, phone calls, or chatting with other family members? If so, you may need to rethink your homework rules or discuss these difficulties with her teacher.

5. Don’t do your child’s homework for her. It’s perfectly okay to help your child get focused and organize her approach to the assignment, but insist that she do the work herself. Occasionally, you may need to clarify the directions of the assignment; in those cases, let your child take a stab herself before offering to help.

6. Give positive feedback. Look over your child’s homework on occasion and praise him about all the things he’s doing right. If you do find errors, don’t criticize. Instead, review his work together and try to pinpoint his area of difficulty.

7. Keep in touch with your child’s teacher. If your child is having ongoing homework problems, such as difficulty understanding what the assignments are or how to complete them, or if he breezes through them as though they were no challenge at all, let his teacher know. The teacher may adjust the assignments so they are more in sync with his capabilities.

Source: Parents

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4 tips for good homework habits.

Posted by Guest on September 16, 2014 at 9:26 PM

Children are usually expected to spend time outside of school hours doing homework and it is important that parents help their children develop good study habits and routines. The amount of time required will vary depending on the age of the child and the expectations of the school and teachers. Even children in Elementary School can expect anywhere between 10 and 60 minutes of homework each night.

While this is often seen by school children as a boring task and an unfair imposition on their “free time,” it is important for children to complete set school work so they can make satisfactory progress in their education. The study skills and self- discipline children learn during the early years of schooling will not only help them cope with the later demands of high school senior, these skills will also stay with them for the entire length of their working life and beyond into retirement.

As adults we draw on our early education to know that it takes effort and attention to achieve goals, and that sometimes when things don’t come easily to us we have to spend time working through problems and obstacles.

But homework shouldn’t become a family battlefield filled with stress and pressure. It is an opportunity to provide encouragement and help if needed. When parents believe their child does not have a good attitude towards study or thinks they are just lazy, it can make the situation worse.

One father I know used to require his 10-year-old son to do at least one hour of math study a day. He would quiz the boy on his multiplication table and hit him with a ruler when he got an answer wrong. This Dickensian approach did nothing but make the boy so uptight about schoolwork that his grades became worse and worse.

Here are four tips to help create healthy homework habits:

2. Chill out . Relaxing immediately after school is as important for children as the after- work wind-down period we adults usually find so necessary. Remember, children should not turn on the television immediately after walking in the door from school. Instead, an afternoon snack is a pleasant relaxing way to talk with your children about their day and to find out what their homework tasks are, whether they need any special materials for projects, and when it needs to be ready.

3. Designate a space. While it is not essential for children to have absolute quiet when working, they should have a well arranged homework area that has clear table space, is well lit, and is free from obvious distractions.

Topics: parenting , homework , education , tips

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6 tips to help your kid establish good homework habits.

Homework. It’s often a dreaded word for kids and parents alike. While there’s been debate about the value of homework and whether students have too much these days, homework is still expected in most schools. And it has its good points.

Some teachers use homework to reinforce what has been covered in class or to give children practice in a particular subject area. Homework can also help children develop good study habits, self-discipline, confidence and organizational skills.

As parents, we want our kids to succeed in school. Some kids don’t need much encouragement to get down to work, but others need some help diving in. How do you help put your child on a path to good homework and study habits?

To get started, let your child have some say in the decision-making about how homework gets done, such as a regular time and place for homework. Also remember, it’s your child’s job to do the work, not yours. Giving them the responsibility will also give them confidence in themselves.

Here are 6 tips to help your child develop good homework habits:

• Designate a homework spot – Find a well-lit, quiet location in your home for your child to work on daily assignments. If your child doesn’t have a desk or workspace in his/her bedroom, the kitchen table may work just fine. Have available supplies nearby, like pencils, pens, erasers, writing paper, etc. Just make sure the area is free from distractions like the TV or chatter.
• Set a regular time (if possible) – Many parents find it helps to set a consistent time for their child to do homework, such as right after school. Other kids need some time to wind down and play or are involved in after-school activities, so homework comes after dinner. Do what works for your child and your family.
• Make homework guidelines – Establish a rule in the house that there will be no electronics or other distractions during homework time. For kids who respond poorly to a set homework time, make a guideline such as no TV or no video games until homework is done. Monitor and supervise screen time , including computer and internet use.
• Provide help, but don’t take over – Your child may need help getting focused, approaching an assignment, or organizing his/her work. Just make sure not to do the work for them. You may also want to monitor assignments to make sure your child is finishing them. If you find he/she routinely needs your help, speak to the teacher about it.
• Be encouraging – Be sure to praise your child for his/her efforts — it can go a long way toward motivating them. Take time to talk with your child about school activities in family conversations. Ask about what was discussed in class that day. Try to attend school activities, such as parent-teacher conferences, concerts and open houses.
• Keep your child’s teacher in the loop – Keep the lines of communication open with your child's teacher regarding homework assignments. If he/she seems to be struggling to understand assignments, let the teacher know. For some homework problems that can’t be worked out, a tutor may help.

Once you discover what works best for your child and your family, stick with it. Also, even if there isn’t assigned homework, try to get in the habit of reading with your child after school or at night before bed. This shared time provides quality time together and will reinforce good study habits — and may even help your child learn to love reading, which is a win!

While good homework habits are important, so is play time . The American Academy of Pediatrics states that play is essential to the social, emotional, cognitive, and physical well-being of children and youth. As with any parenting decision, balance is key to a healthy upbringing.

Anne Schneider, D.O. is a family medicine physician with Edward Medical Group. View her profile and schedule an appointment online .

Explore children’s services at Edward-Elmhurst Health .

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Building Good Homework Habits

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• Homework and Studying

Middle school students are getting assigned more and more homework each year and it is important for them to develop solid homework habits early on. Read on to learn how to help them build good homework habits at an early age.

Middle school students are getting assigned more and more homework all the time and it is important that they form solid study habits early on. Parents can help them form study skills by supporting and helping their child with homework and other assignments. This can be done by letting your child know that you consider their homework to be important - not just by making them do it, but by participating in the process and doing what you can to help.

Setting a regular time for studying is fundamental for homework success. If other commitments require you to be flexible, plan things a week at a time and keep up with the schedule. Write it down or make a chart for the refrigerator door. Help your child stick to the plan.

Find a Place

Give your child a place of his or her own to do their homework. Make sure there is good light, adequate space and all the materials they will need for projects. The place should be private enough that they can leave things undone and come back to them, without having to clean up the materials at the end of each homework period.

Control the Environment

Make sure there are no distractions. Turn off the television and prohibit telephone calls during homework time. Background music can be helpful, but favorite pop songs are not a good idea. Total isolation may not be a good idea as some children find comfort in the sounds of family life going on around them and actually study better when they are part of things. Listen to your child and observe their behavior at homework time. Try to strike the balance between what they want and what they need in a study environment.

Join in the Fun!

If at all possible, start and maintain a study project of your own. This will help your child see learning as a useful, positive thing with a purpose outside of school. And it will help them to see that school is just a small part of a life-long education over which they will someday have control. If your child sees you sit down to a book each night, they will feel partnership in their own efforts. Also, it will keep you accessible if they have questions or to monitor progress.

Show Interest

Show interest in their school life by asking your child what they are studying. Help them to accept the need to do the things they may not like and get the most out of the things they do enjoy. Find out about your child's day, what made them happy or what troubled them. As much as possible, get involved in their homework without doing it for them. A little interest from mom and dad goes a long way to forming the good study and homework habits that will serve your child throughout their academic career.

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‘Habit Stacking’ Can Help Students Transition to Middle School

Instead of piling on all of the new middle school responsibilities right away, teachers can help students gradually develop good habits.

Students often exhibit a sharp drop-off in both engagement and performance during the transition to middle school. Sixth graders can feel as though they’re in over their heads, and teachers often exacerbate this anxiety by emphasizing all the big changes that students need to make to be successful in school.

Instead, teachers can demonstrate the strategy of habit stacking , when smaller actions build upon one another. By adding small actions in the area of study skills, behavior, and academic achievement, teachers can better position students to make the leap to middle school.

Study Skills

Used to the safety of elementary school, Katy is not excited to be in sixth grade. Not only does she have so many more teachers, but also she has to move around a strange building all day long without getting lost. Once she gets to her classes, there is a lot more to do, and she can’t possibly keep track of the mountains of homework that she needs to accomplish each day. Katy keeps forgetting things, and papers are falling out of new, huge binders right and left. She feels like a mess . 

Being overwhelmed is pervasive for new middle school students. Help students build toward the expected standard of both classwork and homework rather than starting the year at a more intimidating pace. Smaller habits that are applied with gradual intention make a world of difference and prevent the kind of frustration that leads to disengagement. 

1. Select a place. Students can designate one space for learning with specific parameters that ease distraction. Teachers can specify one area in the classroom (such as a “quiet nook” in the corner), while students select one home space where possible, perhaps a comforting spot that is a little removed from hustle and bustle.

2. Write down one assignment. Rather than filling a planner or homework sheet with everything, start with one assignment per day. Teachers may wish to guide students in prioritizing their most essential assignments. During these first few weeks of habit stacking, focusing efforts on classroom instruction with homework as a support is a better way to acclimate students to the idea that they will need to learn to work more independently.

3. Just five minutes. When students are in their designated study spaces, ask them to take five minutes each day to do one assignment they recorded. This can grow to 10 minutes and then be increased to suggested blocks of time both in school and at home.

It’s easy for Denise to get distracted, and things have gotten worse since she started middle school. Yesterday, she forgot her notebook and had to go back to her locker to get it, and then she was late to class. Her English teacher called it an “excuse” and yelled at her in front of everyone. All she wants to do is cry, but she’s getting through the day by not talking to anyone and putting her head down.

Just like adults, most students want to do their best work. However, when barriers come up that don’t seem to make any sense, kids can react by becoming withdrawn or even acting out. To prevent them from feeling ungrounded and powerless, a few smaller practices can boost student confidence and result in a more productive mindset.

1. One routine. Even though elementary students are familiar with classroom structures, routines can come across very differently in a fresh space. Rather than rushing to introduce every single expectation in the early days when students are adjusting to a new school, slow down to help everyone process the rules and procedures at a more realistic pace. In the first few days of school, introduce one routine.

2. Select an attention strategy. Pick a single way to signal that it’s time to be quiet and pay attention. After consistent application of this strategy over a week, try another one to introduce variety and prevent students from becoming numb to a single method. Once a few attention strategies are established, students can also help by selecting or creating a strategy they want to try.

3. Add movement. Working short movement breaks into classes can refresh students and increase their capacity to stay focused. Start with just one movement break, encouraging kids to stretch or take a slow stroll around the room after about 30 minutes of instruction. Once this becomes familiar, work in more short movement breaks as needed whenever kids have been sitting for a while.

Academic Achievement 

Freddy stares at the math problem in front of him. Over the past week, he has become increasingly confused about what to do, and the class is moving so quickly. He does his homework every night, but it’s only graded for completion. He hasn’t known this teacher for long, and he’s afraid to ask for help, and other students around him don’t seem to be struggling. He’s not sure what to do.

Without ways to check on students frequently, appearances are deceiving. To create more opportunities that make student thinking visible and contribute to their overall success, stack strategies that make it possible to focus on student achievement of learning outcomes with more precision.

1. One question. After introducing a new concept, ask each student to submit one open-ended question on an index card. For the teacher, this is a useful formative check of what students understand. For kids, it gets them into the gradual habit of higher-order inquiry. Over time, layer this process by collecting questions more often, asking students to share them with one another, or setting up discourse opportunities around the questions.

2. Skills focus. Concentrate on one skill at a time through good first instruction rather than trying to teach several skills at once. When students have demonstrated proficiency with one area of focus, move on to the next. Along the way, be transparent about what skills are being selected and how they connect to needed outcomes.

3. Prioritize choice. Each class period, students should have the opportunity to make one choice, even if it’s small, such as letting kids select which of three agenda items to do first. When they exhibit responsible behavior with that level of autonomy, increase learner-centered methods by having students do more, like selecting an activator to start daily learning or creating a learning menu for an upcoming project. 

Too many sudden changes from fifth to sixth grade can result in an abrupt drop in engagement. When a more measured approach is adopted that incorporates habit stacking rather than larger, more traumatic change, students will be empowered to make a successful transition to middle school as they move from childhood to adolescence.

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Try These 12 Daily Habits and Become a Healthier You

Take control of your wellness by adding these healthy habits to your lifestyle. Here are the top ones to try.

We all want to be healthy, but sometimes life gets in the way. Starting over with your wellness journey can feel too big to take on. The good news is that small changes to your daily habits can make a surprisingly big difference to your overall health, especially as the effects accumulate over time.

We've got a dozen healthy habits that can help you enjoy better physical and mental health, all backed by science.

It doesn't have to stop here. See which foods you should eat for a happiness boost , hacks to handle stress and six tips to reboot your sleep habits . 

12 daily habits to improve your health

Here, we're talking about small adjustments that benefit every human. With these minor modifications to your daily routine, you can start working toward better health without having to give up a ton of time, money or enjoyment.

1. Prioritize sleep 

Going without sleep is a lot like expecting your phone to run all day on a 12% battery. Your body needs time to not just rest and recharge, but also to do important work like learning new things and solidifying memories. 

Adults should get at least seven hours of shut-eye each night. If this is a challenge for you, turn to your circadian rhythm . This is your body's natural process that should help you fall asleep, stay asleep and wake up feeling refreshed.

How do you use your circadian rhythm for better sleep ? Go to bed and get up at the same time every day.

2. Walk more 

Heading out for a stroll boosts your physical and mental health, so it's well worth adding to your list of healthy daily habits. 

On the physical front, regular walking supports your immune system, reduces joint pain and makes it easier to maintain a healthy weight. 

Any exercise helps your mental health, and that includes walking . If you want to shift your daily habits to combat symptoms of depression or anxiety or to boost your mental wellness in general, make it a point to lace up your walking shoes each day. 

3. Read for 30 minutes 

Feeling stressed? Crack open a book. One study found that a half hour of reading can have the same stress-busting effect as known sources of calm, like yoga and humor. 

Reading also does a lot for your brain, strengthening connections there. That study showed that diving into a book has both short and long-term benefits for your brain health. So to maintain the boost, make reading one of your daily habits When you do, you'll also be actively working to fight cognitive decline as you age.

4. Meditate 

Another stress reducer and mental health booster , meditation gives you a way to tune into the present moment. In our busy, hyperconnected world, this can go a long way toward not just keeping yourself healthy, but also protecting your happiness.

Starting meditation could be as simple as doing a little reading on it and setting a timer for, say, 5 minutes each day. There are also plenty of good apps to guide you. You can even incorporate a meditative mindset into your regular activities, such as mindful eating .

Meditation gives you a way to tune into the present moment, so you can reduce stress and improve your mental health. 

5. Spend time in nature

Getting into nature can help us soothe ourselves. It offers an effective counterbalance to all the screentime built into most of our days. In fact, an expanding body of research shows that time in nature can:

• Improve our cognition
• Increase attention span
• Lower risk of mental illness
• Increase empathy and social connectedness

You can combine this with other healthy habits, like your daily walk. Ideally, aim for green (like a forest) or blue (like bodies of water) spaces during your time outdoors. 

6. Eat more plant-based foods 

You probably already know that eating nutritious food makes you feel better. As an overarching concept, healthy eating habits can feel a little vague.

So let's be specific: work to get more plants onto your plate. A plant-based diet helps you maintain healthy cholesterol and blood pressure levels and reduces your risk for some chronic conditions. Plants are full of the vitamins, minerals and other nutrients we need to keep our bodies working optimally.

Try to incorporate more fruit, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and legumes into your daily meals. It might be helpful to keep a produce bowl on your kitchen counter so you can grab things as a quick snack, too.

A plant-based diet helps maintain healthy cholesterol and blood pressure levels and reduces your risk for some chronic conditions. 

7. Drink more water 

This is one of those areas where it's easy to see how healthy habits help. Since we're mostly water , it makes sense that we would need to continually replenish our body's supply. Getting enough water helps your body flush waste and keeps your joints lubricated, while acting as a shock absorber for your spine and helping your digestive processes. 

To build healthy habits around water, start carrying a reusable water bottle with you. Whenever you're bored, take a sip. Your body will thank you. 

8. Reduce alcohol intake

Reducing the alcohol you consume does a lot for you , especially if you used to binge drink.:

• Lowers risk of high blood pressure, depression and other conditions
• Decreases symptoms of those conditions
• Helps your body better absorb nutrients
• Improves sleep and minimizes fatigue
• Supports liver health

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that men have two drinks or fewer each day, while women stick to a max of one drink per day. To help yourself out here, figure out a nonalcoholic beverage you like a lot. Soda water, bitters and a lime can scratch the cocktail itch without adding another alcoholic drink to your daily total. 

9. Quit smoking 

Does this come as any surprise? Smoking is bad for your heart and lungs, and it's also bad for your longevity . Long story short, if you want to live a longer, healthier life, kick the habit. 

As you're figuring out how to be healthier, don't turn to vaping. It might be less harmful, but it's just as addictive and still comes with health risks . 

Smoking is one of the hardest daily habits to ditch. The CDC and the American Lung Association have resources to help.

10. Spend time with those you love 

If you're pursuing healthy habits to feel happier in 2023, hang with your people. Social connection goes a long way toward boosting our moods.

If you already have a group of friends or family, let this be a reminder to hit them up. Call someone you haven't talked to in a while or invite a few people over for a game or movie night. Check how you feel afterward. Better? We thought so.

If you don't have a social circle, make 2023 the year you intentionally work on making connections. That could mean striking up a conversation with a coworker or getting to know your neighbors . 

Social connection goes a long way toward boosting our overall mood.

11. Take a break from electronics 

Screen time takes its toll. In fact, studies directly link it with lower psychological well-being . 

Fortunately, the reverse is true. A digital detox can:

• Improve your sleep
• Boost your focus and productivity
• Reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety
• Support real-life social connections (see the point above)

You could try going off social media apps for a while and see how you feel. If you want to incorporate this into your healthy daily habits, carve out time each day when you're screen-free. For better sleep, maybe make that the last hour before bed.

12. Take on a new hobby 

Your healthy habits can also be fun and rewarding. What have you always wanted to do? Your answer to that question might point you toward a new hobby to explore in 2024. And getting into it can help you reduce stress and boost mental well-being.

Plus, some hobbies can get you moving, supporting both your physical and mental health. Maybe you get into playing pick-up soccer at the park, or you could explore yoga . 

Ultimately, you've got a lot of options for healthy daily habits you could incorporate into your lifestyle. You can pick one or two, or go big and go for the full dozen. Either way, you'll be moving toward a healthier, happier you. 

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Will less homework stress make California students happier?

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A bill from a member of the Legislature’s happiness committee would require schools to come up with homework policies that consider the mental and physical strain on students.

Lea esta historia en Español

Update: The Assembly education committee on April 24 approved an amended version of the bill that softens some requirements and gives districts until the 2027-28 school year. Some bills before California’s Legislature don’t come from passionate policy advocates, or from powerful interest groups.  

Sometimes, the inspiration comes from a family car ride. 

While campaigning two years ago, Assemblymember Pilar Schiavo ’s daughter, then nine, asked from the backseat what her mother could do if she won.

Schiavo answered that she’d be able to make laws. Then, her daughter Sofia asked her if she could make a law banning homework.

“It was a kind of a joke,” the Santa Clarita Valley Democrat said in an interview, “though I’m sure she’d be happy if homework were banned.”

Still, the conversation got Schiavo thinking, she said. And while Assembly Bill 2999 — which faces its first big test on Wednesday — is far from a ban on homework, it would require school districts, county offices of education and charter schools to develop guidelines for K-12 students and would urge schools to be more intentional about “good,” or meaningful homework. 

Among other things, the guidelines should consider students’ physical health, how long assignments take and how effective they are. But the bill’s main concern is mental health and when homework adds stress to students’ daily lives.

Homework’s impact on happiness is partly why Schiavo brought up the proposal last month during the first meeting of the Legislature’s select committee on happiness , led by former Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon .   

“This feeling of loneliness and disconnection — I know when my kid is not feeling connected,” Schiavo, a member of the happiness committee, told CalMatters. “It’s when she’s alone in her room (doing homework), not playing with her cousin, not having dinner with her family.” 

The bill analysis cites a survey of 15,000 California high schoolers from Challenge Success, a nonprofit affiliated with the Stanford Graduate School of Education. It found that 45% said homework was a major source of stress and that 52% considered most assignments to be busywork.  

The organization also reported in 2020 that students with higher workloads reported “symptoms of exhaustion and lower rates of sleep,” but that spending more time on homework did not necessarily lead to higher test scores.

Homework’s potential to also widen inequities is why Casey Cuny supports the measure. An English and mythology teacher at Valencia High School and 2024’s California Teacher of the Year , Cuny says language barriers, unreliable home internet, family responsibilities or other outside factors may contribute to a student falling behind on homework.

“I never want a kid’s grade to be low because they have divorced parents and their book was at their dad’s house when they were spending the weekend at mom’s house,” said Cuny, who plans to attend a press conference Wednesday to promote the bill.

In addition, as technology makes it easier for students to cheat — using artificial technology or chat threads to lift answers, for example — Schiavo says that the educators she has spoken to indicate they’re moving towards more in-class assignments. 

Cuny agrees that an emphasis on classwork does help to rein in cheating and allows him to give students immediate feedback. “I feel that I should teach them what I need to teach them when I’m with them in the room,” he said. 

The bill says the local homework policies should have input from teachers, parents, school counselors, social workers and students; be distributed at the beginning of every school year; and be reevaluated every five years.

The Assembly Committee on Education is expected to hear the bill Wednesday. Schiavo says she has received bipartisan support and so far, no official opposition or support is listed in the bill analysis. 

The measure’s provision for parental input may lead to disagreements given the recent culture war disputes between Democratic officials and parental rights groups backed by some Republican lawmakers. Because homework is such a big issue, “I’m sure there will be lively (school) board meetings,” Schiavo said.

Nevertheless, she says she hopes the proposal will overhaul the discussion around homework and mental health. The bill is especially pertinent now that the state is also poised to cut spending on mental health services for children with the passage of Proposition 1 .

Schiavo said the mother of a student with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder told her that the child’s struggle to finish homework has raised issues inside the house, as well as with the school’s principal and teachers.

“And I’m just like, it’s sixth grade!” Schaivo said. “What’s going on?”

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Lynn La is the WhatMatters newsletter writer. Prior to joining CalMatters, she developed thought leadership at an edtech company and was a senior editor at CNET. She also covered public health at The Sacramento... More by Lynn La

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