Effects of Too Much Homework and How You Can Help Your Kid Manage
As time goes by, the world becomes busier and life itself keeps on changing. This puts students under great pressure of keeping up with loads of information and other complicated life aspects. To keep everyone on the same page, the education system uses homework as a crucial component for learning. But, most students from elementary level to college admits to having difficulties in completing homework assignments. In this article, we discuss the negative impacts that too much homework has on your child’s health and how you can help them out.
Before we jump into the juicy part, let’s first look at why homework assignments are important:
- Homework helps to reinforce learned material
- Boosts students’ retention capacity
- Trains vital life skills such as time management and problem-solving abilities
- Improves parental involvement in student performance
Homework is a fundamental part of the overall learning process. It facilitates parental involvement and allows students to be self-independent. To harness all its benefits, you might need to find a balance first because excessive homework amounts to negative health implications, as we’ll discuss shortly below.
Effects of too much homework
Homework has been touted for its contribution to improved student grades through different centuries. While teachers’ intentions are critical for every piece of homework given, the amount issued is their responsibility. So how large homework quantities could be affecting your child?
Reduced learning activities – if your child is getting too many assignments to tackle every night, they will most likely be spending too much of their time completing these assignments other than using that time to revise other important topics and/or subjects.
Deteriorates social communication – excessive homework amounts deprives students of the time to engage and socialize with their colleagues and families. If this happens for a long time, they might end up not knowing how to communicate properly with other people.
Increases stress – working on complicated assignments and/or lengthy homework projects can be frustrating because you have to spend all night trying to finish it and in turn have lower cognitive skills in subsequent classes.
Lowers productivity – too much homework can be overwhelming and consequently rob students of the opportunity to spend more time developing other crucial skills and explore their creativity levels.
When assigning homework teachers must find the right balance between challenging and exciting. On the other hand, parents also have a role to play in safeguarding their kids’ health and well-being. Here is how to get started:
Identify the issue – ensure that the amount of homework doesn’t exceed the general 10-minute homework rule set by the National PTA.
Help your child to focus more – always check on your kid while they work on their homework. Lack of focus can be one reason that they might shift blame to homework. Confiscate their phones if it distracts them.
Make a plan and designate a workspace – formulate a homework routine and designate them a spacious, comfortable, and quiet room for doing their homework daily to help them focus more on the task.
Consult with their teacher – if you identify that it takes your child longer to finish a 10-minute assignment, talk to his or her teacher, and discuss options that you can use to help correct the situation.