The basic rule

The U.S. Department of Education's parent booklet Helping Your Child with Homework puts it plainly: "The basic rule is, 'Don't do the assignments yourself.'" Doing an assignment for your child won't help your child understand and use the information, the booklet says, so even when you give guidance, let your child do the work (booklet, first published in 1995 and reprinted with updates in 2002).

That leaves parents the setup around the work: when and where it happens, what the directions say, and what to do when your child gets stuck.

What research says about parent help

Study Who What it found
Patall, Cooper and Robinson, 2008 (abstract) 14 studies that trained parents, and 20 studies (22 samples) that compared parent involvement with achievement Training parents to be involved led to more homework finished, fewer homework problems and, "possibly," better performance in elementary school. In the comparison studies, involvement went with better outcomes in elementary and high school and worse ones in middle school, and with lower math but higher verbal outcomes
Moroni and colleagues, 2015 (abstract) 1,685 sixth graders, surveyed over time "How often parents helped with homework was negatively associated with the development of achievement." Help students saw as supportive predicted better achievement, and help they saw as intrusive predicted worse
Maloney and colleagues, 2015 (abstract) 438 first and second graders and their parents (UChicago News) When math-anxious parents helped often with math homework, their children learned less math over the school year and ended it more anxious about math. When those parents helped less often, there was no link
Pomerantz, Moorman and Litwack, 2007 (abstract) A review of research on parent involvement "How parents become involved determines in large part the success of their involvement"

Most of these studies observed families rather than assigning them a way to help, so they show which kinds of help go with better or worse results, not proof of what caused them. The training studies are the exception, and in them, teaching parents how to be involved led to more homework finished.

How to help without taking over

  • Set a time and a place. "Having a regular time to do homework helps children to finish assignments," the booklet says, and the spot should have "good lighting" and be "fairly quiet," with the TV off and supplies at hand. Let your child help choose the time: a research review gives "parents support children in developing their own schedules for doing their homework" as its home example of supporting a child's independence (review).
  • Read the directions together, then step back. If your child doesn't understand the instructions, the booklet suggests you "read them with her and talk about the assignment."
  • Ask questions instead of giving answers. "What is the question asking?" "Where's an example like this in your notes or the book?" "What have you tried?" "How could you check it?"
  • Let your child lead. Eva Pomerantz, a psychologist who studies parent involvement, describes supporting a child's autonomy as "adopting their children's perspective and allowing them to make choices and take the lead." She says parents caught up in their children's performance "tend to be intrusive – for example, by taking over their children's homework" (University of Illinois).
  • Keep it calm. Pomerantz says "it's best when parents keep negative emotions such as anxiety or irritation in check." The booklet adds: "If your child shows signs of frustration, let him take a break."
  • Check that it's finished. The booklet calls it "usually a good idea to check to see that your elementary school child has finished her assignments."
  • Let mistakes reach the teacher. If a hint doesn't help, consider leaving the answer as your child wrote it and sending the teacher a short note. The booklet suggests letting "the teacher know whether your child finds the assignments too hard or too easy."
  • If math makes you anxious, consider a different job. In the Maloney study, the link with children learning less math showed up only when math-anxious parents helped often, though the study found a link, not proof of cause. One option is to keep the routine and the encouragement and let another adult, an older sibling or the teacher take the math questions. For math methods that look unfamiliar, see why math homework looks different.

How much homework is typical

  • The 10-minute rule. Researcher Harris Cooper recommends "10 minutes of homework per night for first-graders, 20 minutes for second-graders, 30 minutes for third-graders, and so on" (Duke, 2009). Education Week reported that the National Education Association and the National PTA endorse it, as quoted by the California State PTA.
  • The Department of Education booklet, citing national parent and teacher organizations, gives 10 to 20 minutes a school day for kindergarten through 2nd grade and 30 to 60 minutes for grades 3 through 6, adding that "amounts that vary from these guidelines are fine for some children and in some situations."
  • Middle school. Cooper puts it at 60 to 90 minutes a night for 6th through 9th graders (NEA, 2015). Locally, Medea Creek Middle School tells families that 6th graders may expect about an hour, though it may fluctuate (FAQ).

The link between homework and achievement is stronger for older students. Cooper's 2006 research synthesis found it stronger in grades 7–12 than in kindergarten through 6th grade (abstract), and he says homework for young students "should be short, lead to success without much struggle, occasionally involve parents" (Duke, 2006).

If it seems like too much, Cooper suggests first checking "whether the child is using study time effectively before contacting the teacher" (Duke, 2009). Then look up the rules: the California State PTA suggests starting with "your local school and district's homework policies." In CVUSD that's Board Policy 6154, Homework/Makeup Work. In May 2012 the board amended it to ask teachers to avoid assigning homework over long weekends, holidays and summer break, except in AP and IB courses (board minutes). The current text is in the district's policy library, and Oak Park and Las Virgenes Unified link theirs from their board policy pages (OPUSD, LVUSD).

When homework turns into a nightly fight

  • Talk with the teacher early. The booklet suggests talking "with each of your child's teachers early in the school year" and asking for a meeting about homework problems.
  • In middle school, step back from the work. Involvement in homework went with worse outcomes in middle school in the 2008 synthesis, and Cooper says "teachers should ask parents to take part less often as kids get older" (NEA). Help with planning instead: the middle school organization guide covers planners and weekly gradebook checks.
  • If you get outside help, the same rule applies. A tutor shouldn't do the homework either. Thousand Acorns Tutoring doesn't do homework or assignments for students (what each subject covers).

The signs a child needs a tutor guide covers when struggles with homework point to something more. For practice that keeps math facts quick, see how to get faster at math facts.

Questions parents ask

Should parents help with homework?

Yes, mostly with the setup: a regular time, a quiet place, the directions read together and a note to the teacher when something's too hard. In a 2008 research synthesis, training parents to be involved led to more homework finished and fewer homework problems, and possibly better performance in elementary school.

Should I correct my child's homework?

Point to the part that needs another look and ask your child to check it, rather than fixing it. If a hint doesn't help, one approach is to leave the answer as your child wrote it and tell the teacher. The Department of Education's homework booklet suggests letting the teacher know when assignments seem too hard or too easy.

How much homework should a 3rd grader have?

About 30 minutes a night under the "10-minute rule" of 10 minutes per grade, which researcher Harris Cooper recommends. The Department of Education's homework booklet, citing national parent and teacher organizations, gives 30 to 60 minutes a school day for grades 3 through 6. Your child's school and teacher set the actual amount.

What if math makes me anxious?

You can still run the routine. In a study of 438 first and second graders, children of math-anxious parents learned less math over the school year only when those parents helped often with math homework; when they helped less often, there was no link. The study measured parents' math anxiety, not their math skills, and found a link, not proof of cause. One option is to let another adult or the teacher take the math questions while you keep the routine.

Should I help my middle schooler with homework?

Less with the work itself and more with planning. In the 2008 synthesis, parent involvement in homework went with better outcomes in elementary and high school but worse ones in middle school, and Harris Cooper has said teachers should ask parents to take part less often as children get older.

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