Siblings, Grace and John, are one year apart in elementary school. One thing their teachers have noticed? They have a wide vocabulary and seem to know things that are more advanced than their current class developmental milestone. They also turn in all assignments complete and on time.
During lunch break one day, Grace’s class teacher, Ms Tiwi, called John aside to ask him about their homework routine. That’s when she understood a simple strategy that made these two children different from others—parents participating in homework time; one of the ways parents can support their children.
Why is learning support at home important?
Studies in both Sub-Saharan Africa and the West have confirmed that children with parental support at home not only perform better in their classrooms, but also experience enhanced emotional well-being, social development and lifelong success.
This data is backed by feedback from veteran teachers like Opeyemi, who will tell you that, ‘‘There’s an obvious difference in ability between children who receive support from home and those who don’t. Parents leave a lot of their child’s potential on the table when they choose to only focus on paying school fees, getting textbooks and nothing else.’’
A common misconception about learning support
Talking about ways parents can support their children’s learning, a common misconception is that you have to spend one-on-one ‘homework’ time with each child every day or pay someone to run as a substitute.
While either option may be a possibility for some parents, for others, it is not feasible due to other responsibilities, having multiple children or financial constraints.
Learning support for your children does not have to be rocket science. You can simply begin by asking your child/ren’s teacher how best to support your child/ren this term. The truth is, ignorance of the right form of ‘support’ can keep you spending 2 hours getting in the way of your child getting homework done, rather than supporting them.
That conversation with their teacher saves you from guesswork, ensuring you maximise the 30-minutes or 2 hours you can set aside for homework support. This way, your child gets the support they really need, and you’ll probably be rescued from hiring after-school support, which isn’t compulsory for every child. Where after-school support for your child is necessary, their teacher can also provide specific areas of challenge and recommended resources.
In addition, you do not need to be an expert at the concepts your child is learning to provide support. When they are being taught algebra, plasmolysis or other concepts you are unfamiliar with, you can:
- ask them to share what they know about the topic or what they think they’ve been asked to (remember, your child was the one in class, not you)
- encourage them to explore the topic independently by using textbooks, encyclopedias, and search engines
- explore with them—use these resources to jointly figure out how concepts work or how to get assigned tasks done
When all these have failed, do not hesitate to send the teacher a message/email with your questions.
Pro Tip: Do not reach out to your child’s teacher at odd hours. If you’re only available at night, reach out to the teacher the following morning.
3 Simple Ways Parents Can Support Their Children’s Learning at Home
Remember, Grace and John from earlier? Ms Tiwi also learned from speaking to John that they had an older female cousin in high school who guided them with homework and studying for exams. On a school day, either of John’s parents supervises homework time, answering any questions their children have, and redirecting the siblings to their cousin if they cannot handle any topic.
For some families, relatives do not live nearby. For others, parents do not get home until after 5 pm. This implies that learning support at home will take on different forms in different homes. However, the principles that undergird them are the same. Let’s explore three easy-to-implement principles.
1. Build a healthy homework routine
Homework is a primary component of learning at home. In fact, Duke University Professor Harris M. Cooper, who researched and studied homework for 25 years, said, ‘All children should be doing homework. Not only is it important in reinforcing skills learned during the school day, it also teaches time management, study skills, and independent learning, as well as keeping parents connected to their children’s learning.’ Implying that children are done a disservice when homework is not done right and on time.
To build a healthy homework routine,
- Create dedicated time for homework.
Don’t leave timing to chance. That’s the quickest way to forget about it. Homework time could be an hour before dinner, right after school or somewhere in between. - Supervise, don’t intrude.
You were not the one given the assignment; don’t do your child’s homework for them—that takes away the learning and fun they could have gained from doing it. Ask them what they think the assignment entails, stay on hand to answer questions they might have, and ask them questions that lead them to the answer instead of telling them yourself. - Have a stash of resources at home.
Add learning resources to your shopping list at least once a quarter. Having to run to the shop down the road every time there’s a colouring assignment takes away from homework time. The resources you have at home should also reflect your child’s learning level—crayons and pencils for kindergarteners, dictionaries and cardboards for primary school and so on.
Pro Tip: If your child has a sibling, you can have the older sibling support the younger one only after they have completed their own assignment.
2. Personalise learning support.
In the same way, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach for every home; learning support will vary per academic level. If you have multiple children at different levels, you’ve probably figured this out, or maybe not.
| Activity | Kindergartners | Elementary School | High School |
| Have a dedicated learning activity corner furnished with books, pencils, colour papers, et al. | ✅ | ✅ | |
| Introduce physical activity to their routine, helping them learn about their environment. | ✅ | ✅ | |
| Create a healthy bedtime routine that includes book reading, making up stories or open-ended questions. | ✅ | ✅ | |
| Praise efforts and encourage learning from mistakes rather than running from them. | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| When in doubt, ask the teacher. | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Develop study habits with a dedicated study timetable, where they go over topics learnt during the school day. | ✅ | ✅ | |
| Build a mini-library (physical or virtual) where they can engage fiction and non-fiction books. | ✅ | ✅ | |
| Introduce learning resources like Twinkle, Khan Academy, Open Learn, where they can access educational videos to explore topics and understand difficult concepts. | ✅ | ||
| ✅ – Represents areas where the technique is very important | |||
Pro Tip: Discover your child’s learning style by having them take quizzes like the Learning Style Quiz or the Multiple Intelligences Test. Then, provide them with resources that support their individual needs.
3. Providing learning support during exams
Well before exams, be sure to have established a solid learning routine with your children. For children in primary and secondary school, create a study timetable with them. Pair intense subjects with light-weight subjects and have them dedicate a minimum of one hour each weekday to studying topics for the week.
Guide them to move beyond rote memorization to understanding concepts in-depth. Getting used to studying before exam time takes the pressure off, ensuring your child can approach exams with confidence, only needing to revise what they already understand.
In a case where your child is preparing for a high-stakes exam (like WAEC, UTME, IGCSEs) or has not studied during the term, you can support them by:
- Jointly creating a study timetable (pair intense subjects with light-weight subjects).
- Create a learning schedule with breaks in between. You can use the Pomodoro principle here: 50-minute study time, 10-minute breaks or 90-minute study time, 15-minute breaks.
- Exams contain enough pressure already. Tone down the shouting.
Pro Tip: Have a sit-down with your child to discuss and document their goal for this exam. Make sure the goals set are not based on comparison with others; instead, their goals should gear them towards improvement on their previous performance.
Martin Luther King Jr said ‘‘The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character — that is the goal of true education.’’ Beyond becoming that child who bags awards at the end of every session, collaborate with the teachers to get your children to enjoy learning, gain an in-depth understanding of new concepts, and leverage their learning strengths while building on their weaknesses.
In addition to homework time, also create meaningful moments—ask open-ended questions to know how they really feel about learning French, encourage their curiosity about history and demonstrate genuine interest in what they are learning.
As much as possible, pay undivided attention while engaging your child. When you’re intentional, learning can take place anytime during the day, and simple questions can turn into teachable moments.
Remember, your child can be the best version of themselves, but they cannot do it without you.