20+ homework tips to help take the hassle out of homework

I was just about to rattle off a really great article with my most useful homework tips, but I stopped. I mean, how useful is one person’s advice really? Every home is different, every family is different, every kid and mum and thing is different.

So, instead, I asked a bunch of my mum friends – some are bloggers, many are not – to share their absolute best homework tips to end the afternoon angst. Their advice was bloody brilliant. And the best thing is, there are so many different mums here that you are bound to have an aha! moment at some point. I hope you do anyway.

Oh, and PS, I reserve the right to keep cranking out advice for you on my own too. It’s just what I do. 😊

20+ useful homework tips

Where homework happens

Create a communal space where you can keep an eye on them. Teenagers will eventually choose somewhere themselves, but in the early years of high school it’s all about building good habits, and that works best when you can keep an eye on them.
Rachel, Tweens2Teens, mum of three

We do homework together around the dining table each evening. I do some work, the kids do their homework. It’s actually quite nice.
Rach, mum of four, Years 4, 8, 9 and uni

If there is work to be done, it’s at the kitchen bench while I’m cooking dinner so I can assist, praise, feedback, keep on task…..phew!
Brenda, Family Travels, mum of two primary kids

We head to the local library once a week for the afternoon. It’s like enforced study time and I just read my book. Ha, it’s my favourite time of the week – so quiet.
Lucy, mum of two, Years 3 and 7

When my girls were about to start school I went totally overboard setting up cute desks in their rooms with matching accessories and gorgeous papers and uber cool noticeboards as their ‘homework station’. I have since discovered that desks become a dumping zone for washing, and homework does not really ‘work’ in bedrooms – well that is certainly my experience! Homework these days is done at the kitchen table or bench.
Megan, Children’s Books Daily, mum of two, Year 2 and Year 4

When homework happens

Set aside a dedicated time for homework each day and roster it into the schedule. For us, it’s the half hour before dinner (an hour for my Years 9 and 11 kids).
Ann-Marie, mum of four, Years 2, 5, 7 and 9

We’ve found more success if homework is done in the morning, I leave it on the breakfast bar for them to do when they wake (usually a lot earlier than me).
Emily, Have a Laugh On Me, mum of three

The kids do homework two days a week and have the other days off. They cram it all into those two days so they can relax on the other days. I find this much easier to manage and the kids appreciate not having the drudgery of homework each day. My eldest is in Year 8 next year, so it might need to change, but so far so good.
Adrienne, mum of two, Years 4 and 7

We do it after breakfast in the mornings.
Janet, mum of three, Years 3, 6 and 9

We cram on Sundays as it’s the only day we have free to do homework. Eye roll.
Sarah, mum of two, Years 8 and 9

It’s the same tip I use for everything that is not super attractive to do – be consistent! It’s not glamorous, but it works. I try and make homework routine so everyone knows it’s happening and when and that it’s not up for debate. 
Stacey, Veggie Mama, mum of two

Organising homework

We have a big family calendar in the kitchen with all the assignment due dates written prominently.
Jing, mum of twin boys in Year 4

I pay my kids to do their homework. Is that bad? I give them an extra $5 a week if they do some homework every day. It works for us.
Sarah, mum of three, Years 2, 7 and 10

I ask to see the homework every night after dinner and I expect it to be done and done well.
Claire, mum of three, Years 3, 4 and 9

It’s a bit naff, but on Monday afternoons we have a ‘planning session‘ and map out what homework needs to be done and the day the kids are going to do it.
Renee, mum of five, Kindy, Years 2, 3, 7 and 9

There’s a blackboard wall in the girls’ bedrooms where they plan out the week’s homework. It’s visible every day so they are unlikely to forget it.
Susie, mum twin girls in year 7

Motivating kids to do homework

My three would NEVER get onto the homework, no matter what I tried. Now I pay a tutor to get them to do it. Best money I’ve ever spent.
Alicia-Jane, mum of three in high school

Homework needs to be the responsibility of the child. Often we can have the best of
intentions with wanting to help them, but we can take over. If it makes you feel better, have a chat with their teacher and explain that you are handing over responsibility fully to your child
Nicole, Planning with Kids, mum of five

Click here for more of Nicole’s briliant school tips.

No screens until it is all done… and do this every, every, every day…
Seana, Sydney Kids, mum of four – twins in Year 6 plus two out of school

There’s no way I would do my kids’ homework for them, but I do coach them. It keeps them on track if they know I’m there to comment and help them.
Sue, mum of three girls, Years 3, 4 and 10

It doesn’t hurt to have cute pencils and stationery to sweeten the deal. Which, to be honest, is just as much for me as it is for them!
Stacey, Veggie Mama, mum of two

I mark my son’s homework and give him extra challenges if he gets things wrong. It’s like using the homework as a tutoring prompt and we both like it.
Chris, mum of one, Year 9

We use the Pomodoro Technique to get the kids moving and help them stay focused. It’s a game-changer.
Michelle, mum of two girls, Years 5 and 8

Click here to find out how the Pomodoro Technique for homework works.

I’m still battling though bloody sight words and readers with my youngest. We play games to make it bearable.
Ally, mum of four, Kindy, Years 4, 5 and 8

If my kids don’t do their homework there’s no after-school activities, no play dates and basically NO FUN!
Emily, Have a Laugh On Me, mum of three

Got a useful homework tip to add to our collection?

Image: Andrew Neel