However, this year has been more difficult than most. Our 8-year-old son is struggling with math. His “I suck at math” attitude has made homework an unpleasant experience for everyone in our family.

10 Tips to Help Your Kids Establish a Successful Homework Routine

Here are 10 things that have made all the difference in helping us establish a homework routine:

1. Schedule a regular time each day to do homework.
2. Before homework starts, give your kids time to get a snack, decompress, and get exercise. This will help increase their focus.
3. Create a comfortable study space free of clutter.
4. Eliminate distractions like TV, noise, clutter, phone calls, video games, etc.
5. Create family homework time, where everyone does their version of homework at the same time. Our family has family reading time, for example, where everyone sits in the same room and reads for 30 minutes. We then share a brief summary of what we read.
6. Teach your kids to check their work and do their best. Only when they’ve done that, step in and give them feedback and assist them. Don’t do the work for them!
7. Give them time limits to finish their homework. If a child is having a particularly difficult time finishing an assignment, extend the time frame or step in and help. But, don’t let your child, either out of perfectionism or frustration, continue on and on with one single assignment.
8. Plan assignments in advance with a planner, calendar, or school bulletin board in your home. Go over the homework plan for the month at the beginning of each month. For bigger assignments like reports, break the requirements (if they already haven’t been broken down by the teacher) into bite-sized chunks of work so your children don’t get overwhelmed.
9. Reward your children for good grades, good behavior, and for their effort. Getting an A for effort is a thing of the past, but it shouldn’t be in our homes. Not every child is going to get an A, but their effort in sticking to a homework routine and doing their very best is worthy of a reward.
10. If your child struggles and homework time is simply unbearable for the both of you, first talk to the teacher to see how he or she is performing in class. If the subject is very difficult for him or her, create a plan to increase knowledge or to get caught up. If homework time becomes so negative that it starts to impact school attendance (if a child stops wanting to attend school, for example), consider Online tutoring options, getting an offline tutor, or working out an arrangement with the school to have some in-school help.

What is your homework routine? What rewards and incentives do you use to encourage your children? How do you help a child who is struggling with a particular subject?

When I first noticed this in grade school, I had my child tested by our family doctor thinking he might have ADD or ADHD. When the tests came back as inconclusive, I then thought he might be dyslexic. That wasn’t the case either. I turned to the school professionals to see if there were any classes or programs that could help him be more successful in school. I am so thankful to Miss Catbagan, an incredible teacher in 4th grade, who recognized that my son is actually smart. He just learns differently.

As my son has moved into middle school, and the work load has increased, he has become overwhelmed again wtih school work. He was tested to see if he had a learning disability. The results? He was on track for his grade level, with a slightly lower understanding in language arts. I feel like my son is continually slipping through the cracks in the school setting.  Without a firm diagnosis, he isn’t eligible for extra help in resource. In the meantime, every evening doing homework with him is a constant struggle and source of frustration for everyone.

How to Help Children With Learning Disabilities Succeed in Homework

If you are experiencing similar struggles with one or more of your children, here are 7 tips to helping them have a successful homework experience:

1. Establish a daily routine. Children need to know what is going to happen next. Scheduling a time for homework, snack, dinner and bedtime can be very beneficial.
2. Give clear directives. When you are giving instructions, keep them short, clear and to the point. Have your child repeat the instructions back to you so you know he understands. This is a hard one for me. I have a million things going through my mind at once, and when I rattle them off to my son, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised when he can’t make any sense of it.
3. Turn off any ouside media during homework time. It is important that everyone in your family turns off the TV, video games, ipods, and cell phones during this study time. If you r child knows other more attractive things are going on in the other room, he will be distrated and less likely to work. He might also feel left out.
4. Take occasional time outs. Break up homework into bite-size pieces. This way your child will not be overwhelmed with all of the work at once. Kids will also be less likely sneak off when you are not looking. I will walk out of the room for a minute and come back to find that my son is nowhere to be found. He has escaped outside or to a room filled with video games that are much more entertaining to him than his homework.
5. Give positive affirmation. Make sure you are communicating with your child positively. “That assignment is really coming along or look how far you have come with that promlem.”
6. Make simple charts and checklists. Breaking things down into step-by-step instructions can be helpful. Write what needs to be accomplished plus its due date. Make sure the planner or chart the child is using meets his/her particular needs. Find what works with your child. Creatingyour own schedule or to-do list in an iPad might be easier fo ryour child to stay organized, especially if he is computer oriented. There are lot of new apps that make scheduling easy.
7. Steer clear of overwhelming your child with choices. Simply ask “Do you want to do math or spelling right now?”

Helping children with learning disabilies can be very challenging. One of my biggest fears is that I am not doing everything to help my child be successful…not only in school, but in life.

Not all children learn the same. They are unique and different for a reason. I am learning to embrace the differences and accept the challenges in helping him succeed.

I love my son and want to help him be successful in life. My motivation for helping him comes from the joy and confidence he has shown in other areas of his life. His artwork, sports, and scouting achievements show me that he is creative, smart, and capable. I would like to help him see that he can be just as successful in his schoolwork.

What challenges have you overcome with learning disabilities personally or with your children? What tips do you recommend to help your child be successful in school?

Photos courtesy of Flickr.

Back to school is not my favorite time of year. I love having my son home with me. But, it’s time to start getting organized so we can have a successful start. My son will be going into 7th grade. 7th! WOW! Middle school is a different ball of wax. Last year, I noticed a level of stress that my son didn’t have in elementary school. He was suddenly worried about going from class to class, making it on time, and keeping track of homework. He was nervous.

Setting him up for success was the best way for him to learn to manage a new phase in his life. I set aside a designated space with all the tools needed for his homework: a homework station. This year we’re trying a portable homework station that he can tote around. I noticed last year that he didn’t always want to be in the office where his table was set up. Sometimes he wanted to be in the kitchen with me, or at the dining room table.

I had an extra scrapbooking tote and thought it would be perfect. I placed all the necessary items that a 7th grader would need. I have it ready to go! Let’s cross our fingers for a smooth year!

Items for a Portable Homework Station

The following are items in my son’s portable homework station:

• pencils
• pens (black, red and blue)
• pencil sharpener
• colored pencils
• markers
• stapler
• protractor
• tape
• glue (glue stick and bottled)
• calculator
• eraser
• Paper (spirals, notebook, composition books)
• scissors
• ruler
• usb
• snack

Other items may be needed for different grades.

How do you keep your kid’s school supplies organized? How are you prepping your kids to be successful with homework this year?

Kim is the author of Today’s Creative Blog, where she features the best creative blogs out there.

If you’re looking for inspiration or just looking for your next project, you’ll find it plus more on Today’s Creative Blog.

And science? Almost worse. My biggest claim to fame was when I lit my lawn on fire and subsequently burned the whole thing! It was so pretty! Isn’t science fun?

So, when I had two boys, I feared the day they’d come home and ask for help with their math or science homework or any homework that included numbers. Why? Because after learning that I sucked at math in college, I promptly petitioned my way out of it. Apparently, I wasn’t bad at writing and my petition was approved! But what that reinforced was my lack of confidence in all things mathematical—things I really do find fascinating and want to understand.

That is why last night’s #gno Twitter party was illuminating for me. I felt surrounded by brilliance as an entire community of parents and teachers and organizations came together to share tips, links, and awesome ideas for how to help your kids learn and love STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering, and math).

Here are a few things I learned—quoted directly from the Twitter party—that I hope will help you as you teach your kids to learn and love all things STEM. If you choose to read one section, make sure to check out the resources at the bottom. This is chock full of links to help you help your kids!

Tips for Parents

• “Parents shouldn’t be afraid to ask questions. Keep the lines of communication open.” @PBSParents
• “Instead of assuming a child is “too young to understand”, try to find a more relatable way to explain it.” @bkjones
• “Modeling is important; esp. for older kids. If ur online all the time, they’ll assume it’s OK for them, too.” @PBSParents
• “The biggest thing to help your child with is for them to LEARN HOW TO FIGURE THINGS OUT. Applies to everything.” @RobynOHSH
• “If you don’t limit a child’s imagination, there are no limits – they can take you to the moon. Literally!” @geekmommy
• “Your backyard is a classroom waiting to be used.” @connectingwomen
• “Get out & find beauty of physics everywhere, computers are great, but hands on lessons hard to forget.” @coolchillmom
• “Share [with kids] stories of successes, and also those with failures but with a great learning lesson.” @connectingwomen
• “It’s not hard to get kids to think like scientists – just ask them “What do you think?” from the time they can speak!” @NoFlashcards
• “say, “I don’t know”, then follow up with “let’s find out.” @makeandtakes

Tips for Encouraging Girls to Love and Learn STEM Subjects

• “Encourage girls to get their hands dirty, to explore, to ask questions…to think like a scientist.” @PBSParents
• “Give girls books about science, construction, transportation, dinosaurs; not just princesses & ballerinas.” @amymcdurham
• “Many moms let dad do the fixing or hire handyman, do it yourself to show your daughter that she can do it.” @thesmartmama

STEM-Related Activities to Do With Your Children

• “A museum membership is more than investment, great for days when kids say ‘I’m bored.’” @geekmommy
• “Look for star gazing events in your area or do it in your own back yard.” @PBSParents
• “With math, help kids count everything: flowers in a vase, coins in ur purse, people in a store.” @PBSParents
• “Show kids how ice melts or water freezes. Let them see the mold on the cheese before throwing it away.” @PBSParents
• “For little ones, cut out shapes in pancakes. Point out shapes around your house.” @PBS Parents
• “Bath time: Let them see what sinks/floats. In the kitchen, let them see how an egg changes when it’s cooking.” @PBSParents
• “Find out what Geocaching is & make it a family outing.” @GeekMommy
• “Tell a story, history is full of great inventors, scientist, and builders that can inspire just like a good educator can.” @CoolChillMom
• “Play the ABC game w/ pre-k: go on walk and find natural things beginning w/ each letter-fun!” @sanborncamps
• “If you travel, get sciece museum or zoo membership with reciprocal benefits at other science museums.” @moneywisemoms
• “A simple magnifying glass can lead to great scientific exploration of a backyard.” @NoFlashcards
• “Unstructured time in nature is vital Let them climb trees make forts get an ouchie. It’s learning!” @ohboymama
• “Start an outdoor playgroup and discover w/ parents and kids math and science out there.” @activekidsclub
• “Start a Lego club, encourage trips to museums as field trips.” @RobynOHSH
• “Check out local nature centers. They’re free. Many libraries also have free science-related programs.” @PBSParents
• “For early engineering, paper crafting is great!” @pattyonovak
• “I buy my kids kits like Shrinky Dinks and Magic Rocks and Sea Monkeys to introduce science concepts. They love it.” @mammaloves
• “Puzzles, word searches, crosswords all great 4 teaching engineering – teaches strategy.” @pattyonovak

STEM-Related Resources

• Encourage your kids to keep a science notebook. Check out this post from The Kitchen Pantry Scientist for ideas.
• Make your kids aware of and help them get involved in World Math Day.
• Check out this PBS site for tips on engaging kids in science.
• Here’s some fun kids’ sites: Curious George, Sid the Science Kid, and Dinosaur Train.
• Here’s a link to STEM-related Activity Packs, which offer pre K-12 PBS resources and activity ideas.
• Click here to learn more about the Great American Campout Night?!
• Here are some great nature activities that are free and fun!
• Here’s a list of science museums around the country.
• Another great PBS resource is ZOOM. Has over 100 easy activities to do with your kids.
• Here’s an awesome post from Mommy Poppins on what to do on snow days.
• The Carrot Sticks website gives you a “Fun Way to Give Your Kids an Edge in Math.”
• Lots of great engineering activities at this engineering reality program for middle school.
• For teaching girls programming concept, check out the Alice website.
• Heres the National Science Foundations Top 5 Myths of Girls & Science.
• Don’t forget that the Arts and Music build the science mind!

Photo courtesy of Flickr.

Prizes

Three winners will receive a PBS Kids prize pack, valued at $100 each.

Entry Requirements

Please do the following two things to enter for a chance to win and leave a separate comment for each:

1. Visit http://www.pbs.org/parents/exploringscience/ and leave a comment here, sharing one game or activity or piece of information from the site you’d like to do or share with your child or another child in your life to help them learn and love STEM.
   XXX
2. Follow @pbsparents AND @pbskids on Twitter.
   XXXX
3. Post these messages on Twitter and leave comments here with a link to your tweets:

GIVEAWAY! Enter 2 win a @pbsparents prize pack (3 winners/ARV $100 each) http://bit.ly/9YyZka #pbskids #gno PLS RT
XXXX

Check out awesome @pbskids site http://to.pbs.org/8NGWsp 4 gr8 kids’ STEM (science, tech, eng, math) activities PLS RT

Extra Entries

The following five entries are completely optional and will earn you one extra entry each. Leave a separate comment on this post for each completed entry.

1. Post a picture to the Mom It Forward Flickr pool of your kids doing a STEM activity.
2. Share tips in the comment section on this post for ways in which parents can help their kids learn and love STEM subjects.
3. Follow @momitforward on Twitter.
4. Become a Friend of Mom It Forward’s Google Friend Connect (see box in right sidebar).
5. Subscribe to the Mom It Forward RSS feed (click on orange heart at the top of the right sidebar).

Terms and Conditions

Items featured in image may differ from those included in the giveaway. No purchase necessary to enter. Giveaway ends at midnight ET Wednesday, March 3, 2010. No more than one entry per person via each of the methods listed in the Giveaway details. The odds of winning a Giveaway depend on the number of entries. Winners will be selected randomly by Mom It Forward. All decisions of Mom It Forward are final. Employees of Mom It Forward and the Giveaway sponsor are not eligible to participate. All entries received after the Giveaway closing date and time will not be considered. Entries that do not follow all of the entry requirements will not be considered. Winners will be notified via email and will have 24 hours to confirm receipt of the e-mail. If the winner does not reply within 24 hours, another winner will be selected. Open to participants who are residents of the US 18 years and older. Void in Maine. Void where prohibited. Taxes on Giveaways are solely the responsibility of the winner. Winner agrees to permit Mom It Forward and the Giveaway Sponsor to use her or his name, voice, photo, or likeness for reasonable promotional and marketing purposes for up to 90 days after the end of the Giveaway. Mom It Forward and Sponsor are not liable for late or misdirected entries, entry errors, or transmission problems. Mom It Forward reserves the right to terminate the Giveaway in the event of technical problems, or to correct typographical or technical errors, or to amend these rules. All participants should review the Mom It Forward disclosure and privacy policies. By entering, participants agree to release and hold harmless Mom It Forward, Sponsor, and their respective parents, subsidiaries, affiliates, directors, officers, employees, and agents from any and all liability or any injuries, loss, or damage of any kind arising from or in connection with a Giveaway. Mom It Forward will provide the name of the winner for any Giveaway, upon request, for 90 days after that Giveaway’s entry period ends. Unless otherwise provided by the Sponsor, no substitution, transfer, or assignment of prizes is permitted. Non-winning entries from one Giveaway are not carried forward to future Giveaways.

But today, the educational landscape has changed. STEM is taught in a much more hands-on, interactive way. As a parent, taking advantage of opportunities to help your child learn and love these subjects can be as simple as visiting a local children’s museum, taking your kids rock climbing, or talking about gravity when a spill occurs instead of hurrying to wipe it up.

Want to learn more tips for helping your kids get excited about STEM, then join the #gno gang along with PBS Kids this Tuesday, March 2 from 9-11 ET (8 CT, 7 MT, and 6 PT)!

• What: Girls’ Night Out (#gno) Twitter party (Click here to learn about #gno!)
• When: Tuesday, March 2, 9-11 p.m. EST (8CT, 7 MT, & 6 PT)
• Where: Click here to party with us on our very own Custom Tweetgrid! (Use hashtags #gno and #pbskids.)
• Topic: Helping Kids Learn and Love STEM
• Who: @hensoncompany @geekmommy @mommyniri @moneywisemoms @mrsmoNJ @pbsparents @simchabe @techmama @techsavvymama @thinkmaya @WGBH_Kids @WGBH_STEM @whymommy
• Party Favors: Click here to enter for a chance to win this week’s giveaway. Deadline: 3/3
• RSVP: Use Mr. Linky below (enter the twitter URL and your twitter ID (e.g., http://twitter.com/jyl_momIF). If you would like to include your blog, please enter it next to your name. Make sure to include your twitter URL in the URL line. Please do not enter your blog URL there.

Note: Mom It Forward accepts paid sponsorships for most #gno Twitter parties. During the parties, brand sponsors provide tips, techniques, expert advice, and information on party topics. Mom It Forward is grateful for the giveaway prizes, coupons, and discounts that sponsors also provide to the Mom It Forward community in conjunction with #gno Twitter parties.

Photo courtesy of Flickr.