Can Homework Help Make Homework Easier?

Last-minute scrambling to finish assignments, avoidant behavior, tears, and frustration: these are all common occurrences when dealing with homework. But why is homework so fraught for some students—and what type of homework help can make a meaningful difference? 

Kids and teens – and by extension their parents – can experience the stress, anger, and heightened emotions of homework anxiety. When this becomes an everyday experience, it may be time to consider getting support. The reasons for homework difficulties can be different for every student, including: 

• They’re dealing with a diagnosed or undiagnosed learning difference like ADHD, dyslexia, or dyscalculia. 
• They thrive in a structured class environment but struggle with self-directed learning.
• They’re grappling with self-doubt or low self-esteem.
• They may have too much on their plate and feel overwhelmed. 
• They may struggle with homework habits, motivation, or other learning skills. 

How do you transform the frustrations and anxieties of homework into something positive? Here are a few ways to approach homework help with a fresh perspective. 

How To Deal with Homework Struggles

A Different Approach To Homework

When learners have a hard time with homework, it’s easy for that frustration to spill over. Suddenly, homework stresses translate into dreading school, reading, or learning. To avoid that, you may want to try a few different tactics: 

• Turn pressure into praise. Students of all ages face tremendous pressure to do the work, to juggle social and academic priorities, and to excel in school. Instead of pointing out when they’re struggling, celebrate their wins. Focus on skills, especially where they typically struggle, instead of praising innate skills and strengths. 
• Approaching homework as a mindset. Some learners thrive at school, only to lose any sense of discipline when they get home. Sometimes, they need environmental cues to get them in a working mindset. Have a dedicated, distraction-free area for completing homework. Use simple rituals to subtly signal that it’s time for work. 
• Model the behavior you want to see. Learners of all ages emulate the behavior around them—especially kids and teens. Make sure your learners see you taking time to do focused, deep work—dealing with finances, handling home admin, or other sit-down tasks that may not be especially exciting. 

Why Homework Matters 

Does homework really matter? Some research shows that completing homework doesn’t always result in improved academics or better learning. When you’re supporting your learner, it’s easy to wonder what impact it’s really having on them. 

When students complete their homework every night, it helps to develop fundamental skills, habits, and strategies that will come in handy throughout their lifetimes. These abilities include: 

• Effectively prioritizing tasks and ignoring distractions
• Breaking a workload into small, manageable tasks 
• Correctly estimating the time needed and managing time efficiently 
• Setting realistic goals and meeting them 
• Monitoring and regulating emotions and impulses 

These skills are also linked to key cognitive skills like working memory, attention, and logic—which is why, when you need homework help, it may be worth considering brain training. 

Homework Help with One-on-One Brain Training

When students face anxiety or stress around homework, it’s important to find the right type of homework help. Brain training allows students to improve foundational learning and thinking skills that play a big role in homework. 

These skills include thinking speed, logic and reasoning, focus, and working memory—abilities that students draw on again and again to solve problems, stay organized, and process new ideas. 

We build each homework help program with a specific student in mind. That makes it easier to incorporate cognitive differences like ADHD, as well as any other challenges that learners may face.  

With structured training and support, learners can improve their cognitive skills at any age! 

Do you have questions about our homework help programs? Find support for your learner—to get started with LearningRx, contact 866-BRAIN-01 or get in touch online.