IELTS Essay # 60 - Some parents think that helping their children with homework is good. Others think children should do their homework on their own. Discuss both views and give your opinion.

Essay # 60

Some parents think that helping their children with homework is good. Others think children should do their homework on their own. Discuss both views and give your opinion.

It is very common for children to ask their parents for help in their homework. But the dilemma is how much involvement can be considered as appropriate. This essay shall discuss whether parents should help or completely refrain from assisting children with their homework.

Parents’ primary focus in helping the students with their homework is to support their motivation. Helping children develop a homework routine will ensure their academic success. Setting a regular time and choosing a place, and removing all distractions are some things the parents can do to help kids in their homework. This is a great opportunity for parents to emphasize on the child’s self-regulatory skills and review their work along the way so that they can know and work on their child’s strengths and weaknesses.

Not helping a child and letting him do his homework by himself is assumed to be a good practice as people feel it gives children autonomy. But sometimes this approach can turn into neglecting the child’s academic efforts completely. Children may also take advantage of this and become laidback about their homework resulting in poor grades at school. The kind of help that works best depends, of course, partly on the child's age. Elementary school students who are doing homework for the first time may need more direct involvement than older students.

To sum up I believe parents need to be involved with the child in his homework up to a certain level; this level needs to be productive and should not make the child dependent. As the child starts becoming responsible enough to plan his own work, parents can lessen their participation accordingly.

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