It is not uncommon for families to be concerned because their child's homework is taking what seems like forever to get through. Homework struggles can stem from multiple causes. It can be hard, it can be boring, or it could be a sign of an underlying struggle for your child.
How Long You Should Spend on Homework
The rule we advise families to stick with is 10 minutes per grade level per night. That means if you have a second-grader, he or she should be doing 20 minutes of homework each night. If you have a 6th grader, it should be an hour.
If this sounds impossible based on your child's current homework time, we encourage you to reflect on some factors that may be causing the homework to take longer.
Is your child paying attention to their homework the whole time?
Is one class (like reading) taking longer than the rest?
Is the workload just TOO much?
What You Can Do if Homework Feels Like It Takes Forever
We recommend monitoring your child's behavior while they do their homework. Track how long they are on task, how many times they get distracted, what subjects they prefer, and what subjects are causing them the most trouble. This can be valuable information, as attention difficulties and learning challenges can point to an underlying attention or learning disability. If you are concerned, we encourage you to reach out and get more information. You can read our blog, Discovering a Learning Disability, here.
Once you know if there is an underlying struggle, you should begin to practice good homework habits to help build your child's executive functioning skills.
Final Thoughts
When homework takes much longer than expected, it’s worth looking beyond the assignment itself. Some children need extra support with getting started, staying focused, organizing their work, or figuring out how to manage their time.
These challenges can turn even a manageable task into a frustrating evening. Teaching students the executive function skills behind these everyday tasks can help them work more efficiently and gradually become more independent.
Our on-demand training, Supporting EF Through the Grade Levels, offers a practical five-step framework for helping students develop these skills: goal setting, regulation, attention, planning, and reflection.
You’ll receive the Executive Functioning Toolkit and supporting slides to help bring these strategies into your homework time, along with a one-hour PD certificate and lifetime access to the training and materials. These resources give you practical ways to support children who need help managing their workload, building routines, and taking greater ownership of their learning.
