Send Factor

Each child has a unique way of learning.  The three learning modalities are the sensory channels we use to obtain and process information.  Visual learners process information best with pictures and diagrams; these children learn best seeing things.  Auditory learners learn best by listening and discussing things.  Kinesthetic learners learn best with a hands on approach.  Most children learn through all three learning modalities.

Temperament theory states that all people differ in their interests, attitudes, judgments, and perceptions.  This greatly affects how we want to learn, what we want to learn, and the way we learn.  When a parent learns what their child temperament style is, they can plan out how to effectively teach their child.  There are four temperament styles:  where the attention is focused, how information is acquired, how decisions are made, and work habits and lifestyle.  The child is either extroverted or introverted, which means either focusing on outside objects, people events or inner world of ideas.  The child is either sensing, which means the child acquires information from the senses (concrete and present) or intuition, which focuses on insight, inspiration, future, and possibility.  The child either makes decisions based on logical analysis and cause and effect (thinking) or on personal values and the affect on the self (feeling).   Lastly, the child prefers their life to be orderly and structured (judging) or spontaneous and flexible (perceiving).

Howard Gardner, originator of multiple intelligences, defines seven kinds of intelligence.  Most children have strengths in two or three of them and need work on the rest.  One kind of intelligence is verbal/linguistic, which is speaking and reading.  Another type of intelligence is logical/mathematical, which is concepts and abstract patterns.  Another kind of intelligence is visual/special which is thinking in images, pictures, shapes, and colors.  Another kind of intelligence is musical, such as rhythm, pitch, melody and harmony.  Another type of intelligence is bodily/kinesthetic, which is touch, making, and doing.  And yet another type of intelligence is interpersonal, which is relating and cooperating with people.  Last but not least is intrapersonal, which is independence and self-motivation.

Learning how your child perceives the world around him/her and learns will allow you to maximize their intellectual strengths and teach them effectively.

School is out for the day.  The kids are home.  They have had their after school snack.  Now they want to play.  When should they get their homework done?  This answer depends on your kids and your schedule at home.  Find the time that works best for your family.
Sometimes it works best to get the homework done and out of the way.  Right after school, you can sit down with your kids and talk about their day.  It’s a great time to pull out the homework and get to it.
After dinner you can clean up the kitchen table and plop down the textbooks.  The kids have had time to play and relax after school.  This might be the perfect time to engage their minds.
If your kids are early risers, getting homework done in the morning before school might work well for your family.  They can eat breakfast and get ready for school.  Instead of morning cartoons, this might be a great alternative.  If you have extra time, sit down with your kids and help them finish up their homework.  This will be a great prep to get them ready for a day of learning at school.
You don’t want to do the last minute homework dash.  This can happen when your children don’t have a regular homework time.  It can be easy to forget about homework after school.  Next morning, as your children gather their things for school, they suddenly remember.  This adds stress to your morning and gives unnecessary stress to your kids.  Make sure that you find a time to do homework that works for your family.  Consistently doing homework or after school reading helps develop successful study habits that will carry with them.

When one of my daughters was in third grade, my husband and I were sitting at parent teacher conference.  I was a little surprised when my husband asked the teacher to give our daughter more homework.  He didn’t feel like she was being challenged enough.  I was also impressed, because I worked nights, and it left my husband in charge of overseeing homework.  I knew he had been paying attention to what the kids were doing.
Is there such a thing as too much homework?  I guess to answer this question you have to look at the reasons why you are asking.  Is there not enough time in the day or week to complete it?  Is the due date too soon after assigning the work?  Is your child struggling to understand the subject?
Put everything into perspective.  If you child doesn’t have enough time because they have other things going on every night, then you need to decide what is most important.  This is your child’s education, and if their plate is too full, something else should go.
If the teacher is not giving a reasonable amount of time to complete the assignment, make sure you know when it was really assigned.  Your child might be telling you a later date because they forgot or have put off doing the work.  If it is really an unreasonable amount of time, talk to the teacher and explain the problem.  They might think the assignment was easier than it really is, or that it didn’t require as much research.  Your child might also have misunderstood the assignment and is making it more difficult.
If your child is struggling with the topic, find them some help and see if you can get more time to finish it.  If you can’t provide the help, find a tutor or someone else that can help them.