A common question parents have is
how much time should they be spending with their children on homework

Every child - and household - is different. We recommend, on average, that a child spend 15 to 20 minutes per day on each subject's homework with a 5 year old and adding 5 minutes per year to 45 minutes per day at age 12.



The time for the parent depends completely on the child. If a child cannot yet read, the parent will obviously need to take the time to read the scripted lessons.

But once a child can read, the child may work on his or her own until a parent's help is needed. Given the opportunity, most children try to figure things out on their own, which makes parental time minimal.

Of course this is only possible with a curriculum - such as ShillerLearning - that is designed for children to learn (as opposed to one that parents teach).

Some rules of thumb

  • 1 Children need closure. Let your child repeat a lesson over and over, even if he or she doesn't appear to be learning anything new. Through self-directed repetition children gain self-confidence and a sense of accomplishment. This typically means that time frames will vary from day to day.
  • 2 People need a break. When your child (or you!) is feeling frustrated, say "let us put this work aside for now, we can come back to it later."
  • 3 Use multisensory input. Kids love to dance, sing, touch, and play. ShillerLearning comes with a 25-song audio CD, lots of manipulatives of different colors, shapes, and sizes, and 4-color lesson plans. There's nothing wrong with kids getting tired out learning important concepts by jumping or singing to a catchy song!
  • 4 It's OK to miss a day or two. Don't feel that a 6 year old needs to do homework every single day.

Every child is different. Learn what makes your child tick and use it to make his or her learning fun and memorable.