While the parents and teachers are farsighted and insist on studying, you cannot expect such wisdom from a small child who lives in the moment and wants to make the best of it by having fun. Moreover, if the child finds the work difficult, then the whole exercise becomes all the more demoralizing and discouraging. No wonder, children would prefer to do anything other than homework.

So, you will have to do some homework on your part before you can get your child to do the classwork at home. You need to present it in such an interesting manner that it transforms the child's way of thinking and outbalances all the negatives. However, don't expect your child to be enthusiastic about it, but at least bring him to a point when he accepts the necessary evil and thinks it is better to get it done and be finished with it than to go on lingering on the unsavory prospect of it.

How do you achieve that? Here are some suggestions:

1. Homework is not something your child loves doing. You need to inspire him to do it. So, shouting and screaming and losing your temper is not going to help. Try and create an atmosphere where your child is encouraged to study. Make it sound interesting by innovative ways. Turn it into a sort of game or at least create the perception that it is fun, so that your child gets involved in it.

2. If your child finds it difficult to complete the daily assignments given, check with the school about how much homework is expected and how long it should take. In case of genuine difficulty, consult the teacher and follow the instructions. As a rule your child should not be spending more than an hour on homework. More than that would be drudgery and difficult to do after a full day at school.

3. It is important to allocate a place for homework; it helps to make it routine. Make sure the place is conducive to working. You cannot expect your child to do homework on his lap while everyone else is watching TV. Indeed, there should be no TV until everyone's homework is done. If you don't have a writing desk, you could use the kitchen table, and clear it of all distractions and interruptions. Of course, it is best to set up an exclusive area for homework.

4. Provide help and support. Don't do it for them, but do help them to get started, or to find the books they need. If they need to do some research on the internet, maybe sit with them and help them find the info they need. Answer their spelling questions (unless it is a spelling test!) If they are having problems with math, work through the problem with them. Above all, though, stay calm! Getting frustrated with the inability to solve obviously simple questions won't help!

5. Be generous with praise and encouragement. Express delight at every step; don't wait till the end to say a good word. Your first goal is to get the homework done; you can think of quality later on. In fact, leave the content part of it to the teacher to correct and improve. If you have supported the homework effort, you have inculcated diligence and persistence. However, in the beginning you may have to help with spelling and punctuation mistakes.

6. It is a good idea to set up a reward chart and give extra privileges, such as TV, or family treats for completion of homework on time. Later, you may add incentives for higher grades as well.

7. There may be a specific subject that is causing problems. For that you need to see the teacher and take her help and guidance to work on the deficient areas.

8. You can help your child break up long-term projects into smaller units so that he feels encouraged after completing each unit. This will help him learn to organize and plan ahead.

9. If you have a busy routine and you cannot spare that much time for your child's homework, look for some sort of a homework club. Many schools offer a facility for supervised homework. Most children prefer doing their homework in the company of their friends and under the guidance of the teacher. After all, they are the only ones put through this at home while the others seem to be enjoying other activities.

10. Finally, help your child experience success rather than failure. Spend more effort in teaching the concept than be in a hurry to finish the work. If he hasn't got the basics right, he is going to stumble and fall. The rule of the thumb is: teach him to walk; he will learn to run on his own. Don't insist that he starts running before he has learnt to stand on his two feet. And reward him at every step.