My eleven year old son is in 5th grade and is experiencing a bit of what I call “Homework Anxiety” lately.   He already appears to have what I call “Test Anxiety” as even though he does (or did) well on his homework, he would not always do well on his test scores.  I had test anxiety so severe in high school, my teachers put me in a room by myself during tests.  That’s pretty strange now that I think about it 20 years later.

Anyway, I hate for my son and I to be stressed during homework time every day and it’s been happening for a few weeks so I’m trying to make some changes but could really use some other parent’s advice on this as well.

How I’m trying to help my son:

• Communication –  I emailed his teachers to let them know that we are working hard on getting him back on track and to ask them if they have any tips and advice for me regarding homework time.
• Scheduling – I am trying to adhere to a more strict schedule with him so he knows when he has to sit down to do his homework and won’t get upset about it because he’s expecting it.
• Stay calm – I’ve noticed that the second I start to get worked up and stressed about his homework, he would do the same. I’m trying to keep my cool and let him know that he needs to do the same.

Do you have homework tips you can share with me? Please leave them in the comments below.