Encourage the child to spend adequate time studying. Children in first through third grades should do 20 minutes of homework daily, but children in fourth through sixth grades should do 20 to 40 minutes of homework daily. Help your child track her study time on a brightly colored calendar.
Set aside both a time and a place for the child to study. Eliminate television and any other potential distractions and offer to help the child as needed.
Talk about your child's homework assignments and ask your child when he intends to complete each assignment. Help him to examine the amount of time he has allotted for each task and ask whether it will suffice.
Praise your child when she does well. Monitor her to see if she seems frustrated, and talk to her about her frustrations or suggest she stop working for a few minutes.
Review your child's work and ask suggest specific improvements if necessary. Refrain from harsh criticism.
Create a system of incentives to motivate a child to study. Allow the child to play after finishing his homework, or construct a sophisticated system to reward him for completing assignments or for earning particular grades.
Support your child's teacher. Explicitly tell the teacher you'll back her up and that you'll help to enforce discipline. Thank the child's teacher for her work.
Seek help immediately if your child's grades in reading and math begin to drop because these classes teach concepts that build on earlier material, which the child must master.