The following are suggestions for helping your children do their homework without doing it for them:

Help them have a plan.  If a child is working on a paper or project, parents can help by setting up a plan of action and helping the child stay organized and focused.

Point them in the right direction.  If they are working on a research paper, help them get to the appropriate section of the library or help locate informative Web sites. Then let them take over.

Help them review the directions and practice one or two problems but then let them finish the rest on their own.

Check their work, but don’t do it over for them.  If you see and error, tell your child, “I see a mistake, see if you can find it,’ instead of simply correcting it for them.

Praise them.  Make sure they feel rewarded for coming up with original ideas and doing their own research. 

Do your work instead of theirs.  Be a good role model:  While your children work on math homework, do your own math work, such as balancing the checkbook.