Helping your child study at home: a parent’s guide

You do not have to be the teacher

Many parents in Cameroon feel they cannot help with schoolwork: the programme has changed, they studied in the other subsystem, or they simply work long hours. The good news is that a parent’s most useful role is not to explain the lesson. It is to create the conditions for regular work, to notice early when something is wrong, and to keep the child motivated.

That you can do whatever your own level of education, and whether you have ten minutes or two hours a day.

Build a simple daily routine

Children work better when study time is predictable. Choose a regular slot after school, after a snack and a short rest, and keep it most days of the week. Even 45 minutes for a primary pupil, or one and a half to two hours for an exam-year student, adds up over a term.

A routine that works for many families:

• Arrive home, eat, rest for 30 to 45 minutes.
• Homework first, the hardest subject first while the mind is fresh.
• Review: ten minutes reading over the day’s lessons, or answering two or three questions from memory.
• Prepare the bag for tomorrow.
• Free time, then dinner and an early bedtime.

Sleep is part of studying. The US CDC recommends 9 to 12 hours a night for children aged 6 to 12 and 8 to 10 hours for teenagers aged 13 to 17. Late nights on the phone cost more marks than parents imagine.

A place to work, even in a small house

A child does not need a separate room. They need a stable spot with good light, a flat surface, and as little noise as possible during study time. A corner of the dining table that is cleared every evening can work very well.

Think about light during power cuts: a rechargeable lamp is a small investment that saves many evenings. Keep school supplies in one box so no time is lost looking for a ruler or a calculator.

Homework: help without doing it for them

When your child is stuck, resist the urge to give the answer. Ask questions instead:

• “What is the question asking you to do?”
• “What did the teacher show you in class about this?”
• “Can you find a similar example in your notebook?”
• “What have you tried so far?”

If they are still stuck after a real effort, let them write a note to ask the teacher the next day. Doing the homework for the child hides the problem from the teacher, who then cannot help.

Check the notebooks once a week. You do not need to correct the content: look at whether the work is done, whether the teacher’s comments are read, and whether marks are going up or down.

Phones and screens

Phones are the biggest distraction for most students today. Simple house rules help:

• Phones stay outside the study area during homework time, charging in the living room.
• No phones in the bedroom at night.
• Screens are allowed after homework, not instead of it.

Make the rules together and apply them to adults too, as far as possible. The American Academy of Pediatrics offers a free Family Media Plan tool that helps families write their own rules. Screens are not only a problem: educational videos, online lessons and revision apps can help, as long as they are used on purpose and for a set time.

Keeping motivation alive

Children work harder when they feel progress. Praise effort and method (“you checked your work, well done”) more than intelligence (“you are so clever”). Celebrate small wins: a better mark, a lesson understood, a week of homework done on time.

Talk about the future in concrete terms. A teenager who knows that good results can open the door to a scholarship or a chosen university course has a reason to work. Our guide to international scholarships open to Cameroonian students can help start that conversation.

Watch for signs that something deeper is wrong: a sudden drop in marks, refusing to go to school, headaches every morning, or great difficulty reading. Talk to the teacher, and consider a medical check of sight and hearing.

Stay in touch with the school

The school sees your child every day; you see them every evening. Together you have the full picture. Attend parent meetings when you can, read the report card in detail rather than only the average, and keep the teacher’s phone number or the school’s contact for questions.

When marks fall, ask the teacher two precise questions: “What exactly is my child finding hard?” and “What can we do at home to help?” Teachers often have simple, practical answers, such as a chapter to revise or a type of exercise to practise.

Tell the school about changes at home that might affect your child: a move, an illness in the family, a new baby. Children often struggle quietly, and a teacher who knows can be more patient and attentive.

Finally, show your child that you value school: ask about their day, look at their notebooks with interest, and be present at prize-giving or end-of-year events whenever possible.

When to bring in extra help

Some situations are better handled with a tutor: a gap that keeps growing in one subject, an exam year, or a child who listens better to someone outside the family. A tutor can also take the pressure off the relationship between parent and child.

On Houselewa you can find a tutor at home or online, pay by mobile money, and book a free trial lesson first. If your child has a learning difficulty, our learning support page lets you share their needs privately with the tutors you choose. For exam years, see our 12-week revision plan and GCE revision guide.