My child's group project has become a debate among parents. Some are buying materials and editing slides; others are deliberately staying out, and the children are stuck negotiating what ‘their work’ means. I want to provide transport, supplies and encouragement without doing the assignment. Where is the line between helping a child organize the team and quietly taking over a school project?
Deciding how much parent involvement is helpful in a child's group project
- parenting
- parent
- involvement
- helpful
8
5 replies
I think the clean line is helping them organize, not helping them execute. If you are driving, buying every material and rewriting the slide...
I think the clean line is helping them organize, not helping them execute. If you are driving, buying every material and rewriting the slides, that's already the adults doing the project.
Pretty much. I can remind them about deadlines or where the poster board is, but once I start rearranging their ideas, it's no longer their work.
The funny part is how fast 'just one little edit' becomes the whole slideshow. Parents mean well, then suddenly they're in charge of font ch...
I like the boundary of logistics only. Transport, budget, maybe a reminder to pack things, but the child and the group still have to make the content decisions.
That feels fair, though some kids need more coaching on group dynamics than on the actual assignment. I don't think that's the same as doing...