The Best High School Homework Tools and Tips

This post is sponsored by Casio. All opinions stated are entirely mine.

We are several weeks into the new school year, and I find myself breathless on the couch at the end of every day. Did we manage to get everything done today? Did we forget any kids around town? Did all the kids get to their scheduled activities, do their homework, AND get fed?! These are questions I ask myself on a daily basis.

Our four boys are back in school full-time after 18 months of hybrid learning. On top of that, they each have at least one after-school activity, friends to see, and of course routine medical and dental appointments to clutter our calendar. Needless to say, this is why we as a family are exhausted once the sun sets on our day.

However, there’s one child who continually blows me away with his stamina and positive outlook. Our high schooler is so genuinely happy to be back in school full time that he doesn’t complain over his academic workload or after-school activities.

Even while doing homework at 9:30 pm, he greets me with a big smile and says “goodnight mom, I will be done soon.”

It’s during times like these, I am thankful for the homework strategies we implemented early on in the kids’ school career.

Will our homework strategies prevent us from having late nights, stress, even forgotten or missed assignments? Of course not! No homework system is perfect and as we all know, life is full of thrown monkey wrenches.

However, putting systems in place with the best homework tools, organization and strategies will make the high school journey less bumpy. And I am sure all parents of teenagers want smooth sailing through the high school years.

So what’s needed to establish good homework habits in a high schooler? I am sharing our best homework tools, organization, and strategies.

High School Homework Tools

Before school started, I helped each of our kids set up their homework stations in their rooms. Unpacking the pencils and notebooks was fun, because who doesn’t love a fresh set of school supplies?! But the highlight of the experience was when our high schooler unpacked his new Casio FX-9750GIII calculator.

Stand back, people. The Casio FX-9750GIII calculator is more like a mini-computer and miles from the little “solar-powered” corporate promotional freebie I used when I was in high school.

I wish I had captured the sparkle and utter amazement in our high schooler’s eyes when he took his new Casio FX-9750GIII for a test drive. He flung more high-level math terms at me than I have heard in decades. Suddenly, it was as if he was speaking in tongue, holding his Casio FX-9750GIII calculator in the air like it was the Holy Grail.

Our high school Freshman (9th grade) is currently taking Algebra II with a class of Juniors (11th grade). He’s our little math wiz who thrives on numbers and calculations. The predictability of math and the challenge of finding the right answer has always been his jam.

The complexity and capabilities of the Casio FX-9750GIII blew him away. At first glance, the calculator looked rather intimidating. However, after checking out the online tutorials and videos, our little numbers guy was well on his way to making graphs on his new calculator.

The homework tools your high schooler needs are:

Homework station: Comfortable chair, good lighting, and quiet surroundings.
- Setting up a homework station in their room works well for our two oldest kids.
Basic school supplies: binders, notebooks, lined and graph paper, pencils, markers, and pens.
- I stock up on these items during the back-to-school sales and then keep a stockpile year-round.
Computer/ laptop.
Calculator.
- Regardless of which level of math your high schooler is taking, the Casio FX-9750GIII calculator is the right machine – and it will take them through their high school career.

Reasons we love our Casio FX-9750GIII calculator:

It is approved for the SAT®, PSAT®, ACT® and AP® tests.
200+ hour battery life.
Affordable technology for middle and high school math classes.
All-in-one graphing calculator.
Easy-to-navigate icons menu.
Spreadsheet and geometry modes.
Programmable features.
Step-by-step videos and tutorials on the website.
I am no longer the go-to math tutor.

The Casio FX-9750GIII calculator is the perfect parenting partner. I handle the parenting issues relating to social and emotional issues while the Casio FX-9750GIII calculator answers math questions!

High School Homework Organization

This Homework Planner has saved our family from having countless late and missing assignments. Go ahead and download your free copy right now.

The Homework Planner includes the following pages:

Homework Assignments
Project Planner
Goal Setting
Notes

We use one page of the Homework Assignments for each of our student’s subjects and keep a current page in their daily binder.

When your kids start high school, you quickly realize the days of sitting down for several hours concentrated to do homework are a thing of the past. Once the busy schedule of a high schooler becomes a reality, there may only be small pockets of time throughout the afternoon and evening to complete tasks. However, with a good overview of what’s due and when your student can successfully manage his time and assignments.

Some homework assignments take only 10-15 minutes and with proper planning, your student can check those tasks off in-between activities or while waiting to eat dinner.

Print the free homework tracker and planner and put it to good use right away.

High School Homework Strategy and Stamina

As with any activity, it takes practice to build study stamina. At the beginning of the school year, the kids most likely feel rusty and tire after a few minutes of deep concentration.

These strategies help our kids to build their homework stamina in no time:

Spend a few minutes decompressing after a long school day.
- (Due to COVID, our kids take showers and change clothes as soon as they come home. This step acts as a great mind-reset and helps them quickly recharge before they sit down to do homework.)
Never underestimate the value of a healthy snack.
- It’s not like you have to force a teenager to eat, as they wake up hungry, go to bed hungry, and seem to spend every waking moment foraging for snacks in the pantry. However, making an effort to have healthier snack options readily available is beneficial to your constantly grazing teen.
Start with the hardest tasks first, while your mind is fresh.
Break down assignments into smaller, more manageable tasks (use the attached free homework planner to keep track of the various tasks).

As I write this, my head is spinning from trying to juggle our family’s daily tasks along with the transportation needs of our four kids. Once the kids come home from school, it is such a relief to know that they have the skills and the tools required to do their homework.

Of course, the kids need guidance, advice, and help from time to time, but that’s what I am here for – the parenting aspect of raising kids. The math part – that’s best left to the experts, like the Casio FX-9750GIII calculator.