How to Explain Schoolwork to Your Child When You're Not a Teacher

Feeling Lost? You’re Not Alone

It’s 8 p.m. You just got home from work, your brain is still spinning from deadlines, and your child is slumped at the kitchen table, eyebrows furrowed over a history worksheet. They look up at you, eyes pleading: “Mom, can you help me?” You want to say yes. Of course you do. But as you read the lesson, your confidence falters. You haven’t touched this stuff in decades—and even then, you barely remember it.

If that sounds familiar, take a deep breath. You’re not failing your child. You're doing your best in a role that wasn’t part of the parenting manual: amateur teacher. And you don’t need to become a professional educator to give your child the support they need. Sometimes, it’s more about translating than teaching—offering your child a bridge between school and their everyday world.

Start With What You Do Know: Your Child

You may not remember what a "coordinating conjunction" is or how to simplify fractions, but you are the world’s leading expert in your own child. That gives you a powerful advantage teachers don’t have: emotional insight.

Start by observing how your child learns. Do they love to talk and tell stories? Do they need to move around? Do pictures help them more than words? School lessons are often geared toward one traditional learning style. At home, you have the chance to adapt.

For parents whose children prefer listening to reading, for example, turning written paragraphs into audio format can unlock attention spans that aren’t built for textbooks. Some tools even let you transform a lesson into a podcast-style story where your child becomes the main character—hearing their own name woven into an imaginary world built around fractions or ecosystems. Skuli, for instance, offers this kind of personalized audio adventure, taking the core school content and wrapping it in a tale where your child leads the way. This transforms a low-energy homework hour into a moment of connection and curiosity.

Focus on Connection Instead of Perfection

Your child doesn’t need a perfect lecture. What they need—maybe more than anything—is a calm and present adult who helps them stay grounded when school feels frustrating.

Let’s take Claire, a mom of two who works long shifts and is often home late. Her son struggled with science worksheets, and she started dreading the nightly homework battle. But instead of diving into every question together, she began asking her son to explain the lesson to her, pretending she'd never heard it before. Sometimes what your child really needs is to teach you.

This role reversal gives your child control in a situation where they often feel powerless. And it highlights gaps in understanding in a gentle, non-threatening way. When your child stumbles, you can say: “Hmm, I don’t quite get that part either. Let’s figure it out together.” That shift—from evaluator to partner—can lower the pressure for both of you.

Are you supporting your child during odd hours, like after dinner or during a late-night review session? This article might help: How to Support Your Child at Home When You Work Late.

Make Lessons Tangible: Bring the Abstract Into the Real World

Many school topics exist in a frustratingly abstract universe for kids. Fractions, for example, make sense on paper, but they come alive when slicing a pizza or dividing a pack of cookies. Grammar rules? They’re easier to grasp when put into silly stories made up at the dinner table.

Math, grammar, science—they’re all more engaging when they feel tied to your child’s actual world. That doesn’t mean you need to create a full curriculum in your kitchen. It means that next time your child is struggling with a tough concept, ask yourself: “Where have I seen this in everyday life?”

Try building a paper bridge when studying engineering concepts. Watch your child count change at the grocery store to brush up on addition. Let them record themselves explaining vocabulary in a funny accent (a tip one parent swears by). These activities are not distractions—they’re invitations to understanding.

When You’re the Only One There, You Still Make a Difference

For many single parents—or parents in households where one partner is less involved with schooling—the burden of support falls on one set of shoulders. If that’s you, know that being “non-expert” doesn’t mean “not enough.”

You might relate to this post: Positive Parenting and Homework: How to Manage Alone as a Single Parent. It offers compassionate advice for making homework time more peaceful when you’re holding all the reins.

If your child comes home and you're not there—maybe you’re commuting or still at work—setting up tools that reinforce what they learned in class can help. This might include using apps that convert photos of handwritten lessons into bite-sized quizzes so your child can practice independently but still feel guided. Even if you can't sit side-by-side, you've helped put a system in place that supports them.

Check out this resource if you’re wondering how to support your child’s learning from a distance: My Child is Home Alone After School: How to Ensure They Actually Study.

Your Confidence Grows with Practice

Many parents start this journey with a sense of dread—and that’s okay. But over time, something shifts. You begin to feel more confident not just in the school material, but in how to talk about it with your child. Your bond deepens. You find what works (and what doesn’t), and you let go of the rest.

If you’re looking for other gentle, low-pressure supports to reduce school stress at home, this article might be the next good read: Simple Tools to Help Your Child Study Without Stress.

Because in the end, your child won't remember if you knew how to diagram a sentence. They’ll remember that you sat beside them, cared enough to try, and made learning feel a little less lonely.