What to Do When Your Child Keeps Forgetting Their Homework at School

When Homework is Always Left Behind

It’s 6:30 PM. You’ve just finished work, dinner is half-cooked, and your child is ready (finally!) to tackle their homework. But as you open the backpack, you’re met with that all-too-familiar sinking feeling: the math folder is still at school… again.

If this sounds all too familiar, know that you’re not alone. Many parents of children aged 6 to 12 face this exact scenario more times than they’d like to count. And while it can be tempting to see repeated homework forgetfulness as laziness or carelessness, the reality is often more complex—and far more solvable.

Forgetfulness or Overwhelm?

Children forget things for a number of reasons, and in most cases, it’s not because they don’t care. At school, your child’s brain is juggling instructions, social expectations, emotional ups and downs, and trying to keep track of the daily schedule. Asking that same brain to also remember a specific folder, notebook, or worksheet can push it past capacity—especially for kids who struggle with focus, executive functioning, or anxiety.

Instead of framing the problem as a discipline issue, it often helps to view it as a logistical challenge. And like most logistical challenges, it can be tackled with a combination of tools, habits, and a little patience.

Help Them Build a Mental "Pack-Up Routine"

One of the most effective ways to help a forgetful child is to create a routine around the end of the school day. This “pack-up routine” can become second nature over time, reducing the chances they’ll leave important materials behind. Routines also offer children a sense of confidence—a feeling that they have control over their daily flow.

Talk to your child’s teacher and see if it’s possible for them to do a quick backpack checklist at the end of each day. This might look like:

• Placing all folders and notebooks back into the backpack before lining up
• A simple reminder from the teacher at the end of the day
• Having a sticky note checklist inside their locker or desk

At home, reinforce this by making homework time predictable and supportive. If you're struggling to find what that looks like for your family, this gentle guide can help you establish the right environment without making home feel like a second school.

Empower, Don’t Punish

It can be frustrating—deeply frustrating—when your child forgets homework for the third time in one week. But consequences that come from shaming or yelling rarely lead to better memory. Instead, they create stress and anxiety around school tasks, which can actually make forgetfulness worse. A key element to success is helping your child feel proud of their own role in staying organized.

One idea is to create a visual aid your child can use independently. A simple laminated chart—perhaps with morning and afternoon checklists—gives them something tangible to focus on during transitions. Keep it simple: “Do I have my math folder? Did I pack my reading log?”

If you’re a working parent and can’t always be there to guide this process in person, that’s okay. You’re not alone. Many families are navigating the same challenge. Here’s how you can support homework even with a full schedule.

Plan for the Inevitable Missed Assignment

Despite everyone’s best efforts, sometimes the homework just doesn’t make it home. Instead of letting that derail the evening, have a flexible plan in place. Could your child read for 20 minutes instead? Practice times tables or spelling words? Could they listen to an audiobook version of part of the lesson?

This is where a little creativity goes a long way. Some apps, like Skuli, allow your child to listen to their lessons as engaging audio adventures—where they’re the hero of the story, facing challenges and answering questions to move the story along. It's a great way to keep the learning momentum going even if their notebook is sitting in a desk back at school.

When the Forgetfulness Signals Something Deeper

If your child is often tearful, anxious, or avoiding homework in general—not just forgetting it—there may be a deeper cause at play. Learning difficulties, attention disorders, or even perfectionism can make schoolwork feel overwhelming. In these cases, what looks like forgetfulness may really be avoidance.

It’s worth exploring these signs with empathy. Ask open-ended questions: “Is there part of the homework that’s hard for you?” or “Is there something you wish I knew about how you feel when school ends?”

Sometimes, just knowing you’re on their team makes the biggest difference. And if tensions around homework are building at home, this article offers thoughtful ways to de-escalate and connect.

Consistency Over Perfection

Helping a forgetful child doesn’t mean every school day will end with a perfectly packed backpack. And that’s okay. What matters far more than perfection is consistency. A consistent routine, consistent support, and consistent empathy build the long-term habits your child needs to succeed—not just in homework, but in life.

And on the days when things fall apart a little, try not to see that as failure, but as part of the process. Just like your child, you’re learning too.

If you’re ready to encourage more independence in your child's homework habits, you might also enjoy this read on fostering self-motivation and ownership. Because no parenting tool is more powerful than building your child's belief in themselves.