How to check your child's homework without redoing it

Check three things: it is done, it is the right task, and your child can explain one answer to you. Spot-check one or two answers another way, point to where to look again instead of fixing it, and leave some mistakes for the teacher, who needs to see what your child can't do yet.

Try Ask Poppy free

Ask Poppy is voice-first homework help for kids around 7 to 10, and teens and adults too: it asks what you have tried and gives one hint at a time, so you learn how to find the answer. Free with 30 messages a day, then $3.99/week or $9.99/month (US App Store) · iPhone, iPad, Mac

Written by the Ask Poppy team, who make one of the tools mentioned here. The advice works with any AI, or none. We haven't run a controlled study of our own app.

The two-minute check

Done and right task? Right page, every question attempted, name on it.
"Explain one to me." Let them pick their favourite answer and talk you through it. You learn more from this than from marking every line.
Spot-check one or two. Estimate, or check another way (see the table). Don't redo the whole sheet.
Point, don't fix. "One of these five needs another look." Put a dot by the row, not a cross by the answer.
Leave the rest for the teacher. Homework at this age is practice, and mistakes tell the teacher what to teach next.

Quick checks by subject

	Quick check	Instead of
Maths	"About how big should it be?" Then check backwards: add back a subtraction, multiply back a division.	Working the sum yourself and comparing
Spelling	Ask them to read each word back out loud, slowly, letter by letter.	Circling the wrong letters
Writing	They read it aloud to you. Missing words and full stops show up when it is read out.	Rewriting sentences for them
Reading	"Tell me what happened in three sentences."	Asking whether they finished it
Anything from an app or AI	"How was that worked out?" then one similar question without the app. Our 2-minute AI answer check helps with the answer itself.	Trusting it because it looks neat

What the research says

A large review of parent homework help found it works better when parents support a child's independence than when they take over or pressure (Patall et al., 2008). The Education Endowment Foundation finds a smaller average impact of homework in primary school (about three months) than in secondary (about five), and notes that the benefits are greater when pupils get good feedback on their work (EEF Toolkit). At home, that feedback can be as simple as "show me how you did this one."

Where Ask Poppy fits

We make Ask Poppy, so weigh this accordingly. It's a voice-first thinking companion app for iPhone, iPad and Mac. A child holds to talk and Poppy speaks back; it asks what they already know and offers one hint at a time rather than leading with the answer. Parents can add up to three child profiles and open each child's conversations (children are told a parent can see them), and can switch Poppy's memory off for each child. It can look things up on the web and check national curriculum goals (fullest for Norway, Sweden and Finland; core subjects for England, France, Germany and Spain). Free with 30 messages a day, then $3.99/week or $9.99/month (US App Store). It is designed not to hand over the answer, but like any AI it can slip, and it can make mistakes. A one-button, screen-free Poppy device is in development. On askpoppy.ai you can reserve one with a fully refundable $30 toward a planned $200 price; estimated shipping is spring 2027 and the design may change. The app works fully on its own.

Sources (checked 11 Nov 2026): Patall, Cooper & Robinson, Review of Educational Research, 2008 · EEF Toolkit: homework · Ask Poppy on the App Store. Ask Poppy facts are from the current app and its App Store listing. US prices; they vary by country. Spot something out of date? Email [email protected].

Want a helper that asks your child to explain? Ask Poppy is voice-first homework help, built first for kids around 7 to 10 and their parents. Your child talks the question through, and Poppy asks what they've tried and gives one hint at a time instead of handing over the answer, so they learn how to find it. Parents set up each child's profile and can see their conversations, and memory can be turned off per child. Teens and adults use it too. A one-button, screen-free Poppy device is in development.

Free with 30 messages a day, then $3.99/week or $9.99/month (US App Store prices) on iPhone, iPad and Mac. (Disclosure: this site is made by the Ask Poppy team.)

Try Ask Poppy free See the screen-free device

Questions

Should I correct my child's homework?

Check it, but don't fix it for them. Point to where to look again ("one of these needs another look") and let them find and fix it. Leave some mistakes in: the teacher needs to see what your child can't do yet.

How do I tell my child an answer is wrong without upsetting them?

Start with what is right, then be specific and small: "These four are right. One in this row needs another look." Ask them to talk you through it; they often spot the mistake while explaining.

Should I check homework every night?

A quick look most nights is enough at 7 to 10: is it done, is it the right task, and can they explain one answer. Hand over more of the checking as they get older.

What if an app or AI gave my child the answer?

Ask them to explain how the answer was worked out, then do one similar question without the app. If they can't, the app did the thinking. Our 2-minute AI answer check helps you check the answer itself.

Is it cheating if I help with homework?

Helping your child understand is not cheating. Doing it for them, or writing in answers they couldn't produce, gives the teacher the wrong picture. If in doubt, add a note saying how much help they had.

By Simon Dreyer, founder of Ask Poppy · Last updated 11 November 2026 · How we write these pages