The Younger Sibling's Homework

In the picture, an older primary school student is helping a younger child with homework at the dining table. They are seated side by side, and the older one is pointing at something in the younger child's open workbook, probably explaining a question rather than doing it for him. There are pencils and an eraser on the table between them. What I also noticed is that the older child is pointing rather than holding the pencil, so she is guiding him instead of writing the answer herself.

I helped my younger cousin with his multiplication tables during the June holidays because he was struggling with sevens and eights. I tried explaining them the way my teacher had, but he still could not remember, so we made a game where he had to answer before I counted to five, and he started enjoying beating the timer. By the end of the week he was faster than me at the sevens. I learnt that how you explain something matters as much as what you explain.

I feel an older sibling can teach things a parent cannot because we are much closer in age and experience. We remember exactly which parts were confusing, since we were learning the same thing only a few years ago, and we can explain it in words a child actually uses. A younger child may also be less afraid to admit they do not understand, because there is no worry about disappointing a parent. Most importantly, we know what school is like right now, which even the most caring parent cannot fully know.