We have had posts relating to how much homework Kindergarten students get and I think I have also seen some regarding a few other grades (my dd is in 1st). I was wondering what amount moms think their kids "should" have for homework each night.
I personally loved school and loved homework. My dd is pretty much my complete opposite. I think the amount of homework sent home is actually pretty small for her age although I'm grateful it isn't more b/c we struggle so much with the amount she has. I have seen studies on the value of practicing and I know that the more you do the more you learn but what if the child isn't doing it? I feel that if the child is strongly resisting the amount it isn't benefitting them. Imo her homework isn't hard but she may have some learning disabilities which are making it very hard for her in particular.
2nd part of my question what do you do to motivate your child to do homework? Does anyone have any ideas to make homework fun and not such a nightmare?
My daughter is in 1st and she has a reading assignment which she reads aloud on the way home, and then 3 worksheets - 2 math, one phonics - I think it's enough and she doesn't seem to feel it's too much for her to handle
She enjoys school and is eager to do the work....I think my next one entering Kindergarten next year might not be quite so eager...
Work that wasn't finished in class and larger projects and papers should be the extent of " homework", in my ideal world.
DD is in 1st grade and all she has to do each night is read a book then write in the homework journal about the book. She hates the writing part with a passion. She loses privileges if she does not do it when asked to. We have her practicing in a handwriting workbook as well as other things so 1-2 nights a week she does not have to do the journaling part but we document the books she read. They get one math worksheet a week. It doesnt make sense to me though since they are not doing that particular math lesson yet so why would it be on the worksheet. DD also brings home any classwork that was not completed on time in school.
When compared to other schools around country we seem to have it easy.
In a perfect world homework could all be real world experiences related to what's being learned in class.
Worksheets wouldn't be necessary because teachers could rely on parents to support education at home through activities and projects.
In the real world, worksheets are the only way to get many kids to do anything related to learning at home.
IMO, about 10 minutes of homework per grade level is sufficient. I would also add 20-30 minutes of reading daily to that 10 minutes per grade level. So kindergarteners would have 10 minutes of homework plus 20-30 minutes of reading nightly.
If your child is having a difficult time getting their homework done in that amount of time, and they aren't dragging their feet and playing around, mention it to the teacher to see if there is a problem.
I've never had to motivate my kids to do homework. They've always enjoyed mastering new skills and succeeding in school. They know that they need to practice to get the concept down and succeed. So their motivation is getting good grades and succeeding.
Come live here then, because that is how things are done here. I never knew that homework was graded until I joined CM.
Quoting Lydlou02:
In a perfect world elementary homework would be for practice, and grades would be based on achievement, not effort. Tests, reports and projects would be graded, not repetitive busy work.
I don't count homework as a grade and parents tend to complain about that. There's just no way to keep everyone happy. LOL
Quoting steelcrazy:Come live here then, because that is how things are done here. I never knew that homework was graded until I joined CM.
Quoting Lydlou02:
In a perfect world elementary homework would be for practice, and grades would be based on achievement, not effort. Tests, reports and projects would be graded, not repetitive busy work.
It makes me a little sad the teachers dont give homework, but then again I am a bit relieved, because I know they woukd get homework on a night they had sports, or catechism or scouts.
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- MsLogansMommy
on Mar. 3, 2013 at 7:26 PM