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Homework at reception

27 replies

Creole · 19/09/2005 12:54

How do I get my 4 and 1/2 year old to sit down and do his homework?
Nothing fancy, just learning key words.

My son has always hated doing work, so I had left it and hoped things will change as he is more interested in playing than anything else (loves reading and would sit still for hours listening to a story). But now he's at reception they are excepted to learn their key words at home.

When do they start to take learning seriously - I would imagine this would be dependent on each individual child.

Help - worried that he may fall behind and I really don't want to forcefully make him.

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gigglinggoblin · 19/09/2005 13:01

i dont make mine sit and do homework if they really dont want to. dont see the point in making it something to be really loathed. they probably do it about half the time and i have never had complaints (they are now in yr1 and yr2).

for key words you could turn it into a game like matching pairs, or buy a bag of chocolate buttons and give him one for every word he makes a good attempt at.

i know homework helps, but he isnt going to be thrown out of school for not doing it. far better that he enjoys the work he does than make it all a big chore (and it wont do much for your stress levels either)

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serenity · 19/09/2005 13:04

IME keep it short, and make sure it's followed by something they enjoy. Try and make it part of the after school routine, but don't worry too much if they really won't do it (I'd try and slip it when we were doing something else - DS2 was quite happy to read me his words in the car on the way home, but would be a pita at home) Mine all got homework in reception, but I think it is very young to do it.

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scotlou · 19/09/2005 13:11

You can make up games - my ds liked a kind of "bingo" game I made up - or matching pairs is good. Making up silly sentences used to amuse him too. I've got to agree with others though - 4 1/2 is too young for home work and if ds wasn't in the mood I didn't push it.

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spidermama · 19/09/2005 13:20

I agree that 4.5 is too young for homework. Actually I think it's too young for school but I don't dare post that.
Have I just ..... Doh!

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puddle · 19/09/2005 13:23

If he loves reading why not make up stories using the key words? Write them out and let him illustrate them?

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foxinsocks · 19/09/2005 13:24

If he loves reading, I would just make sure you read him a story that incorporates those key words and just make sure you point them out to him (are they just those reception key words like 'for' 'to' 'said'?)

I honestly don't think any more than that is expected of them!

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foxinsocks · 19/09/2005 13:25

oops, my typing is so slow - puddle said it much better!

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helsy · 19/09/2005 13:28

We had the same with Dd1 last year. We used to bring them up at odd times - never sat down to learn them as such, but I carried them round with me and we made "silly sentences" as suggested by the teacher, which she found hilarious.

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Ulysees · 19/09/2005 13:31

DS2 has just started reception too and I only noticed he had words to read late last night. I showed him them (this morning) and he wasn't interested tbh but ds1 is going to try to teach him them tonight as he'll take more notice of him. I'm going to try not to stress over them too much though as they soon pick up on your mood and it'll make him worse.

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geogteach · 19/09/2005 13:39

Am amazed they have homework in reception already, ds1 is just in his 3rd week and hasn't got any yet but there are still friends whose kids haven't even started yet never mind got homework.

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SoupDragon · 19/09/2005 13:41

Thank goodness DSs school doesn't give homework in reception.They get 3 spellings a week from the 2nd half term in Y1 but they're not tested on these at all. They're too young for homework!!

Which is no help whatsoever for you, I realise . Can you print the words out in large letters and leave them around the house or stick them on the fridge door? A treat everytime he recognises the word correctly?

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Creole · 19/09/2005 14:01

I really didn't think they would be asking parents to help them with their key words, I thought they should be learning these at school (according to ds, they don't learn them at school). The key words are 'for, me, mum, dad' etc

I have tried the silly sentences and he does like them, so I stick to that and games as suggested.

Yes, I do agree he is too young for homework - he is worryingly more interested in playing, playing and more playing, which I try not to discourage really (i guess when he's ready, he'll take an interest in other things).

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QueenOfQuotes · 19/09/2005 14:03

DS1 had "homework" over the weekend - they had a picture of a house (already printed out for them) and they had to draw (with out help) a picture of their family and label who was who .

very taxing LOL.

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LIZS · 19/09/2005 14:04

dd's "homework" so far has consisted of revising 5 Jolly Phonics actions/sounds !

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QueenOfQuotes · 19/09/2005 14:05

sorry that should say with OUR help, not without help LOL.

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littlerach · 19/09/2005 14:10

DD1 has had theses words to learn too, and we soend about 10 mins each evening looking at them.
I actually think it is very important for them to learn with parents as well as the teacher.
DD1 gets a story sack to bring home each week. It contains a numeracy game, a book and cuddly toy and a literacy game. This is in addition to her high frequency words. We then write in her book about how she has done at home.

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patch · 19/09/2005 22:25

Dd has just enetered Y1, and we had homework in Reception from the start. Some homework was colouring, others learning words - had spelling tests from second terms every Friday - and a new reading book most nights. For learning the words we found a white board useful, a large one leaning up against the wall, which we would write the words on for her to point to the word we said or for her to point at a word and say. As the year progressed she would start then writing her own spellings on it. Something different to trying to sit down and use pen and paper.

She has to be in the mood to learn, but we just try and even this year the teacher has said if they are too tired and don't manage their reading book one night leave it. The only thing is they have to do is the maths over the weekend, and spelling ready for the weekly test.

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Aimsmum · 19/09/2005 22:28

Message withdrawn

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Skribble · 19/09/2005 22:33

I did a bingo type game with my kids and got them to cut out pictures to go with the words they had to learn. We alos put piles of words in toy truck and would drive them about delivering to matching picture. Lots of games I suppose.

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Ladymuck · 19/09/2005 22:37

Oh I like that idea Skribble.
One of ds's words today was "Jip".
I believe that it is one of the character's in his reading scheme (given that the first week's homework was to colour in all the characters!). But it did seem an odd one to put in his first half-dozen or so words.

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Skribble · 19/09/2005 22:45

I remembered it from when I was about 4 and mum and me spent days finding lots of pictures and sticking them on cards.

For my kids i printed out lots of words in "Comic Sans" script. We started with the simple ones and I added to them as they progressed. I did 2 sets one with pictures and one without so we could do different games. Another idea is to get them to help to draw a huge picture and put word labels on it. Or to make up labels to stick all over the house with blue tack.

If there are names of characters get child to draw picture of character. DD got her older brother to draw some of the harder ones like "in" and "faster". His pictures are brilliant and the funny ones really helped the words to stick.

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Gobbledigook · 19/09/2005 22:50

No sign of homework for ds1 yet - blimey, isn't it enough to get settled in teh first 2 weeks?

My yougest will be 4 and 1 week when he starts - taht would be way to young to start homework imo.

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Aimsmum · 19/09/2005 23:18

Message withdrawn

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Gobbledigook · 19/09/2005 23:19

Yes - he's Aug29th and cut off is Aug31st. He'll be a wee babe!

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Aimsmum · 19/09/2005 23:20

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