or is this too much homework for a 6-yr-old?

[DerelictMyBalls]

*reading every night
*three a4 pages of maths exercises
*write 18 sentences with verbs underlined
*a4 page literacy puzzle
*complete 17 sentences by adding verbs
*mathletics
*10 spellings, each to be written out 4 times
*circle the verbs in a list

It seems loads to me but would like some perspective. It's an ordinary primary school and DS is not behind with anything.

[UseMeUntilMyBottomWearsOut]

Depends when it's for. A month, a week?

[DerelictMyBalls]

Oh, sorry! They get it on a Friday, hand it in on a Wednesday. So we do half of it on Sunday afternoon and the rest on a Monday after school. I think he should have one day a week (Saturday) with no school work.

[UseMeUntilMyBottomWearsOut]

So less than a week? Far too much in my opinion then.

[AllTheShoes]

Much too much. My 5yo (Y1) has much less than that. It's meant to take her 15 minutes a week, I think. Plus reading her school book with us, which takes less than 10 minutes.

I do know that when the school asked parents about homework, it was a pretty much 50/50 split with half wanting lots and half wanting none, so I suspect they can't win. I personally have been convinced by mrz and other teachers on here that the research just isn't there for homework in primary school, apart from reading.

[Trifleorbust]

Definitely too much for a 6 year old. Have you asked the teacher whether this amount of homework is mandated by the school, or whether it is being given at his/her discretion?

[WLF46]

Seems fair enough. He'll have to get use to unreasonable workloads and arbitrary deadlines when he gets older, so it's a good idea to start him on the path now. Remember that time spent on homework is helping his education and developing his abilities.

[waterrat]

That is ludicrous. with primary homework you should decide how much time you are prepared to spend on it then don't do more. I really think our young children should be switching off when they walk out of the school gate.

[lollipop28]

My dd gets; 10 spellings to learn every week, a maths page every night, 3 sentences every night, a book every night , tables every night and a page in a religion book.

[Wolfiefan]

We have 10 spellings a week. One task. (Research or Maths or writing etc.) Read three times a week.
She's 6. It's enough.

[Trifleorbust]

I can't agree with the 'just don't do it' responses you are probably going to get here. If homework is set and you teach your 6 year old it doesn't have to be done, you will end up with an 11 year old and then a 15 year old who believes school work is optional. But what you can do is raise it with the school. Homework every night is arguably excessive for a 6 year old.

[Allalonenow]

I think it's too much for four days especially as it is bound to affect the weekend activities. At that age they should have free time across a weekend.
I'd be wondering if the teachers are frittering away classroom time and having to set this amount of homework in order to keep up with targets.

[DerelictMyBalls]

We can't just not do it. If they don't finish it, they have to stay in at playtime until it's done.

[Oblomov16]

Seems a lot. We have:
Reading every night
10 spellings for a test in a weeks time
Times tables supposed to be regularly
Maths or English (alternates each week) homework, given Friday, to be handed in Tuesday.

[BrollyXmas]

That's a ridiculous amount of work!

My 9 yo (y5) gets a SPAG sheet, maths sheet, spellings (including writing definitions) and talk homework (related to their big writing).

[dementedpixie]

Ds gets homework each night but it is different each time e.g. monday- write 8 words 3 times and do 4 sentences, Tuesday- maths sheet, Wednesday- same 8 words but do pyramid spelling with them, Thursday- maths sheet. Spelling test is on friday and there is no homework at the weekend, thank goodness

[mmgirish]

Wow! That's crazy! Far too much.

My Year Four class gets: Mathletics, one A4 page of times tables practise, reading each night and spellings on spellodrome (via Mathletics). They also receive their homework on a Friday and hand it in the following Friday.

[SorryNotSorry]

That is way too much, speaking as a primary school teacher.

Not only does it seem excessive in quantity, I would question the quality. Seems pretty repetitive. How on earth are they marking all that!

[ImprovingMyMH]

Yes, WLF46, it's a great idea to get 6 year olds used to 'unreasonable workloads and arbitrary deadlines' .

OP, I think that's way too much homework.

[PrincessHairyMclary]

DD is in year 2 normally has 10 spellings but hasn't had any since half term and a sheet of either maths or English which alternates weekly. These sheets are only marked with a tick no matter how much DD does so I get her to do it for 20mins on Friday after school and providing she's given the task a good attempt that's where we leave it. She has reading, we aim for 3hrs 15 minutes over the week (roughly 15 mins a night) she does lots of after school clubs etc so we average it over the week opposed to doing it on nights she's already tired.

There are more important things in life than homework. Saturday is spent dancing and with family and Sunday is spent doing fun stuff, swimming, cinema or chilling at home.

[DerelictMyBalls]

SorryNotSorry there is a lot of repetition with the homework. They were given the same number bonds worksheet four weeks running, for instance.

[DerelictMyBalls]

Thanks all who have responded.

[Trifleorbust]

There are more important things in life than homework, but not many more important things than a thorough education. I wouldn't be prioritising the cinema over reading and writing. At the same time, there is such a thing as too much and this sounds like it. I would speak to other parents, see if they are in sympathy, then perhaps raise this with the Head or the class teacher. There could well be a compromise to be mapped out.

[AllTheShoes]

But Trifle this isn't 'a thorough education' it's homework that's not well designed for the child, is likely to put them off school (and possibly learning in general) and which is cutting in to time for other types of learning.

Just for example, I did the 20 minutes homework with my 5yo this weekend (finding and naming 3D shapes), and then she painted (imagination, fine motor skills), washed up (more fine motor skills), talked about her painting (vocabulary, imagination) and we made a mug cake (measuring / maths / bit of writing on my shopping list for ingredients we'd used up). In the morning she'd been to the cinema (which was a film of a book she'd read at school, so we had an interesting chat about what was the same and what was different) and rode her bike (gross motor skills). Of all those things, where do you think she learnt the most? I'm not convinced it was the homework.

[ittooshallpass]

Family life is more important than homework and provides a child with a thorough education.

Visiting a museum, cinema or fun park provides a child with plenty of educational opportunities.

All the research shows that homework for primary school children provides no benefit.

I read with my child every night. We prepare for a weekly spelling test the night before. Alternate weeks of maths and writing are completed if we have time (I work full time so it isn't always possible, we both have a long day). Project work is done only if it is something a child can do without 75% input from me (otherwise I end up doing it; what is the point in that?)

OP the amount of homework you describe sounds too much. I would certainly be talking to the school about it.

I don't agree with the comment that we will raise children who think they can pick and choose whether they do their homework if we don't push them at 6.

The amount of homework should be appropriate for the age of the children. And should be something the children can do with minimum supervision in 20 minutes maximum.

[monkeysox]

That's excessive. My y2 ds gets reading book and is supposed to read min 4 times pw. A sheet of maths a literacy sheet and ten spelling per week. We dont always get it all done.