Is it too much for my 6 year old DD ? Homework.

I'm dyslexic, as are both my children! We are all able readers (tho I struggle now due to a separate condition!) which sometimes disguises the dyslexia! The struggle to get ideas onto paper/writing, especially if she is verbally quite capable can be indicators of dyslexia! The noise issues in class are a big issue.
Glad the school are putting some strategies into place.

Practical fun activities OP. My son is 6 and is struggling with literacy (& I teach foundation stage). He hates 'homework'. I do some practical activities that help him with his writing/high frequency words. One thing he loves is writing words in flour with a chopsticks/pencil. He traces words in the flour and then afterwards he plays with his cars in the flour (makes a right mess but he loves it). He also makes words out of play dough, enjoys writing on a whiteboard, chalkboard, drawing tool on iPad etc. A pot of coins is great for playing shop, adding, counting in 2ps, 5ps etc. Numicon is an excellent resource if you can afford it. If you Google Topmarks there are lots of fab math games. Pinterest has lots of ideas. 10/15mins is enough, lots of praise and a reward at the end.

If she's upset, I wouldn't force it.

I do understand you are worried about her being behind.
A few suggestions:
Spelling - blind spelling (close eyes and write word - very effective); write with finger on back, arm or table
Writing and spelling - fancy/coloured pens, paper, whiteboard, write shopping lists
Reading - read a line each, books that capture interest, read whilst out/lists etc.
Number/maths/spelling practice - say and practise them in the car

One of my grandchildren is very eager to do some work every night after school because she is rewarded with limited time on an iPad straight afterwards. No work, no screen time and it’s proved successful for her.

@Breadandblutter My DDs got no homework at Junior school. Head didn’t believe in or sats. Did some reading in y3. That was all. Many boys who went on to the grammar school had a big shock and homework took some of them hours. No idea how to work smart!

Lots of good suggestions here but might be worth considering if she is dyslexic. It maybe that she's just struggling with things but equally there maybe a more specific reason. Have a look on the British dyslexia association website for more information and guidance.

If you are making her hate it it is counterproductive. Keep school for school and home for home. Encourage her in any homework she is given if it is appropriate and let her chill.

Ex teacher here, I hate primary school homework with a passion and I’m not too keen on secondary homework either. My 7yo and I read at home every single day and her teachers have been quite judgy with me for not noting down in her book every time we read 🙄 I’d sack off all but the most necessary hw at that age and focus on play and connection after school.

@redskyAtNighYes, and that’s lots of young people. Although the bigger issue is secondary school. On another thread we are discussing MFLs. It’s clear pupils don’t want to do them. They want bespoke GCSEs that reflect their interests and not a broad education which encompasses choices from each of science, English. Humanities, MFLs, arts and technology. They are allowed a very narrow diet. I find primary school better but poor at prep for MFLs, art and technology. Private preps are much better. We have dc passing exams but they are not educated. Same with A levels snd degrees.

Can you tell her that she needs to do 15 min 3x a week and then let her choose the days so that she feels she has some autonomy.

I think your daughter is telling you it’s too much by the fact she’s getting upset - you don’t need to ask us that. 10/15 mins of worksheets at home on top of school for someone that age is definitely too much.

I don't think MN is anti "work done at home".

They are anti young children being forced to do worksheets whose sole purpose is to allow them to meet tick boxes at school.

Education is about way more than that. Children who've had their entire focus on passing exams are often very limited.

I don’t know why MN is so anti-homework. If your child is falling behind it doesn’t matter what other education systems abroad are like - they are in the UK education system and if they don’t understand the basics of what is being taught in their current year group they will fall behind.

It doesn’t matter if she doesn’t like doing it, of course she doesn’t. She’d rather be on an iPad or watching tv or outside but that’s irrelevant. Make homework part of the routine - get in, 30 minute break and a snack and then 30 minutes of reading or maths.

Falling behind in school is very stressful and embarrassing for kids. You’re doing her a favour.

Make it fun!

Static whiteboard sheets. They can cling on most surfaces so makes it more interesting plus some coloured white board pens

Chalk outside on the ground or on wall (easy to wash off)

Cheap led writing board- i got two on amazon for £5

Using scrabble tiles to spell words

Online programmes like nessy or r3ading eggs ect

Playing word games. Orchard do loads of educational games that kids love.

I dont believe 6 year olds can really be behind by the way. That's just our rigid system.

I agree with this. Where I live, children start school the September after their 6th birthday, and they don't start learning to read and write until after new year, when many of them are nearly 7. Generally by this age they understand what is required of them a lot better than they would have done at age 4/5 and pick it up very quickly.

If your child is struggling at age 6 I think just like other landmarks (eg eating solid food, toilet training) if it isn't going well, take the pressure off and try again in a few months.

It's making her hate it, so it probably is too much.

I'd focus on reading (not making her read but encouraging her to and reading a lot to her) and incorporating maths into your daily life more with random questions, giving pocket money and counting peas, and playing maths related games.

But when she is tired she still seems to get it wrong

is the very textbook reason for having breaks and holidays

@itsthetea These are the top performing nations in terms of academic attainment at 15.

It is very tempting to look at east Asia and to make generalisations about their societies to explain why they outperform our own. I would advise against this.

The countries on this list simply study longer than us.

What is your critique of Estonia. Hint - this one is not in Asia, in fact it's very near Finland that I believe you mentioned?

I would not say they are the top performing nations

o would say they are nations with high but narrow acedemic standards and a whole host of human problems and I suspect a high rate of failure

counties like Germany and Finland produce balanced and broadly happy children with high academic standards and options for those who are not academic to also do well and they start formal teaching around 6 to 8

@waterrat
Clearly our harsh system which removes play based learning far too early isn't working anyway.

All of the top performing nations effectively start academic learning at 3 years old - Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Estonia. The top performing western European nation - Switzerland - starts at 4. Germany and Sweden (starting at 6) perform far worse, and worse than the UK.

I agree with you that play and play based learning is essential for developmental growth, but it is difficult to label the UK system as harsh when looking from a global perspective.

@waterrat I know Swedish people and they don’t hold dc back! They go at dc pace. If dc can start to read, they do. This idea that there’s just play an no structure is not correct. If dc can read at 4, who holds them back? No educators or parents. Plus y1 is hardly that formal!

If you think all dc would achieve identical goals by starting at 6, you are wrong. They don’t in other countries. Plus we know we have many dc who don't have bright parents and many parents who don’t value education, so getting dc into a learning culture is no bad thing. We all know dc do best with educated interested parents. This country has many chaotic parents with relatively low attainment and skills. You cannot make low achieving dc, at any age, become high achievers. I do think starting at 6 would definitely suit slower learners and less mature dc but the kindergarten system abroad is a well oiled and resourced machine. It’s not a play free for all with not a qualified teacher in sight.

@OhDear111 of course they may be struggling to keep up - with the imposed goals of our education system. that doesn't mean they are inherently behind where they should be as individuls.

Many countries (by far the majority globally) do not start formal education by 6!

And a lot of european countries do far better than us academically despite a much later start with 'formal' reading and writing and maths (doesn't mean children aren't learning via play before that)

A third of UK children fail maths gcse - despite starting at 4 and being drilled to within an inch of their lives.

Clearly our harsh system which removes play based learning far too early isn't working anyway.

My DD added names to my address book! That ages us! Still have the book though. She also got the book out one day and crossed out an aged aunt and wrote “she has died” next to her name.

Oh yes this is a great idea. Also pens for writing on windows, and a large roll of Ikea paper in the kitchen for writing and drawing. Just make the opportunities fun.