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Original poster

Homework every day in Reception?

58 replies

blueberrymojito · 16/09/2024 16:43

My just turned four year old has just started reception and is coming home from school every single day with homework to be sent back in the next day, which consists of a homework sheet to practice the letter of the day (the sound and then writing the letter several times) and another sheet which I think is mainly pen control type exercises.

This seems so unfair. Starting school is such a huge transition as it is and to be bringing this home every day since day one is exhausting for both of us (factoring in work and afterschool club too!). Surely at this age they just need to relax at home and get into the rhythm of school life? My DC is also very reluctant to do the work at home, exhausted from the day I guess, and I'm also reluctant to push it for fear it'll cause resentment towards learning...however the teacher says is "very important it's done each day". Is this normal? Hmm

OP posts:
StarSlinger · 16/09/2024 16:46

I wouldn't make her do it. I'm against homework in general though.

ItTook9Years · 16/09/2024 16:47

Urgh. DD had maybe 10 pieces of homework in total between Reception and Year 6.

She’s had next to none in years 7 and 8 so I’ve no idea what your school is playing at!

CCLCECSC · 16/09/2024 16:48

Does seem excessive

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Procrastinates · 16/09/2024 16:50

It sounds like a shit school to be honest who don't have a firm understanding of how 4 year olds learn. There's absolutely no way my child would be doing any work outside of school in reception except reading it's completely unnecessary.

landris · 16/09/2024 16:51

Oh that's ridiculous. They are only four years old.

Just write 'Did not engage in homework' on it every day and send it back.

Rory17384949 · 16/09/2024 16:51

That sounds like too much! My DDs didn't get homework apart from reading books in reception.
DD in year 5 gets a reading book/task every week and maths practice, there's never stuff that has to be done by the next day - even my eldest in year 9 always has a few nights before homework is due.
Very difficult to fit it all in every evening with after school club and swimming lessons etc and they really do need some down time just to play and relax at primary school age!

FeedingThem · 16/09/2024 16:53

Thats presumably on top of ten minutes of reading too.

No, I'd possibly keep them and get them to do ten minutes of a weekend at most.

We have one piece a week and it's usually more creative / to be done with parents / no penalty

normanprice62 · 16/09/2024 16:55

Nope, mine wouldn't be doing that after a full school day. I have no problem with a reading book, appropriate homework at the weekend but certainly not everyday and just turned 4! Your 4 year old doesn't legally even have to be in school yet.

25soexcited · 16/09/2024 16:56

My GD has justed started reception…book bag empty 😊

Balloonhearts · 16/09/2024 16:58

If they can't write yet and are still practicing letter sounds, shouldn't they be doing that IN school?

I mean the kids are 4 years old, if they aren't teaching them letters and pen control in the lessons wtf are they doing all bloody day?

Player5 · 16/09/2024 16:58

My daughter hasn't had any homework for reception yet.

pinkroses79 · 16/09/2024 16:59

That's unusual, but even more unusual this early on after just starting school! Some of the children haven't even got the knack of holding a pencil properly at that stage. I would follow my child and only do it if she is receptive and wants to. The main thing is that she is happy going to school, not so much what work she does right now.

junebirthdaygirl · 16/09/2024 17:04

In lreland. Most teachers wait until after Halloween break to fix homework and most start at 5 here. You would be amazed how many parents request it before that . They are so tired starting. I wouldn't fuss over it. Just write a note saying she is extremely tired in the evening but as soon as she adjusts you hope she will be able to do it. Any chance they would do it in Afterschool!!

StuckOnTheCeiling · 16/09/2024 17:05

Mine is in year 2 and still hasn’t had any homework beyond a reading book and occasionally a list of words to work on.

I would probably put a very limited effort in to encouraging her to do it occasionally. Maybe at the weekend. Not daily.

workingmumuk · 16/09/2024 17:10

My daughter just started Reception too. But she doesn't get as much as that. We have 3 'tricky' words to learn this half term, reading books sent home (for us to read to her as obviously she can't read yet), and one very simple home learning worksheet each week. And I thought that was a lot!

reluctantbrit · 16/09/2024 17:11

I may go against the grain but as DD has the most awful penmanship, couldn't hold a pencil for ages properly, I would have welcomed this.

We were fobbed of for 2-3 years about her not managing writing despite us practising at home all the time. It actually took her using a fountain pen at home to sort it out.

Learning fine motor skills is vital and I think not done enough.

boulevardofbrokendreamss · 16/09/2024 17:11

We just didn't do it.

DixonD · 16/09/2024 17:13

They probably don’t HAVE to do it. We used to get bits in YR, more than in any others so far (now Y4), and we did it if she felt like it. No one ever mentioned it.

fashionqueen0123 · 16/09/2024 17:14

That’s mad. Ours was colouring and reading, at that age, and the colouring was optional. Theyve only just started. They should be doing mark marking and skills to strengthen their fine motor skills first at school then moving onto pencil skills later on. It’s the first couple of weeks!

landris · 16/09/2024 17:18

Mine would have done that enthusiastically (probably), but I certainly wouldn't have pushed it if she didn't want to or was tired.

Fine motor skills can be developed with jigsaws and other puzzles, toys with small pieces like Lego, and by doing colouring-in or dot-to-dot pictures. They won't associate any of that with school work, and you don't want to put them off at this age.

SquigglePigs · 16/09/2024 17:22

My DD has just gone into year 1 and she's never had any homework. Just reading books that we're encouraged to do with her 4 times a week.

No way DD would have been up for doing that. She had to go to after school club a few days a week and on those days particularly she crashed when she got in.

If you force it then she's just going to start hating school and writing so I wouldn't be pushing it.

Procrastinates · 16/09/2024 17:23

reluctantbrit · 16/09/2024 17:11

I may go against the grain but as DD has the most awful penmanship, couldn't hold a pencil for ages properly, I would have welcomed this.

We were fobbed of for 2-3 years about her not managing writing despite us practising at home all the time. It actually took her using a fountain pen at home to sort it out.

Learning fine motor skills is vital and I think not done enough.

Learning fine motor skills can be done in about 1000 other ways though. If it was actually about the fine motor skills any teacher with even a tiny bit of knowledge of effective pedagogy would not use a worksheet for fine motor skills.

Cally102 · 16/09/2024 17:24

I wouldn't do it and I teach Reception!

90yomakeuproom · 16/09/2024 17:29

If it's Read, Write Inc then it's a consolidation sheet that embeds the learning at home and is for parents to know where their child is up to. It's for you as much as it is them. Some children love showing off what they have learnt at school at home. It is important for parents to show an interest in their child's learning.
I give these sheets out to my reception class but I do stress that they do not need to be returned (obviously it seems your school is doing this differently) but most parents keep/make a little folder for them to refer back to and practice when they want to.
I understand everyone saying "they're only 4!" but the government (blame them!) expectation is that these Reception children can write a sentence independently in 9 months time! The teachers do not make these goal posts, we are simply doing our job and trying to help the children along the way to fulfil their potential 🙂

reluctantbrit · 16/09/2024 17:33

Procrastinates · 16/09/2024 17:23

Learning fine motor skills can be done in about 1000 other ways though. If it was actually about the fine motor skills any teacher with even a tiny bit of knowledge of effective pedagogy would not use a worksheet for fine motor skills.

Show quote history

Yes I know and we did various things. But for DD, sitting down with a pen worked the best, she was and is very routine driven. Proper homework actually does work for some children compared to the view of "nothing in primary".

Without homework we wouldn't have seen how many gaps DD had as she was the perfect middle child in school, doing enough to get by, and in 7 years only 1 teacher found that intervention was necessary.

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