Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Flip

1 2 3 4 5

Original poster

To be annoyed that DS gets hardly any homework in YR 5?

111 replies

olimpia · 07/05/2012 20:56

That's it really. Wondering what is a normal workload for yr 5 pupil. He gets 1 piece of literacy homework a week where he has to research something on the Internet without any indication of required length so he's over in 15 minutes. Sometimes he gets a few maths exercises too. Some weeks he gets nada.

OP posts:

Original poster

olimpia · 07/05/2012 21:38

Ah yes he manages to do very well at school too and I'm told he works very hard while at school but when he gets home he feels he's already had a full day at work and it's his right to do what he pleases.
Maybe IABU. Problem is I've always been very studious and done lots of homework from an early age and I worry that this doesn't bide well for his future studies.
Xbox was DH's idea. I would have stopped him had I known...

OP posts:

LibrarianByDay · 07/05/2012 21:40

I'd also add that there is so much more that he should be learning than schoolwork.

Original poster

olimpia · 07/05/2012 21:43

mrsterry THANK YOU! Fantastic link. I'm going to look into it for sure.
fred of course I try to do things with DS but it's not easy to persuade him that mom
is more interesting than playing games and talking to his friends through the box while he's playing. It's very easy to just blame the parent isn't it?

OP posts:

KingscoteStaff · 07/05/2012 21:45

I'm afraid parents split neatly into 'too much homework' and 'not enough homework' groups. No one ever says that it's about right. I'm not saying this applies to you, but there are certainly parents who would like 'Shut up Sheets' every night!

I agree with checking that the reading is getting done - 20 mins a night is about right for Year 5.

I would put the XBox into a cupboard except for agreed times - maybe Friday and Saturday eves? I wouldn't let my Yr 5 boy play Halo - much too young.

LynetteScavo · 07/05/2012 21:46

I think you need to, um parent him a bit.

Point him in the direction of a football, and some friends. Or a camera and get him to make a film. Or a design project, or some airfix maybe. Or some worksheets if you really want him to do something like that.

Original poster

olimpia · 07/05/2012 21:49

lynette just because he plays a lot of Xbox doesn't mean I don't "hmm parent him" . I'm not the sort of mum who drops kids in front of tv to get nails done.

OP posts:

WorraLiberty · 07/05/2012 21:52

Cut his XBox use right down

Then he'll be bored

Because he's bored, he'll take up a hobby

Loads of kids who play instruments/do sports/dancing etc...do it because if they didn't, they'd be bored.

LadyWidmerpool · 07/05/2012 21:54

'when he gets home he feels he's already had a full day at work and it's his right to do what he pleases'

I completely see why he feels that way and I think it's very unlikely he will spontaneously decide to do something more productive with his time unless he receives lots of encouragement and incentives.

How many of us come home from work and veg in front of the TV or computer? Does that mean our employers should give us more work?

CrumpettyTree · 07/05/2012 21:55

My dd goes pt and they have a no homework policy. School believes that if they teach well at school they don't need any. I really agree with that. we had no homework in primary school until Y6, apart from reading books and spellings. Despite that, three kids in my class ended up at Oxford, so it doesn't seem to have hampered them too much. We also had a very good teacher at high school who never gave homework, but who tested us regularly on what we had learned and we all learned really well in her class.

MrsTerryPratchett · 07/05/2012 21:56

I'm going to sound like a right grump but even visiting children (for example family staying for a week or so, not play dates) have to earn game time in my house . If their parents choose to let them play 18 games then they have to earn double chore/homework time to play those.

I have noticed that the children who spend a lot of time playing 18 games (Halo, Call of Duty etc.) have less interest in spending time doing family stuff (zoo, family films etc.) and seem to have a low tolerance for 'boredom'. Maybe that is why they are attracted to games in the first place or maybe it is not good for their attention. Who knows? I don't like it though.

SimplySoo · 07/05/2012 21:57

Halo is not an appropriate game for a 9/10 year old, seriously.

AKissIsNotAContract · 07/05/2012 21:59

So does your parenting involve any discussion of the adult themes that might arise when playing an adult game such as Halo?

pointythings · 07/05/2012 22:00

My DDs are not allowed game consoles except on weekends and holidays. They find stuff to do. As for Halo - no chance in this house. The homework or lack thereof just isn't the issue here at all.

EndoplasmicReticulum · 07/05/2012 22:00

Completely agree with everything FourEyes said in her first post.

(also teacher).

Original poster

olimpia · 07/05/2012 22:05

Why the sarcasm? No need to imply I'm a bad mother! DH got the xbox and Halo. I didn't know that it wasn't appropriate for his age. All I can see when he's playing is a lot of shooting but that's similar to a lot of games so it didn't occur to me that DH may have bought him a game not appropriate for his age.

OP posts:

TheFallenMadonna · 07/05/2012 22:09

I like the way my DC's school does homework. Lots of mini projects. Interesting, but not overly onerous.

Does he do anything like cubs?

startail · 07/05/2012 22:10

YABU
5 mins Extra HW = 30 mins extra whinge = very stressed Mummy.

Honestly, most of the time secondary DCs can do their HW without involving their parents.

Primary DCs can't, and even if they can don't, because they haven't grown out of quite liking the attention.

TheFallenMadonna · 07/05/2012 22:12

My son is 10 and in year 6, and I would not be happy with him playing Halo, or indeed any shooting games.

I think it's easy for me to say as DH and I don't really do computer games, so haven't had to adjust our expectations for the children.

But if I were you, I'd have a look at the game and decide whether you think it is suitable for your children.

Original poster

olimpia · 07/05/2012 22:15

Yes he does Scouts and loves it. He says he would do other sports if his friends were there. He just doesn't like to participate in anything that his parents try to do with him, he's only interested in hanging out with his friends which incidentally he can do from home through Xbox live

OP posts:

Bluebell99 · 07/05/2012 22:18

I echo what everyone else is saying, Halo is not an appropriate game for a ten year old. It's at least a 16 age rating. Age rating is on the box. I'm sorry to say I am judging your parenting if you are watching him play Halo.

Original poster

olimpia · 07/05/2012 22:22

Whatever! All I saw was shooting, not swear words or sexual content. I didn't figure that could make a game 16. Bad idea to post on this forum. I don't need a bunch of losers/strangers judging me thank you very much

OP posts:

Original poster

olimpia · 07/05/2012 22:25

And i was just after people's experiences oh how mug homework their children get in comparison to mine. I don't understand why some people have to turn nasty and go and make judgments like that on this forum. People like that should get a life!

OP posts:

TheFallenMadonna · 07/05/2012 22:26

Look, you're the one saying you don't want him spending all his time playing on the xbox.

Other posters are just agreeing with you (just not about homework as the only viable alternative...)

MrsTerryPratchett · 07/05/2012 22:29

OP, please don't make the MN/AIBU mistake. Don't just focus on the posters who are judging you saying YABU. I don't like Halo, I don't think you are a terrible parent for not checking (especially since it was DH who got the game). Try to take the good advice, listen to the experience and ignore don't react to the rest.

It is horrible to feel that people are ganging up on you.

tropicalfish · 07/05/2012 22:31

my dd is in year 9 and hardly gets any homework.
However, now I think it is less important than I did before but one thing I think is very valuable is for kids to have a real passion for an interest they have that they can develop. Examples, sport and music. So maybe be involved in this hobby, 2 evenings a week and one day on the weekend, but also participate in it daily.
When kids become teenagers they can become quite moody and difficult and an interest like this can be a very positive thing. Rather than worry about homework I would focus on this.
But having said that, I come from an area where there are grammar schools so we had to do alot of preparation for 11+ exams

Flip

1 2 3 4 5