to insist on doing 1/2 hr homework during summer hols...?

[RichTeas]

Is it really unreasonable to expect an 8 y.o. to do about 30 mins worth of study (daily) during the summer weeks away from school? The problem of course is not the 30 mins, it's the fact that the "study" which might include reading a chapter from a reader and/or a few pages from a workbook can take 1-2 hours to get done, as DS does his utmost to avoid it. I would be the first to say spending hours fighting over homework is not the ideal way to start the day, but it should only take half an hour (when he co-operates it can take 20 mins). So it's a battle of wills, but should I give in and save our summer?

Great way to make a child detest learning, poor little sod.

YANBU
we talked to DS's about doing some school work over the holidays and tried to work out with them how to make it fair.

DS1 suggested that he would get a minute on the Wii for each minute homework he does. He then worked out if he wants an hour on the wii he should do 30 minutes maths and 30 minutes english, he then divided that by 5 so he only had to do it on week days. so we have got to 6 minutes maths and 6 minutes english each day.

Mixing it up, he has written a letter to a friend, written out the menu & shopping list for the week etc...

DS1 is ahead with his maths and loves it so I am encouraging that, he is behind with his writing so he is practicing that..
DS2 however is like a little sponge and because his big brother is doing homework he wants to (he is like perfect peter from horrid henry)

it is working for us.

The BEST, BEST,BEST thing we ever did was buy reading lamps that clip on the girls' headboards - then set school holiday bedtime at 8.30 - lights out 9.30 - they get their books from the library and love doing the reading scheme for the summer holidays. (one reading book and one craft book a week)

a. we have NO problem getting them to go to bed
b. they love to read for an hour before lights out - sometimes we hear them reading funny bits to each other - it is lovely!

Also - we use out and out bribery - they love learning piano - but when the sun shines, who wants to practise? So 15 min piano practise gets an hour on Moshi monsters/movie star planet with their mates.

No worksheets here... but their gran gives them a tenner spending money each , each month, we have an American import sweet shop in town - they work out the most sweets of the sort they love that they can get for their money - still numeracy to me... They both also make and write thank you cards to their gran, and write chatty letters to their cousins 700 miles away.

My eldest (11) has homework set on reading - make a collage relating to a book you love, so is taking notes, designing and collecting bits and bobs for that too.

So a mix of "suck it up, get on with it and you get treated" and "this stuff is fun" and "we don't even realise we are learning" is what works best in this house.

Tantrums you're doing exactly that-dismissing anybody who does work with their kids during the holiday.

My kids read avidly because they enjoy it.They also do exactly what yours do,just about to have some Ds time and dd is out on her bike as I type.She simply has also done an hour of schoolwork too.

None of them wanted to do work in the hols(they had 2 complete weeks doing nothing)but I've found ways to make it enjoyable which the op could do.Said dc are now so fired up dd asked to do some handwriting too.We've got new pencils,rubbers,notebooks etc.They all made a interesting verb vocab book in new notebooks today to help them write stories which they loved.They're loving their incentive chart now although sceptical to begin with.

People should read during the holidays because they enjoy it.
Turning a pleasurable experience into a battleground where the parent attempts to impose their will on their child, well, that seems rather counterproductive.

Perhaps the OP should review her teaching methods and look for ways to give her children learning experiences outside a classroom environment while she has the chance.

Where did I dismiss anybody working with their DCs?

I was suggesting the op take a different approach that's all.

If your way works for you, and it clearly does then it's all good isn't it?

I personally choose not do any formal learning during the holidays and that works for me and my DCs.
So that's good as well.

Different people, different views.

I was just offering an opinion that at the moment it was becoming a negative experience for the ops dc. And suggesting a different approach.

YBAbitU. I can see your point but there has to be another way. My DS dislikes reading fiction, so he reads the guiness book of records, magazines relating to his interests etc. he does read some fiction, Michael Morpurgo and diary of a wimpy kid but its mainly reference or fun stuff.
Maybe trips to museums and keep a diary would be less atress?

I guess it's OP's choice, save your summer or soldier on in unpleasant battle of wills.

I suppose OP always does 2 hours of study or her tedious paid job every day of her holiday, too (sounds like an adult equivalent to what she wants her 8yo to do). Why shouldn't she? Don't want OP to forget it all over the long holidays, after all.

I am also making DS do writing this holiday (in order to get screen time).
That's not completely contradictory because DS has a meltdown every first week of September when he's asked to write or draw something in class.
So I am trying this in effort to prevent a meltdown.

So far he's about 2 weeks behind in his writing tasks, can't say this scheme is working well for us, either!

YANBU

I've been badgering encouraging my DS to do some writing this summer and it's been like pulling teeth.

Inspired by your thread I've chatted to him this morning to ask how practicing writing could be more fun and he's suggested stories where I start it off and he does a bit then I do etc. I'm also going to see if he fancies the suggestion on here to write letters to an animal / toy.

For reading I use the same idea as Bytheway which has really helped DS to develop a love of books.

Those of you whose DC's need to practice writing-can they write something down on a piece of paper (short, like a MN post) and then them and you post it on here, on a specially created thread, where other people's DCs also post and they can chat to each other-moderated by mum/dad?

Thinking it may be something quite exciting for them, it's doing writing and also IT and is a bit different?

This thread has been an eye-opener. I'm a teacher and it never occurred to me to get my kids to do any work at all during the summer holidays. Pretty sure other teacher friends took the same approach.

I think I just remember long summer holidays when you didn't have to think about school at all as a really special time, and going back in the autumn feeling all refreshed and ready to get stuck in again.

They all ended up with good university degrees despite my lack of application :)

Custardisyourhamster the only thing DS will write about is Minecraft, and DS wouldn't enjoy anybody critiquing it (am quite sure no one would want to read it, either) lol. tbh, I think only children who already enjoy writing would want to do what you suggest (sorry).

DS will NOT write what I dictate, either. So wouldn't copy anything down, either. Contrary child.

It's a struggle to get DS to read, I emphathise, but we manage one way or the other with lots of library visits.

I haven't read the whole thread, but I think that you should consider a compromise - my DS works for 20mins and stops, even if work isn't complete.

If I think he worked hard (even if he didn't finish the task) then he gets to choose a treat - TV, later bedtime etc (he doesn't realise that he would probably be having these things anyway, as it's the holidays). This seems to be motivating him because he hasn't not finished yet.

I let him off if we are having a day out, or if he chooses to do something else educational instead. For example, he spent a couple of hours looking up a topic of interest in books and on the internet yesterday, so I didn't mention that he hadn't done his 20mins.

I honestly don't think that 20mins (or 30mins in your case) is too much, if the rest of the day is fun and relaxation.

I would use the holiday to foster a love of learning-in interesting, exciting, imaginative ways. Getting them to sit down with boring worksheets or workbooks is likely to do the opposite-unless they are the sort of DCs who like the which OP's DC clearly isn't.

Get a book out of the library about science experiments-anything messy is bound to be exciting-e.g. make a volcano that erupts.

Volcanoes won't help my Ds's writing.Can't speak for op's son but my ds(8) is waay past volcanoes in science(v sciency boy)and they need to be able to write up experiments.Ds's writing ability is holding him back.

I just plucked that one out. Do an age related one.
I don't expect that he can see any point in writing it up.
If you want him to practise handwriting tell him that he is cooking the meal tomorrow and get him to write his shopping list and then do it.
Get him to work out a treasure hunt with clues that he has to write out for people to follow.
Take whatever he is interested in and get him to write something necessary.

Crikey, DD just did volcanoes as topic in y5. Certainly didn't seem too babyish for her & peers.

He may not see the point but his teachers do so it's kind of tough,seems to be important.

He needs to focus on his joins,formation as a leftie so h/w practice is much needed.He's currently writing a fishing journaloff his own back but he still needs to keep up his formation and structuring.

Yes.
My sons writing is holding him back but he is dyslexic so has other issues too.
If I don't do work with him in the hols he will be at even more of a disadvantage than he already is.
I am pretty laid back about it. We went out for the day today so he didn't do any work.
He will tomorrow and Friday and he has weekends "off" so to speak.
So by the time he goes back to school in 3 weeks he will have done 5 weeks of 4 days per week about 20 mins per day.
I do not think that is too much, in fact I should probably be doing more....

Oh...and yesterday we went to a farm and park.
Today we went to a national trust place and the kids did some activities like making a clay mini beast, bug hunt, dressing up etc. we also went to a working flour mill...ds1 loved it :) then he and dh went on a 5 mile bike ride.
Just because I am working with him doesn't mean he isn't getting out and about or enjoying himself!!
Last week they did a paint a pot and made their own mugs.
Tomorrow we are babysitting my 9 month old neice (gulp)
Next week there is a church fun day, coffee mornings, playdates, birthday parties.....
I don't understand the contention that if the child is doing extra work they are missing out on their holiday??.....