To do some sort of 'school' work with my kids every night ?

[Jaffacakesareyummy]

Well actually more like 5/7 nights a week??
Dc 7 and 5.

Most nights reading and timestables/number work.
3 times a week spellings for oldest added in.

This is in addition to the once a week topic task.

They do sports twice a week and clubs twice a week but I finding the pace exhausting. I am doing it as I think they could be further on at school but typical middle ability and not noticed type children.

I'm shattered though

We have to do the same. I'm a little surprised at the level of homework set for reception, yr1 and yr2 kids. If we don't work on it every night, it just won't get done!

We don't do it every night. If the school have a problem with it they can speak to me

Dd exceeding expectations in all subjects at the moment and we do a lot of non-curricular educational things that are a bit more fun.

We get homework every night, writing, spellings, maths, tables, reading and Irish language reading/spellings - 8 years old. It takes about 20-30 mins if he does it quickly but 12 yr old gets 2-3 hours homework EVERY night. He will probably get less next year in Secondary. I hate it but we've always had homework in Ireland, my eldest is 22.

Times tables and general reading are not the things that really drive overall improvement. They're single task competencies with little transfer into other areas, they just make the better at times tables, or reading.

If you're going to focus on skills outside of school focusing on more transferable skills that can be learnt rather than specific skills that transfer badly.

Reading of course, if you actually just use it as a basis for discussion, interest, learning etc. can be good, but just trying to plow through books, as pointless as times tables.

Really Fred? Do you not think that getting better at reading is a useful goal?
My DS reads to me every day and as a result (probably) he is one of the top readers in his class. Is that not worth doing? Surely being a competent reader will support his learning in other areas?

Probably going to get flamed for this but
My Dd (9) is home educated. I never taught her to read.. She now lives to read anything and everything including Harry Potter books, reference books (usually to do with minecraft or animals) and novels by Jacqueline Wilson. I have no idea where she would be on the curriculum but I know she is far ahead of most schooled peers, but the main thing is she ENJOYS reading because she's never been forced into it. By the way, at the age of 6 she could only read one word- "cat".
So... IMO, you're doing far too much 'school work'. Just enjoy your kids- play silly games, watch TV, life is too short

No need to do school work. Do some reading but make it enjoyable. Times tables can be quickly sung in the car or while out walking. Learning spelling lists is useless.

I really disagree that reading is pointless. Any kind of reading is good for development of a wider vocabulary and spelling. Having said that OP your 7 year old could probably get on with reading every night with minimal input from you?

fredfredgeorgejnr like what? Reading is highly transferable. What else would you suggest???

Guitargirl a wider vocabulary can also be got from chatting, watching TV, all sorts - not just reading, and spelling is another skill which doesn't transfer like times tables. It just makes you a better speller. A skill which also is not essential we have good tools to help us, and like reading is something you only need to get to the certain standard on, and intervening in it can be done once you find out there's a problem, and average is not the time.

Reading isn't pointless, it just could be rather one dimensional if you're just reading stories to each other, and a loss of opportunity to learn other life skills which transfer more. Having a chat about any subject that interests the kid, and researching that on the internet has all the same reading and vocabulary gain, but also adds research and investigatory things.

Games, which have problem solving, bluffing, strategies etc. are much more transferable skills. Exercise and sports skills are much more important lifelong gain and intelligence and aerobic fitness are correlated (the more oxygen the brain has the better!)

Of course, being good at something in class can help get a nice positive re-enforcement going in the school with improvements across the board, but that same could be got from other achievements, particularly as practicing times tables probably isn't going to get them to be the top of the class if they're not internally motivated or naturally good at them.

Gently encourage extra reading if they enjoy it but I wouldn't force them. Also I don't believe that there is any need whatsoever for them to be doing extra 'school work' on top of the homework they're already getting.

DD is Y2 and we get a list of spellings and a maths concept to practice each week which are tested in class on a thursday. So we do practice these for 15mins each night mon-wed. We do a min of 15 mins reading 6 nights a week (more if shes into the book, less if shes knackered). I think its good to get her into the habit of homework at this age, and the reading is essential, as DD is likely dyslexic (been referred, assessment due shortly) and this extra reading time is essential to keep her progressing and get her reading confidence up.

I dont think we do any more than most (?) Agree it can feel exhausting sometimes. I dread when DS (currently in nursery) has to do it too as I cant imagine doing this twice every evening after a long day at work...

Reading every evening with infant stage kids is par for the course.

The other stuff you should definitely be starting to get your 7 year old to do by themself, with reminders. It isn't your homework, it's theirs.

Reading, times tables and the like shouldn't need to be set as homework - it's something parents should be doing anyway without the school specifying it.
Beyond that, I find homework for primary school children a ridiculous idea, they need time to be children. A number of pieces of research have also shown that homework from pre-high school children has very limited value and does almost nothing to raise their academic performance. If you want to do your young ones a favour, read with them and take them on day trips to places like the natural history museum / an old castle or something like that.

DS1 is 8 and has a spelling list and some speed maths or times tables that he is tested on each week so we practise those maybe 5 times a week and he reads to us/we read to him as well.

DS2 is in foundation, he reads his reading scheme book 6 nights a week and practises his word card a couple of times a week.

DS1 also has a homework task to do every weekend.

Both dd's (yr 3 and yr 6) read 5 times a week, practice spellings 3 times a week and they get given maths and literacy homework on a Friday which is due in on the Wednesday. I do think that's far too much for primary school, I didn't have any homework at all til secondary school.

I think that practicing reading is essential in infants. However having an adult reading to a child is equally essential.

I feel that families need a balance between work, rest and play. If you are finidng that reading, practicing maths and spellings every night is too much then it does no harm to cut back and do a little less. There is a happy medium between doing nothing to help children with school work and being a hot housing tiger mum.

Do you mean supplementary to their homework?

We are deep in ridiculous homework hell at the moment. I would love it if DD (yr 2) had spelling/maths type homework set nightly, instead she has weekly research/make/cook/create stuff. The kind of homework that takes the parent hours and involves a trip to Hobbycraft.

Sounds like us (mine are 9 and 6 though). Usually 10 min reading for the youngest, but also spellings and project work. Mine love the project work, me less so - dining table filled with half made/finished stuff for weeks. This week a piece of art inspired by plants for ds1 and a puppet theatre w puppets for ds2 (his choice and we do get 3 weeks to do it in). Ds1 also half way through building a model car engine for cubs so mess everywhere.

I stick to the 10 minute rule, 10 minutes per class
1st class 10 mins
2nd 20 mins etc.
My son is in 5th class so if he's not finished after 50 mins I tell him to leave it and wrote him a note.
My kids only get home work monday -Thursday so it's not too bad
I'm in Ireland so I'm not sure what classes are called in the UK but DS is 11

One of mine is in high school and does stuff every night. She hates spending weekends doing homework so keeps on top of it during the week. 2 nights a week she stays for the after school homework club and does it at home the other 3. She doesn't get loads though, about an hour a night. She manages it herself and I don't get involved unless she needs help. She loves reading and reads for her own enjoyment

DD2 is in year 5 and gets 1 literacy work sheet, 1 numeracy work sheet, 15 spellings to learn a week and regular If she doesn't fart around she can get both the work sheets done in half an hour. 10 minutes a night practising the spellings and then I get her to read me a story minutes in bed

I don't do any extra school type stuff with them. They do lots of activities as well (scouts, swimming, dancing, etc) so they're quite busy and I think they also need time to chill out and see their friends, fiddle about on Minecraft or just watch tripe on the telly.

Sometimes they do get enthusiastic about something they're learning about at school and want to take a project further than they need to, which of course I encourage, but it's not something I make them do regularly

The pace can be draining, you're right. And actually, the times tables ARE important. If they don't know them well they will be slower doing the rest of their maths.

But you could turn it into a game. Type up the times tables - without the answers - cut them out, and put them on the table face down. They pick up random ones and see how fast they can give you the answer. Since doing this with DS he has gotten much better at them, and he has fun doing it. Am doing the same with divisions now.

Reading shouldn't be onerous either. They should read to you 10 minutes a night, and the 7 year old could read for another 10-15 minutes quietly on their own.

Another one here who wishes students knew the times tables so it is something that I would keep doing.

I may be biased as a Secondary Maths teacher but it really does hold students back in many of the skills they need to learn through KS3 and GCSE. Lots of the things which parents 'hate' (fractions frequently mentioned) are loads easier if they have a good, firm understanding of times tables.

I spend a lot of time improving them in my lessons but I do think 11 year olds with no learning difficulties should know their tables, not the ability to count up in a number ie 4,8,12,16,20 - but to know 5 x 4 is 20 straight off!

I don't insist on rote learning, suits some not others but I play loads of games like bingo to improve them. CD's in the car are fab - no extra time out of your day and easy to ask questions whilst doing something else.

fredfredgeorgejnr I could easily list out multiple further competancies that tables will assit with in maths further up the curriculum all the way through to degree level and not just in maths subjects.

As someone else said - it does make life a lot easier.