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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

to give my dc's some school work over the summer holidays

277 replies

justalittlelemondrizzle · 21/07/2016 13:15

My dc's 7 & 8 break up for the summer this week and I've bought them some English and maths work books to do over the holidays.
I usually do print outs of things that have come up on their reports that they have struggled with and set them a fun project.
Most of the summer is going to be about them having fun and enjoying some downtime. They have lots of friends round our area who they enjoy playing with all the time. Is it wrong for me to get them to do some work a few days a week for maybe 45 minutes at a time so they don't slip behind.
They're pretty average. My eldest tries hard and is doing well ut got a working towards in maths on her report and my youngest is very lazy and that did show on her report this year with a few working towards when I know she is capable. Do other people do this or am I being a mean mummy?

OP posts:

Magicpaintbrush · 21/07/2016 16:21

My DD is actually upset that she will be away from school for 6 weeks and has asked me to print some school work sheets for her to do. She loves them! We have got her maths and english work books before which she really enjoys as well. We don't make her do them, they are on a shelf where she can pick them up and do them if she is in the mood - she doesn't have to if she doesn't want to. She just enjoys learning and finds it fun.

TroysMammy · 21/07/2016 16:29

When me and my dsis were in Primary many, many years ago, we used to play schools in the holidays. We would take it in turns to be teacher and pupil and would do sums, write stories and read to each other. We would also go to the library at the end our street a few times a week. Other times we played in the garden. We didn't go out much as our mother couldn't drive then and my dad who could worked shifts.

hazeyjane · 21/07/2016 16:30

I am as lackadaisical as can be, but we are doing a bit.

Dd1 thrives on a bit of structure and loves doing puzzles, Sudoku and so I have stocked up.
Dd2 has to start a spelling support programme, so we will do some of that
Ds has sn, he loves doing writing practice, and maths, so I have some work books that he can do
And I have college work to do, so we will all be working!

I am aiming for 15 minutes a day, but will see how it goes.

Peasandsweetcorn · 21/07/2016 16:30

My DC are going into Yr 2 and reception and we'll be doing 10-15 mins every morning & some afternoons.

bigkidsdidit · 21/07/2016 16:33

I was just like your Dd Magic. I was at school / college / university full time until I was 26 and unsurprisingly I'm now an academic

Feckitall · 21/07/2016 17:15

My DC are grown up but like Cadenza we incorporated it into everyday life. Although I took them individually on a hike and they did a diary/scrapbook of it. The Jurassic coast is very interesting to 11/12 year olds! The eldest took his to school in the September and was awarded 3 house points first day which gave him a treat.

DragonRojo · 21/07/2016 22:49

I always do this. Otherwise by September he would have forgotten everything. He has 9 weeks of holidays. My parents also did this, so for me, it is normal

Notcontent · 21/07/2016 22:55

I think it's very sensible. I have done this with dd and it makes a huge difference.

Ilovewillow · 21/07/2016 23:07

We always keep up with work over the hols, we have homework from school but my daughter will read loads just for fun and we do science experiments and maths workbooks (she asked to do one today, first day of hols)! She is going into yr 4 in September and will be 8 in August! Whilst I think she should keep up with some work over the holidays most of this is down to her, she love school and all that it entails! I suspect my son will not be the same though!

NotEnoughTime · 22/07/2016 10:28

My DS doesn't get any homework from school (which I think is a good thing)

However I do think it is very important to keep reading over the holidays. We also do some days out that could be viewed as educational not that we do them because of that IYSWIM.

I think it is very important for DC to get lots of downtime over the holidays too if possible.

NickiFury · 22/07/2016 10:31

I was about to come on and say mean! But perhaps not having read some of the replies. 15 minutes a day isn't a massive amount and helps keep on top of things. I might thinks about it......

Greenyogagirl · 22/07/2016 10:33

My son will be doing something every day, we flexi schooled for year 1 so have all the stuff needed and I think it's too long a break. I can remember going back to school after the holidays having forgotten how to hold a pen! I want to keep his brain awake and prepare him for year 2

KayTee87 · 22/07/2016 10:36

I don't think I would get them to do schoolwork like that - there are plenty of other ways to learn like going to the library and choosing books for themselves, getting them to add up the price of the shopping as you go round the supermarket, going to the children's bit at the nearest museum or science centre.
I think giving them actual school like work I their holidays at this age is more likely to 'turn them off' learning.
My Gran was a primary school teacher, then headteacher then latterly an inspector. She always said that the most important thing a child can do for learning is reading for pleasure as often as possible, writing their own thank you letters (in the days people still did this regularly) as soon as they're able and helping parents with every day tasks.

BiddyPop · 22/07/2016 10:41

I have tried workbooks over summer and failed miserably.

But I have taken individual printed out worksheets (often from Activity Village or some homeschooling sites) and done some of those with DD. And we also spend time doing mental bits - mental maths, looking at nature out on walks, doing science experiments in the garden and observing things, visits to museums etc and talking about local history.

She has bad writing and I would like to work on that - but it is hard to pin her down in summer. Nowadays she does a lot of sports camps so is too tired in the evenings anyway.

SisterViktorine · 22/07/2016 10:59

My DS is at the end of Y1 and will have 10 weeks off in total. He is August born AND it's looking like he's mildly dyslexic.

He is doing about an hour a day (in short chunks) of specialist tuition which I can give him as I am a SEN teacher, plus 'built in' practise like paying in shops.

He doesn't love it, but he likes being the last to finish his writing at school even less.

PrincessWizard · 22/07/2016 11:16

DD1 (14) will be doing some maths work over the holidays, not loads just a few things she needs some more time on to understand thoroughly. She asked her teacher for the work herself and will do it at her own pace with DH's help if necessary.

DS (8) - We will be working on times tables and telling the time as he still struggles with certain aspects of these. Reading will be done as normal, hoping the library's reading challenge will encourage him - he hates reading! Planning on doing 20 - 30 minutes most days.

DD2 (5) - Will demand worksheets and challenges daily, she loves to learn and also wants to know about and join in things that DS is learning so we'll also be working on times tables and time telling.

We will also be making holiday scrapbooks with photos/tickets etc from our days out, they enjoy doing this and it's a good sneaky way of working on handwriting and spelling for DS.

CremeEggThief · 22/07/2016 11:18

YABU. Let kids be kids, FFS. Iso this how you want them to remember their childhoods?

redhat · 22/07/2016 11:51

Nobody is suggesting having them in summer school for 10 hours a day creme. I really don't think getting them to do half an hour of work is stopping them from being kids

CremeEggThief · 22/07/2016 11:58

I disagree, redhat. Children need to have plenty of completely unstructured time to do exactly what they want and become engrossed in this. Unfortunately, lots of adults can't cope with this.

Greenyogagirl · 22/07/2016 11:58

I remember being bored out of my mind after about 2 weeks into the massive holiday, yay for childhood memories

wanderings · 22/07/2016 12:07

If it was presented as "holiday work", I used to resist fiercely. But calling it "activities" was all right.

redhat · 22/07/2016 12:09

Not disagreeing that they need unstructured time creme

Mine get up at about 6/7 and go to bed at about 8. So they have 13/14 hours when they're up and about. 30 minutes of work out of 13/14 hours still leaves them with a minimum of 12.5 hours of "unstructured time" when they basically run around doing whatever they like. Mainly for my DC running around in the garden, up trees and building dens.

I'm not going to accept that this constitutes some sort of hardship to children.

Ragwort · 22/07/2016 12:13

Perfectly reasonable, I think it is very sensible. I just wish I could encourage my lazy, demotivated teenager to do some work during the holidays - he has his GCSEs next year, has done badly in his end of year exams and is just so uninterested ................ if he spent half an hour a day on a bit of academic work that would be a real bonus and still leave loads of time for meeting friends, sport, slobbing in front of the tv/Playstation etc etc etc. And he is absolutely NOT worn out at the end of the school year. .

As others have said, parents and the rest of the world don't 'switch off' for six weeks during the summer.

bigkidsdidit · 22/07/2016 12:14

Same. 15 minutes out of 11 hours free time excluding meals and bath etc - the test of the time is playing. That's not hardship

Ragwort · 22/07/2016 12:15

Children need to have plenty of completely unstructured time to do exactly what they want and become engrossed in this.

Yeah, like being totally engrossed in computer games or hanging around the park? .

If you are lucky enough to have children who enjoy being 'engrossed' in nature studies, exploring the countryside, detailed craft work, visiting castles, playing on the beach then great ............but I would guess that's not most parents' experience .

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