Homework for a 3 year old?

[CrohnicallyAspie]

DD goes to a day care nursery. She turns 4 soon, so this is her last year before she starts school. When I picked her up today they gave me a phonics sheet and asked me to do it at home with her. It's not difficult, it's circling letters and colouring a picture. But seriously, set homework for a 3 year old? AIBU to think it's completely unnecessary and not do it? I don't think she'll suffer academically!

No I wouldn't do it

No way!

DD is 3.5 and the only 'work' we have ever been sent home with was at Christmas the words to the songs they would sing at the concert. They do send books to read if the child wants to buy think that's more good parents.

It will be voluntary, just in case you want to do something with them. If you want to and it's fun then go for it, but don't stress if you don't want to either.

If it was actually set as 'homework' with it being expected you do it within a set time frame and report back - then that's terrible for a 3 year old! I think of 'homework' as a chore and definitely not something that should be compulsory.

But... if it was a fun worksheet that nursery sent home to encourage parents to get involved and engaged with their childs learning. Then I think that's fine. Us parents do have a responsibility to help our childs learning. It is NOT 100% up to nursery's and schools and to teach them all things numeracy and literacy. We should be involved, and sitting down and doing a 5minute educational activity with them is a good thing. As long it's our judgment about what we do and when we do it. Some parents will already do loads of educational activities anyway and might find nursery 'telling them to' annoying, others might need to be encouraged by the nursery with some ideas of how to get involved with encouraging their childs learning.

Personally I like that my DS preschool get us involved. We get a 'library' book each week. There's not testing, no expectation, no deadlines, no checking up on you etc. They just get a new book sent home in their bag each week, I was told at the start of term "so you have a new book to read with them each week if you want to".

There's a school near me who does weekly homework for the 3 year olds too... Don't even get me started on how much the reception lot get!