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AIBU?

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Original poster

In thinking 5 homework tasks/week is way too much for 5-6yr olds?

55 replies

hex · 15/05/2007 18:40

dd has been given yet another homework task to do by her (state) primary school...she's just turned 6 and is in year 1 and currently gets given:

a) Two reading books/week (each 32 pages long)

b) 6 words to memorise for a spelling test on Fridays

c) handwriting practice for over the weekend

d) maths homework for the weekend

After a hard day at school, I would much prefer her to be out playing/doing sthg else..to say nothing of the pressure it places on family life to have to squeeze this stuff in.

Just wondering what other dcs have to do?

OP posts:
hana · 15/05/2007 18:42

think this is normal
it's not everyday is it?
but does depend on how much maths homework and how much handwriting practice

SherlockLGJ · 15/05/2007 18:44

We get all of the above and it comes home on Friday and has to be back on Tuesday morning.

speccy · 15/05/2007 18:45

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WideWebWitch · 15/05/2007 18:47

Agree, too much. For comparison, my ds, who is 9, and goes to a school which just had an outstanding ofsted, gets ONE set of homework per week.

Merlin · 15/05/2007 18:49

Errrrrrrrrr ........ DS1 is in YR1 and just has a new reading book every day - but he doesn't have to read all of it in one go.

That's it, no spellings or maths or handwriting. I think they cover enough of that during the school day.

DaisysGotABigBump · 15/05/2007 18:55

My DS is in reception and he has three reading books per week, 4 or 5 spellings/writing practice, a library book and a maths puzzle each week.......and he isn't even 5 yet!

We get snotty comments home in his book such as "needs more practice" if he doesn't get all his words right and we're asked to read with him for 10 mins a day, every day.

The latest chestnut was a letter home stating that the school have noticed that some children aren't forming thier letters properly so could we please ensure they start at the top of the letter etc. And there was me thinking that it was the school's job to teach them how to form letters properly

Merlin · 15/05/2007 18:58

www - our primary just got an outstanding Ofsted too.

Daisy - that sounds like way too much for Reception children IMO - they must be knackered at the end of the day!

crunchie · 15/05/2007 18:58

well my children got this and I am afraid I didn't actually do it!! Simple I don't bel;ieve in Homework for 5/6 yr olds, ion fact I didn't insist on it until yr 3. However dd2 does it all as she WANTS to

moopymoo · 15/05/2007 18:59

my ds had 15mins every night at this age. sounds about normal - good habits for next year perhaps, but a bit of a bugger when evenings are so nice.

Califrau · 15/05/2007 19:11

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WigWamBam · 15/05/2007 19:12

Dd is six this weekend. I hate homework for infants and my inclination is not to do it, but they often get class merit points for it, so dd is always keen to get it done.

Two weeks ago her homework for the week was to:

Research Shakespeare using books and the internet

Look at one of Shakespeare's sonnets, and see how far she could understand it

Draw a detailed picture of our house - which, as part of next weeks homework, she will use to make a model to form part of a "street" display

Read three reading books and a school library book

Practice 25 spellings for a test

Worksheets for French and Maths.

Last week she had to:

Research Grace Darling from books and the internet

25 new spellings (she has three weeks to learn these)

Three reading books and a library book to read

Worksheets for French and Maths.

I'm still waiting for this week's homework to be set - apart from the reading and spelling which is every week. Next week she has to research Walt Disney, for some reason

Whizzz · 15/05/2007 19:19

DS is 6 & in Yr 1 - in a week he will have reading books on Tue, Thurs & Fri (no set amount to read but he willingly finishes each book), Monday brings home 8 - 10 words to learn for spelling on Friday & gets a maths worksheet on Fridays, usually only takes 5-10 mins to do

Londonmamma · 15/05/2007 19:33

Wigwambam - Shakespeare sonnets? at 6? [hmmm]
My DS (7) is just getting the hang of Wibblypig

InTheseShoes · 15/05/2007 19:49

WigWamBam - as a Y1 teacher and parent of a Y1 child, I am at that homework!

We have - 2 reading books a week, length depends on child's level, anyone who wants to keep a book longer because they need more time only needs to say so; up to 10 spellings per week, less if the child needs more support (5,6,7,8); a numeracy homework sheet if appropriate. For some of my better readers (e.g. ORT level 8 and above) I have made little books with questions about thier reading books, e.g. "Who is your favourite character in this story and why" - they can do this as and when they wish, and they are designed to extend thier wider understanding of reading; inference/comprehension etc.

As a teacher, I feel homework is useless if a child can't do it with only a little adult input. I have no interest in whether a parent can make up the right money to buy a teddy costing 12p, and then sort out the change from 20p. As a parent who works full time, I also appreciate that parents don't want to be cajoling/bribing/forcing 5-6 year olds to do homework.

I do have to say that there are incidences in the school I teach in (which I assume is a fairly typical middle class school in a nice area) in which the pressure for tons of homework and pushing academic over enjoyment actually comes from parents and not teaching staff. Not everyone of course, but some.

WigWamBam · 15/05/2007 20:02

I was very peed off about the Shakespeare. There are children in dd's year who can't actually sound out b-a-t phonetically to read bat, and I tend to feel they should be concentrating more on the basics than on Shakespeare's sonnets.

A few weeks ago she had some prepositions to do ... I don't think I knew what a preposition was until I was at secondary school, never mind in year 1! But I can't see the point in prepositions when not all of the children can actually read yet.

As it happened, dd really enjoyed the sonnet (although she wasn't too interested in the man himself) and actually understood a fair bit of it, but I can't help but think there are more important things to be doing at age 5 than this.

They have two job-sharing teachers, and I think sometimes the amount of homework comes because they haven't talked to each other that week.

speccy · 15/05/2007 20:03

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cece · 15/05/2007 20:08

In yr 1 my DD gets

10 spellings per week to learn

reading (she cahnges her book once she has finihsed it so could be daily or could be once a week - depending on whether we read that night and also how long the book is - school doesn't seem to specify how many per week, although they do check their reading diaries daily)

I think that is more than enough

RedLorryYellowLorry · 15/05/2007 20:08

DD is year 1 and gets 5 spellings a week and 1 reading book. As she's a free reader they only listen to her read once a week so she reads it when she wants to over the week. at some of the homwork on here.

Califrau · 15/05/2007 20:12

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WigWamBam · 15/05/2007 20:20

Speccy, the teachers don't seem to think it's a problem. Plus, because dd is keen and able, they seem to think that I would be holding her back if I stopped her from doing it.

Several of the children don't do it, and the teachers haven't complained - but as I said, the children often get merit points for doing their homework well and on time, so most of them do it because they want their points - they get a head teacher's award when they get 12.

We have always been led to believe that this is what homework is like in year 1 ... it's only when I read threads like this that I realise that it's not.

She hasn't had to learn "leprechaun" yet though, Califrau ... their spellings seem quite age-appropriate, so maybe I should be thankful for small mercies

chocolattegirl · 15/05/2007 20:25

My dd (year 2) gets 10-15 spelling words a week to learn plus two homework sheets to complete - often picking the right word to finish a sentence or some simple maths which is issued on a Friday to be back by the Wednesday. She also get a reading book every week which I also supplement with books from the library as she's an avid reader.

Tbh, I rarely make my dd do her spellings since I could spell very well from an early age, mainly from being a little bookworm. The only words I remember learning by heart were French spellings at secondary school.

DaisysGotABigBump · 15/05/2007 20:50

Wandered off there...in response to the question of tiredness.....sometimes its a real fight to get him to do it, as he's so knackered of an evening and only wants t play outside after being cooped up inclass all day and I must say I'm not that diligent with it at the moment....I'm 8+mo PG and I don't have the enrgy to argue with him. After the bub is born its only going to get worse!!

Blooming heck Wigwambam....that seems a bit much for a 6y old....I'd never even heard of Shakespeare till I went to secondary school (but then again I'm scottish so we got Rabbie Burns instead)

It seems like there's a huge variation across the country as to what is being set. Our friends little boy has a reading book and that's it. I think it is geared towards the child's capabilities though, so maybe I should be proud that they think he can cope with all of that!

motherinferior · 15/05/2007 20:53

Whaaaaaaaaaatttt???

DD1, Y1, gets a 'homework task' every half term, and a book every so often. Buggerall spellings or suchlike. It's the same for all of them.

ahundredtimes · 15/05/2007 20:59

Wigwambam - ds in Year 4, and had similar homework researching Shakespeare on the internet! Think those teachers a little crazed?
We have reading and spellings for DS2 in Y2. That's it. No maths or nuthink.

dionnelorraine · 15/05/2007 21:14

All this homework sounds a bit much for kids this age. They have a whole day at school and should be out with friends or something after school to unwind and be a normal 5/6 yr old. The brain needs to rest, especially after school and especially at that age. I think pushing them too much is just opening a higher chance to fail iyswim. Much to young. They need to be kids! I never got homework until I was in highschool. it wasnt that long ago. My brother who is 12 has to have private tutering because he just cant keep up with it all. He really struggles and it makes him feel down, Poor lad.