AIBU to have my children (8&5) do 30-40 mins of writing and maths every day of the holidays?

[Dilemmacentral]

Every morning, after breakfast, I ask that the children do 20 mins writing in a holiday journal and then younger does 15 mins of basic maths (reception - year 1 maths), and older one does 20 mins of mental maths, mainly tables? Every day, even when we went on holiday.

It doesn’t feel like a big deal. They don’t complain. They are so used to it (I do it every holiday) and in fact both seem to really enjoy the journal writing in particular.

But! A dear friend, in a genuinely unjudgemental manner, asked whether I felt guilty and said she thought that holiday were good for a complete break other than set school work. We do have set school work but very little (book reviews for eldest).

I don’t feel guilty at all and I told her as such, and we just moved on to another topic. I plan to continue doing. However I’m wondering about others thoughts out of nosiness and whether others do this too.

I feel the heat hols are so long. And it’s only max of 40 mins so that they hit ground running in September. Am I alone though?!

DD(6) does a holiday journal every day. And we do reading every night. Maths is more ad hoc admittedly.

Completely neglecting to do anything puts a lot of pressure on the teachers when the kids go back because there seems to be a regression.

I let mine have a break if we're away. When we're at home they have to do 4 pages of maths, 4 of writing, read a book to me and do some kind of physical exercise if they want a screen of any kind.

Bit much IME for the just left reception aged child. But hey ho totally your choice.
If they don't mind then it doesn't matter.

Poor kids.

I think it's fine to do a bit of revision over the holidays. Hours a day would be overdoing it but a little is no worry. Unfortunately as a teacher it often seems to be the kids who don't really need to keep up the work doing plenty, and those that desperately need to consolidate their skills that don't!

Its odd so many people saying kids forget everything in the school holidays, I dont find that and Ds has ten weeks summer holidays!

He has had two poems to learn though, and we are doing a bit of reading for his topic on the Tudors next term. But there's no way i would have a rigid timetable for him every day, and when were away for two weeks he didn't do any work at all. Everyone needs a holiday.

If it's short, they're in a good routine and they're not complaining then I can't see the harm. I've got my ds to do a few sessions here and there but we've been in holiday quite a lot and let things slide there.

These threads always go the same way.

OP " I'm a really good mother, I'm doing xyz. Someone else says this is not a good thing to do, but it is, isn't it, I'm very good aren't I"

I don't normally believe in the "someone else"

If they're okay with it and you're okay with it then why would it possibly be unreasonable?

Having said that, I'd never bother. I guess cos I never did it and still did well at school, so I don't see it as a necessary thing. So why bother.

I don’t think children forget everything either

I like that both ds enjoys maths and reading and do it regardless (well the younger one will for maths as well as reading) but I really don’t think that they lag the following year from not doing this.

I don’t think children forget everything either

Then you're lucky. After a 2.5 week break, my 8 year old didn't know how to write the number 7, and had to go back to counting on his fingers to add 2+3.

I think it's quite a good idea, but maybe not every day?

Maybe every second day. Or Monday, Wednesday, Friday, for an hour each time. That is plenty IMO.

If they are happy with it, I don't think there is an issue. I used to teach my daughter spelling reading and math, when she was 3-5 y.o, (3 or 4 days a week,) and then once or twice a week after that (when she was at school full time.)

By the age of 8-9, she had reading skills and maths skills levels of a 13-14 y.o, and has recently graduated from one of the top 10 universities in the UK with a 2:1.

So yeah YANBU OP, but maybe not every day.

Your 'dear friend' sounds jealous @dilemmacentral

All good training for when a child has to do holiday reading, when studying for important exams. My parents used to take me out of school on holiday in June - I had to take all my books with me and study at least a couple of hours a day. I loved it - I was 10/11!

I must be Trapped
I have an 8 year old too and he seems fine
Although he is the type to do it for fun not structured

I think it depends a bit what you mean by 'every day'. If it's literally every day, I think that is unreasonable, even if they don't mind. We're meant to have breaks. All of us. I wouldn't ask them to do it at weekends and I wouldn't ask them to do it while you're away on an actual holiday. You can still encourage, e.g. writing postcards to grandparents on the holiday if you want, but a break from routine is pretty important.

its quite formal. You could probably do the same impact throughout the day in a less formal manner. Ie get them to work out how long it’ll take to get somewhere, counting stuff, getting them to pay in shops, play cafes.

I was made to do work although holidays and massively resented it and it damages my natural motivation. So watch out for signs they’re starting to mind.

I do a little bit of reading, maths and writing with DD (7) every day. Some days we do more than others. It is a bit of a battle at times but I really feel it’s necessary as DD has some SEN and I want to keep her ticking over, at least, over the holidays. We read stuff together as we trundle around the educationally invigorating places we visit - for example it was a proud moment for me when she read the words ‘Happy Meal’ and ‘fries’ unassisted.

We’re not at the marvellous academic heights of some contributors to this thread, of course - we’ve not started Latin or Ancient Greek and she’s putting off reading War and Peace in the original Russian til next week.

katielouise3

Oh she’s not jealous in the slightest! A friend of 20 years. There wasn’t judgement from her. Just a question, to which I answered and then we moved on.

But it got me thinking and pricked my nosiness.... as previously I’d given it not thought whatsoever.

I think if they enjoy the writing then it's great. My DS wouldn't have done it. He has always read voraciously through the holidays and skipped reading levels at the beginning of the next school year when most children started at the same level or went backwards. I think maths problem solving challenges are more valuable than more school maths. Maths topics are usually revisited in greater depth each school year anyway.

I think I'd rather parents were encouraging children to read and write for pleasure than making kids do it like homework. My children probably did and still do write this amount over a week for pleasure and read as much too but that's because we encouraged them to love it for its own sake and they do it by choice, not because we make them. At this age it would still be better to read them a bed time story and get them read to you than to force the writing. Having said that if they're doing this AS WELL and enjoying what they're doing fine.

Milktray that's a bit like the woolly idea that school uniform for 4 year olds is a good idea incase they join the uniformed professions in 14-17 years time. Totally unnecessary and irrelevant to practice at primary age and more likely to leave the child fed up than eager!

I make sure mine read (summer reading challenge) and do things like make cakes but halve the quantity etc. As a result of fucking up our childcare vouchers (£&!?@ DH), for the first time 3 of my 4 dc are doing a summer tutoring thing because it’s the only OFSTED-registered childcare in our area. They do 2 x sessions per week and all enjoy it, esp 2 of my dc with ASD.

Mine do this and have done since they could read/count. We tend to buy them those workbooks with a mixture of activities, and they do a page or so in the mornings, independently. We don't force them to do it; they enjoy it. When they were little, they did colouring books / join the dots, and now they're bigger they do things like arithmetic and verbal reasoning. If we have a day out or a friend come over etc. - i.e. out of the usual routine - then they might not have time to do it that morning. Sometimes they will ask me to create a worksheet for them e.g. DD will ask me to test her on times tables. Also sometimes they'll do a bit from one of these books at the weekends during termtime.

Other dc isn’t doing the tutoring because she doesn’t want to!

YANBU - for such a short time not unreasonable at all. Rather that than sticking them in front of the TV. Still leaves plenty of time left for play/trips etc.