To not make DD6 (Year 1) do homework?

[Thesnailonthewhale]

She was 6 in December, an she's above age related expectations in all areas. Reading age of 8y6m.doing Year 2 maths etc

School are getting a bit uppity about her not completing the set homework each week. (Spellings, some maths sheets etc)

She reads every day without being prompted and is incredibly inquisitive etc helps around the house, plays creatively, is active.
She counts coins at shops, does puzzle books, can tell the time to quarters and halfs and (still working on 5 mins) - weighs and measures ingredients for cooking and baking etc. (all applied maths)

Should I make her do the extra stuff? I can't see the point personally.

Does she struggle to sit down and focus in school?
Does she have general problems with a short attention span?

I have a few friends very high up in education who know a damned sight more than I about educational theory and practice. One has advised successive governments over 26 years.

Every single one of them has been staunchly opposed to homework in primary school, and has enforced this across the schools they governed.

Study after study demonstrates homework for the under 10s - and particularly the under 8s - is at best pointless and at worst counterproductive.

No, a bright and engaged 6 year old shouldn't b reduced to tears by homework demands.

I very rarely force my 7 year old to do anything other than reading. The school have made clear that reading should be the priority and a lot of the homework given is because some parents want it. We will work on timetables as that becomes important soon but she’s at greater depth in reading, writing and grammar so not doing the homework (that isn’t mandatory) hasn’t caused any issues.

I guess the problem is there will come a time when she really does need to do the homework, for exams/our secondary school gives out detentions if homework isn't done etc., so it's for you to decide it is better in the long run to get her into the routine of doing it now, or face the battle when she is older.

I understand OP. My youngest hates homework and everything is a fight but he is the other end of the scale because he is struggling and finds it difficult. His attention span is poor and he finds reading and spellings difficult. After a day of teaching P2 I have to go home and fight with him to complete tasks. He understands that he has to do it though. I don't give in and he accepts that he needs to do it even If it means sitting at the kitchen table for however long it takes. Now he knows it's non-negotiable and he will to it (not easy I know - it's a battle of wills and some days are harder than others). If the teacher agrees then a suggestion would be to make it fun. You daughter could make the spellings out of play-doh and you could photograph it and post it on seesaw (or whatever app you use). She could write them on a whiteboard and get a sweet for everyone she gets right, she could write them on post it notes and put them on her bedroom door, she could trace them in flour etc. School might be willing to work with you if she is still doing it but in a different way. I would make another meeting with the teacher and see if you can come up with a plan. The teacher could give her a sanction at school where she does her homework during playtime (not everyone agrees with this method but it might motivate her to do it at home). I'm not sure what the answer is but there are different things that you could hopefully try.

Probably would have been useful to put this info in the original post

Can she spell and does she know her times tables?

As someone who is terrible at both these things (despite being otherwise intelligent and well educated) I really wish my parents had pushed them more.

As an aside: how do you know her reading and maths age? Did school tell you? What is it based on? (Just wondering as our school don't tell us anything like this)

I would just take yourself out of the equation. Give her 1 chance to do it, and if she refuses tell the school this, and they have your blessing to impose whatever sanctions they see fit (if any).

She has fidget toys, movement breaks etc

She's not diagnosed with anything.

The reading age is through the accelerated reader program that she's been on for a few months. They report it at parents evening and you can check via ZPD levels etc.

Maths is because she finished the Year 1 maths work book around Christmas and is doing Year 2 one now and is with Year 2 for maths sessions.

PANDA as a way in - PDA Society https://www.pdasociety.org.uk/what-helps-guides/pda-approaches/panda-as-a-way-in/#:~:text=The%20PANDA%20approach%20is%20not%20a%20checklist%2C,level%20with%20their%20current%20capacity%20*%20Adaptation sounds like you've already figured out some useful strategies OP but have a look here and see if any of it could be useful. A child who knows her own mind isn't a bad thing.

Ex primary school teacher here - I hated giving children homework in y2 - school policy to.

I think as long as you are reading, talking about the books and what words mean then thats enough. Timestables when she is ready.
I never made my own children do h/w at that age. I think it's better to spend your time baking, playing and just learning through enjoying themselves - which it sounds like you are doing. Plenty of time for h/w when they are older.
I have an aunt who was very anti h/w she said to the school if you insist on homework being done it will be done - but by me.

Yes, she can spell!
She knows her 2,3,5 and 10 times tables.

Thank you, I'll have a read.

I used to check on DD's reading age using Reading Eggs at this age. Unlike the OP's child, mine was resistant AND not very academic! She's completely average at age 13 though despite aggressively dodging all primary hw and reading...

It’s fantastic that her learning is not being hindered (yet) by her inability to sit and focus, but that will become more difficult for her to keep up as she gets older.
Could be worth either an assessment, or a concerted attempt to encourage her to settle down and do some small bits of schoolwork at home.

Good luck! Xx

YABU.

This is how they learn to study, so it isn't a massive shock later on. It also shows her you are interested in what she does and that school is important.

Also, a reading age 6 months ahead at 8 isn't really advanced. When you say she reads everyday without being prompted, I hope you sit and read with her. Are you doing the year 2 maths with her? She won't be doing "year 2 maths" at school, mastery/greater depth isn't about moving on to the upper year's curriculum...

At some point she's going to have to do homework so you might as well get in the habit of it. If she's working at above age expectations, it's not that the homework is too hard, it's just that she doesn't want to do it. I would set aside half an hour, before or after tea every day as homework time and just make it a non-negiotable like brushing teeth or getting dressed in the morning. If it doesn't get done, there's a consequence like no screen time or pudding. I think you're allowing yourself to get put off by her making a fuss - she's learned that if she makes a big fuss about it you'll give in.

I think it sounds like a breeze for your DD TBH.I would encourage her ,Children who are supported at home usually go on to do well in future years

This isn't her "making a fuss". Trust me, I know the difference. She "makes a fuss" about wearing her slippers outside or wanting to eat four ice creams or not wanting to go to bed. And she doesn't wear her slippers outside, doesn't get 4 ice creams and definitely goes to bed every night...

This is different. It's a full on meltdown and breakdowns... Imagine a child curled up in a ball, sobbing uncontrollably. And now that's your child on the kitchen floor, doing this over some spellings or having to write a WOW word definition or write about a trip they went on.

Have you explored why she hates it? What is it she's struggling with? Avoiding it isn't going to help, you need to understand why so you can help.

I will always do maths, reading and spelling.

It will be any kind of craft activity that they won’t get out of us here.

She can't explain. She's 6, somits.hard for her.to.do.so. When we chat about it the next day or whatever, she can't explain to me. She says it's not too hard or anything.

She will then have a another go at it sometimes..but more often than not she won't engage.

I'm going to try and bribe her again 😬

What I would investigate is why this happens at home and not at school? Or does she have meltdowns at school too? Does she have SEN?

I wouldn’t be fighting my 6 year old to make them do homework. I have read the studies as well, saying it isn’t beneficial in younger children, and primary schools mostly did not set homework when I was at school. We accepted that it was all change at secondary school and went on to do much more homework than either of my DC were given.
But : with my children we did do some homework,they both had dyslexia etc,and I thought it would help. For DD honestly it was an epic fail as it just drilled into her that maths was hard and she couldn’t do it, she was only saved from this by a fantastic teacher in Secondary school, so not by my support or her primary school teachers. And we hardly ever managed the full homework because of the upset , with DS at least part of the time he couldn’t do the set work, he was very late learning to write,and we did a little bit and then other things I thought would be more useful.That was a success. Both worked hard and were praised for their attitude to work in Secondary school, because I never taught them learning was unimportant even if I was sometimes saying that the homework wasn’t. By 2ndary school age they had developed more reserves to cope with it - because they were older.
It isn’t worth reducing a 6 year old to tears over homework, if you value learning that is what they will be taking in whether they do homework or not.