How do you manage your childrens homework?

[sweetheart]

My dd has just started Yr 1 and I was wondering how other parents manage the reading books and learning of key words.

She has 1 reading book a week which we sit and read with her a few times a week but we have nothing regular in place at the moment. It's a case of when we have time.

I feel dd is missing out becuase of this and I want to introduce more structure to her homework.

We now also have a list of key words that she has to be able to read AND write. They are going to be having spelling tests and I don't want her to be worried about them.

Dh and I both work full time so I'm finding it hard as by the time we get home and have dinner the evening seems to be gone!!!! How am I going to fit in reading and writing practise too?

Help, please!!!!

Ds1 has just started Yr1 and tbh it's a nightmare getting him to do anything. I've found though that it seems to work best if you set a particular time to do the work, eg after dinner or before bathtime etc - whichever works best for you. Like you I read ds1's book with him a few times a week. He has the same book all week and gets too bored if we read it any more than that. He also has about 10 spellings each week to learn. I usually break it down a bit so that we read through them all each night but he only has to write down a couple at a time. The evening before the spelling test he writes down all of them to make sure he knows them.

A lot seems to depend on what your child is interested in. Ds1 hates writing and it's such a battle to get him to do it that writing a couple of words a night seems to work best for him. If your dd likes writing then she may want to do more.

homework will always be a battle for most kids. Ds has 30 mins worth a night now PLUS music practice AAAARRRRGH!!!!!
All I can reccommend is to do it ASAP once you are home from school whilst she is not too tired.
Reading can be done whilst they are having their snack and drink, or whilst you are preparing tea, for example. Don't make too much of an issue of it, and to be honest, the fact that you are worried about fitting reading in puts you a par above 50% of the parents in school. Take all opportunities to read with her; signs, cereal packets, shopping lists etc. and read a wide variety of bedtime books with her. Spellings can become a game on the way to and from school (if you spell a word wrong on purpose, she will love to put you right, especially if you score!!)
Things will come together very easily after that.
Good luck!

I'm just getting so stressed about how much time it's all going to take. I spent about an hour recapping reception stuff today - we didn't even have time to do the Yr 1 stuff.

I'm quite worried she's falling behind.

I don't think we'll be notified of what words are going to be tested in advance - and there about about 40 words on the list - how am I supposed to make sure she knows them?

Thank god I'm going on mat leave in a few weeks so I'l hve more time to spend on these things - I'm not quite sure how they expect parents to fit it all in!

Don't get stressed! I know what a huge responsibility it is to be a parent these days. Ask DDs teacher exactly what is expected of DD and you and a timescale of when she should know the words. You will probably find they have this baseline spelling test soon with the 40 words and that will show the teacher where DD is and what areas she needs to concentrate on. DD will then probably have the same test at the end of term to see what progress she has made.
School will not expect you to be spending more than 10mins a day on homework, Yr1 kids are too young to cope with any more.
Good luck! and take it easy; mat leave is for R & R

try this for a list of KS1 words :
\link{http://www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/literacy/publications/word/63305/PiPs.PDF}
it is a huge document, but page 22 has a full list of words that dd will be learning by end of infants
HTH

Ds1 has jsut started yr1 too. He gets a new reading book eachn ihgt, we have to fill in his homework book, and this coming friday will have his first spelling test of 6 words. He has already done them three times (we got notification on Friday) and intend to do it every day.

I listen to his reading every night and we do his key words, now there will be a spelling test we will build that in too. DS2 listens to ds1 as he reads and "does his spelligs" with ds1 at the same time.

I just want them to be in a routine as I never was!

at that age is 10 minutes in an evening. make it regular. make a space available - start out as you mean to go on. do a star chart. for everytime homework has been done with a saturday treat like a trip to the library or something

Definitely a routine. I work 3 days a week, so one these nights I have a dinner that is quick to prepare and then get them both down to homework at the same time each night. DS has to hand his weekly homework in on Thursday, so we only have 3 nights to do it, and DD gets an extra night. It should only take between 10-20 minutes (20 at most) to do it - but routine routine routine.

DS in in Y1 and gets a different reading book each night and key words list to learn. On Fridays he gets a work sheet with 10 spellings to learn which he has to write 3 short sentences from and then 10 sums as well. It takes about 10 mins each night for the reading and 30 mins at the weekend.

Reading has to be done first in the evening before play - to get it out of the way!

We use every opportunity we can to practise the spellings - the car to school is a good venue

Goodness, DS1 also just started Y1 and no sign whatsoever of him doing spellings, yet.... much less a spelling test.

How do those of you with younger children manage to do anything after school (before your DP gets home)? My toddler demands all of my attention until after tea.

We are doing DS1's homework (tonite it is "read a story with a parent and then retell the story in your own words" just before bedtime).

Am not doing anything with the keywords on a regular basis... have not been told to. Am only doing reading/writing practice when indicated as that evening's homework, not otherwise. It sounds like some of you have a huge amount of homework to do compared to us. Are you doing this out of your own initiative, or are those of your children with keywords+other tasks+spelling tests in private schools by chance?

wow, we have just started yr 1 and so far, we get 2 (sometimes 3) books a week for reading homework (dd reads to me and I write in her reading diary to say that she has done it).

We are only getting words to learn for spelling from next term. I'm actually quite relieved about that because dd HATES writing but adores reading so she thinks yr1 homework is great at the moment (boy is she in for a surprise!).

sweetheart, 40 words sounds a hell of a lot. Are you sure she's supposed to know them all (poor you!)?

My dd is a year older than your son zebra, but last year she had two reading books a week and spelling about once a fortnight, only about 12 words though. Very definitely never do more with her than is required, and definitely not a private school