How much 'homework' is necessary in Reception?

[undercovamutha]

My DD is in reception, and is a summer baby, and she is SHATTERED after school every day.

I can't do a thing with her! She won't have
a rest or nap, but instead is obviously so tired and is badly behaved as a result. Its all I can do to keep her from a tired meltdown during the period between school and tea. She will happily go to bed at 6.30pm and sleeps til nearly 7am.

She has been getting quite a few reading books to bring home, as well as flashcards and phonics stuff. She is keen in theory to look at the them in the week, being enthusiastic after school, but when we start she is far too tired to look properly, and it just ends in tears. On the weekend, she is not interested at all.

I have not been worrying about it cos she's only just 4 and it really doesn't seem an issue to me if she hasn't mastered all her 'homework'. I'm more concerned about her being happy and rested tbh. However, we have now had a comment in her notebook to say she needs to practise flashcards more and is rusty with the reading books.

Surely this isn't a problem for a reception age child?

My ds1 was 3 in August and is now in nursery.
He gets a new reading book 3 times a week (monday, wednesday and friday) and homework twice a week (tuesdays and fridays).
His homework is normally focused on the sounds they have been learning, so he gets a writing sheet where he is to practise writing the letter of the week.
This to me is just a bit crazy, he is 3 ffs, however, I do sit down with him with the writing sheets and have a go and if he isn't ready or doesn't want to do it, I write a little note to his teacher stating that we did try but he wasn't ready to tackle it on his own.
She has recommended I do some mark making with him in trays of sand or oblick(sp?) to encourage him to get used to making letter shapes with his finger as he is still not good at holding a pencil

My friends 4yo goes to the same school and it stated in his report that he is behind in independence because he cannot do up the buttons on his school shirt himself!!!!

Good grief silverymoon! Is it a school nursery?

One of our local schools has a nursery like that, it is oh so popular as we are in middle class area, I didn't apply there as it seems so pushy. DD is perfectly happy and challenged at her community centre, charity run Playgroup!

DS is March born and we are also struggling to fit in the amount of homework we are expected to do.

Both me and DH work f-t and me and the DCs don't usually get home until 18:30 so we really have very little chance of being able to do anything then. If I'm lucky (and he doesnt have a melt down) we can manage reading his story book and trying to pick out the words in his word tin but we never get as far as his guided reading book. TBH we've been trying to fit it in at the weekend but even that is a struggle.

We also got a comprehensive leaflet home about how we can help him with maths. I laughed!

I spoke to his teacher about it and she said he's on track at the moment but I did get the definite feeling she's expecting me to do more.