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Original poster

Should I complain about the amount of homework dd, age 4 has got this weekend?

38 replies

littleducks · 20/03/2011 17:25

DD is 4 and in reception. She gets one reading book per week which she is expected to read at least twice.

Normally she gets one sheet of A4 work, words to write out, a few very basic sums etc. All fine, she tends to do it all but homework was described as 'optional but we will always look at work done at home'

Homework is normally sent home on Fri, but this Monday she came home with a weather chart to observe the weather daily all week cut out and colour symbols and stick on a chart.

Then on Fri at pick up, outside classroom door is a brand new 'homework chart' with each childs name and each weeks date and a sticker awarded for handing in. DD has a sticker as do a few others but by no means all the class.

She then brings home another 2 A4 pages of homework, labelling a flower diag, a sum to write out and solve from pictures and a 'discussion point'

Of course she wants to do it all due to sticker chart and has done...but i think its too much and the presssure is not fair.

AIBU?

She probably will be tested at end of primary for school choice, does that mean i should expect more work?

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FreudianSlippery · 20/03/2011 17:28

Wow that does seem like a lot! Their usual system of optional HW sounds great (and it's great that your DD often does it and presumably doesn't hate it!) - I'm a bit Hmm that they have suddenly implemented this new system - is there pressure from other parents or an impending inspection do you think?

usualsuspect · 20/03/2011 17:30

YANBU

A 4 year old should have no homework at all imo

SummerRain · 20/03/2011 17:34

doesn't sound like that much really. About the same amount-wise as mine would get a week and I wouldn't class the weather chart as HW... that's a fun project.

ds1 is in reception and gets between 1 and 3 workbook pages a night and either a page of the class reader or has to learn the words for the next one. He gets homework Monday -thursday but not at weekends but the teacher writes it all into the diary on Monday so we can do it when suits as so many of the kids have extracurricular stuff in the evenings and don't have time every night.

Marne · 20/03/2011 17:41

Dd2 only gets reading homework (once a week), dd1 is year 2 and only gets spelling once every couple of weeks. I don't make her do the spelling, i think they are far too young for homework.

Elibean · 20/03/2011 17:44

dd1 had that kind of level of homework in Y1 Shock

Yes, it does sound a lot. I'm not keen on 4 yr olds getting homework at all, tbh, but even my neice (at a very academic French school) didn't get that much at that age.

blackeyedsusan · 20/03/2011 17:58

Oh for goodness sake, what happened to the play based eyfs curriculum?

foxinsocks · 20/03/2011 18:02

I think homework, other than reading, for infants is ridiculous.

At 4, most of them can barely stay awake a full day at school

CarGirl · 20/03/2011 18:06

ridiculous. I did nothing with mine until they had started to learn to read around the age of 5.5 (which happened to be well into year 1 as they are summer babies).

They are too young and need to focus on social skills and learning to learn not cramming academia in!

skybluepearl · 20/03/2011 18:11

a 4 yar old should just be reading for homework

SandStorm · 20/03/2011 18:16

When my children were in reception I read their books with them every night. But any more than that and I would have been complaining.

She's four years old for goodness sake! She should come home and go out to play with her friends, not sit down and do homework.

MigratingCoconuts · 20/03/2011 18:49

agreed...totally mad! Mt DD was far too tired for homework in reception. She needed downtime at home

Lookandlearn · 20/03/2011 19:33

Summer rain, that sound a huge amount. Does your ds enjoy doing his homework? We get reading books that are changed every day if read so we are very dilligent with those. Other than that, nothing. But I like it because dd enjoys writing and does her own stories and things, but the pressure wouldn't be there if she didn't. Optional homework is all very well, but I would still feel dd needed to do it. There are so many things that are "optional" but don't really feel like it.

thefirstMrsDeVere · 20/03/2011 19:40

I agree that four year olds should not be getting homework.

9-3.30 is more than enough time for them to learn what they need to learn.

NonnoMum · 20/03/2011 19:40

I don't even think they should have reading for homework...

Original poster
littleducks · 20/03/2011 19:44

Interesting to see it isn't clear cut then....Dd wasn't hugely fed up with it indivually she enjoyed each task but it is the hassle of doing it all today when I wanted to be relaxing as a family.

The weather chart went over seven days and it explicitly said she had to do cutting and sticking herself (another A4 sheet of symbols about stamp size to cut out) so I had left that till today to save getting out scissors/glue and claring up repeatedly.

It wasnt a fun project for me.

OP posts:
SummerRain · 20/03/2011 19:44

He does, not as much as dd who's in senior infants (yr1) and gets even more though!

He has some issues (under assessment) so I won't lie... it's better since she started giving all the homework at the start of the week. He can vary from wanting to do hours of homework one night to not wanting to touch it the next. But he finds it all very easy so it's not exactly stressful for him.

SummerRain · 20/03/2011 19:46

BTW... we're in Ireland so I think we have a shorter school day here. Mine go from 9.20 to 2pm, next year dd will start going til 3.

KatharineClifton · 20/03/2011 19:50

Utterly ridiculous. Children do learn outside of school, and in this environment learning does not mean schoolwork.

Recommended time for homework
'Every school will consider how much time is appropriate for pupils at each stage, according to their aptitude. The Government's recommended time allocation, based on current good practice, is set out in Homework: Guidelines for Primary Schools and Secondary Schools, as follows;

Years 1 and 2

1 hour per week

Reading, spelling, other literacy work and number work

Years 3 and 4
1.5 hours per week

Literacy and numeracy as for years 1 and 2, with occasional assignments in other subjects

Years 5 and 6
30 minutes per day

Regular weekly schedule with continued emphasis on literacy and numeracy, but also ranging widely over the curriculum

The daily reading recommended by the government for all primary children can be done as part of the homework.'

Reception isn't even mentioned.

Original poster
littleducks · 20/03/2011 19:51

Oh ok, I heard that Ireland's curriculum is harder than here (no idea if thats right though Grin)

DD is at school, 8.50 till 3.20 unless hse has to go to afterschool club (childcare not an activity type) so 1hr 50mins more (assuming he has an hour lunch) so maybe that does account for some of the additional work.

Thats what worries me though, i think it is too much but then perhaps it is what is required to do well Confused my nephew has tution for example as does teh vast majority of his class which I find shocking tbh, it was not like that when I was in primary school

OP posts:
Skinit · 20/03/2011 19:53

I don't think there's anything wrong with the homework tbh. It's par for the course in private schools...many parents would be glad of it.

It's a chance for parents to participate in their child's education.

The only thing I don't like is the chart where ll the other parents can see it! Won't it create an atmosphere of competition among parents?

Skinit · 20/03/2011 19:54

Ducks....I know what you mean about the hassle when you want to relax...but it can be a chance to relax one to one with your DD.

For me and my DD we enjoy the time spent together doing hw as it's just us. I also sprad it out over the weekend so I don't get that Sunday feeling!

girliefriend · 20/03/2011 19:58

I would complain but then I feel 5 days a week in school is too much for 4/5yos. My dd is in reception and other than a book to look at every day I wouldn't do homework with her. She needs time to chill out and play and be a child for goodness sake!!!

bibbitybobbityhat · 20/03/2011 19:58

Oh dear, what a pita.

I wouldn't complain, exactly, but could you just let the teacher know (a note in the homework book?) that you are opting not to do all the homework this week as you simply think it is a bit too much for a 4 year old?

Original poster
littleducks · 20/03/2011 20:00

I cant opt to not do it though, as complain as she might about having to do it in the time frame dd is very insistent about wanting/needing to get a sticker on the homework chart Sad

OP posts:
SummerRain · 20/03/2011 20:03

actually at this age I think it's easier over here. A lot less is expected of them than what I read on here about english schools. Remember as well we choose when to send them, ds1 is unusual in that I started him at 4, most children with birthdays after April start at 5 so they turn six in Junior Infants.

The curriculum is fairly flexible... the stuff the whole class does is very basic, they only go to number 5 in JI, do the alphabets and a bit of simple reading. Kids of higher ability are given harder work but those who aren't able are let go at their own pace. dd only grasped reading just before Christmas when she was almost 6 and her teacher was fairly unconcerned.