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Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

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Original poster

How do you approach homework in your family

24 replies

bananasatsuma · 03/11/2011 14:34

It isn't really working in ours. My ds is in year 2, but gets a fair bit of homework. He is always pretty miserable doing it and i feel guilty. He tends to do it after tea. I wonder if i should put the ball more in his court and leave it to him to do it or not (although this makes me nervous)! Is he too young for that? But i don't see why i should feel bad getting him to do it.

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gigglepin · 03/11/2011 14:41

With dificulty, and not without trauma unfortunatly,

Its given on a weekly basis to be in each Friday.
So we tend to do the majority on a Sunday while i make the dinner, he sits at the dining table.
He has a snack & a drink and he has frequent breaks.
Spellings & times tables are chipped at through the week, test on a Friday.
Reading... we do 5 pages every morning before school.
Its kind of habit now, he knows that this is what we do at this time, so we get on with it.

But then there is the more annoying homework, like making something...a flag, a mask, a poster which takes up time and recourses that we just dont have. I get annoyed about this type of homework as ds doesnt enjoy it and gets stressed about it AND it inturupts his play time.

gabid · 03/11/2011 14:43

I would say my DS (6) Y2 is too young to take responsibility, he is immature and never wants to do school work. They only get HW over the holidays, but we need to do spellings, reading and a bit of maths each day. We generally do it in the morning, each morning, its a routine and he is not tired. We read and do a bit of maths. In the evening, after tea we do the spellings which takes less than 5 minutes. Seems to work OKish, but still, my DS doesn't want to do any school work.

OrmIrian · 03/11/2011 14:49

As infrequently as possible, and only then with utmost caution.

Taffeta · 03/11/2011 14:52

As soon as he gets it, otherwise its "manyana, Mummy".

Manyana is waaay too stressful.

He is Y3 and gets it on Tues and Thurs. Reading he does every night before he's allowed screen time. Spellings we do the morning of the test. This is called "just in time" training, apparently. Works for him.

Original poster

bananasatsuma · 03/11/2011 14:55

I feel a bit better knowing that your dss aren't keen either. I hate the way it falls onto me to make sure the homework is done and i'm sure
ds thinks it is all my fault! Mornings are too much of a rush (i'm not very organised). I also worry that by making him get on with it, i'll put him off school work, or am i just thinking too much?

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MintAero · 03/11/2011 14:56

Well, tbh we never actually did it. [schock]

Secondary, it has to be done, but primary, I felt it was too much for them when they were little. And told the teachers so.

That is not to say we were idle. We would read alot and talk alot but not actually do any of the projects and general homework.

The dc were fine about it for secondary. They knew it would have to be done.

MintAero · 03/11/2011 14:56

even

stickylittlefingers · 03/11/2011 14:57

when you say "fair bit" - how much? And is there criticism if it's not done?

My DD1 is in yr3 and gets one literacy, one numeracy, one spelling per week. She does it pretty happily most of the time. If she's not in the mood, I ask her to have a quick go and don't push it. Sometimes (like last night when they had to finish writing a play) she gets really into it. Then I'm encouraging. We all sit together (she has a little sis at school too, and she gets bits of HW too) and there are drinks and snacks and general chat about stuff too.

Tho all this is only since I lost my job! When I was working FT I was never home, lucky to be home in time for bedtime. HW was rarely done. School never said anything - HW seems to be more an optional extra than something expected (which i think is completely right at primary level)

Bonsoir · 03/11/2011 14:57

My DD is in CE1/10ème, which is the French equivalent of Y3 though she would only be in Y2 in the English system. She will be 7 next week.

She gets quite a lot of homework, four days a week - Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday (no school on Wednesday here). Most homework is for the next school day, so on Monday night and Thursday night she absolutely has to do the work that is set after school; she usually does the homework that is set on Tuesdays during her day off on Wednesday and the homework that is set on Friday during the weekend. She also has a poem to learn by heart once a week, and spellings (she has a whole week to learn these) and we do that at the weekend and at odd moments during the week (walk to school).

The only struggle, therefore, is Monday night and Thursday night. She has after school activities on both nights and we aren't home before 6pm. She then usually has a bath and gets into her nightdress - this really helps her relax - and we then do homework in the space before supper and then finish it afterwards.

Taffeta · 03/11/2011 14:58

Some of the homework DS loves. Some he hates. Sometimes he's in the mood. Sometimes he's not. IMO, its an important life lesson that whether its fun or not, you're in the mood or not, it has to be done.

S'there.

Original poster

bananasatsuma · 03/11/2011 15:01

This week he has to write about 6 sentences using descriptive words, and a short story. He has done the sentences, but not the story. I want him to do it because he needs to practice them (beginning, middle, end)etc.

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gabid · 03/11/2011 15:19

banana - OMG, I am glad our school doesn't give much HW. My DS only seems to write stories in school (I saw it!) He has not been seen writing otherwise.

pimmsgalore · 03/11/2011 15:44

Homework is done the next morning before school in this house for the youngest, the older 3 do it at school in prep. If you do it in the morning they are fresh and awake rather than tired and had enough of school in the evening

Thehusbandsatcricketagain · 03/11/2011 19:42

I have had this with my ds same as yours,6 & year 2

He does not like doing it as the school day wipes him out & he gets a fair amount of homework that the teacher does not relent on whatever

I tried putting the ball in his court & if he did not want to do it then I said you will probably get into trouble,after a couple of times of him not doing it he now begrudgingly does it & come sun evening panics if it is not done as he does not want to stand out or get his name on the board

Taffeta · 03/11/2011 21:14

DS had Maths homework he brought home tonight, he has a week to do it. His Harry Potter DVD also arrived today. He really wanted to watch it.

So he did his homework, and then he watched it.

orienteerer · 03/11/2011 21:17

Lucky that DS (now year 4) does most of it at school.

FlyingPirates · 03/11/2011 21:19

My DS's get a book, spelling, handwriting and tables every night. We get in from school, snack then straight to homework. Takes about 1/2 hr. (per child) then the rest of the afternoon/evening is theirs. They go to bed at 7.30.

SolidGoldVampireBat · 03/11/2011 21:20

A bit hit and miss but it mostly gets done. Though I disapprove of homework for primary age DC really, they are so little and surely the length of the school day is enough for them to do plenty of reading and writing and maths and looking shit up on the internet.

joanofarchitrave · 03/11/2011 21:25

Mornings are the way to go if you can. I would say he's too young to have the responsibility for doing it. You could just say 'OK, it's eight o'clock, now we do five minutes on this, here's the timer', and then when he's done the five minutes' worth, he stops, however far he's got. Increase to ten minutes after his birthday perhaps, if appropriate? Better to do five minutes of actual work (thereabouts) than fifteen of faffing, complaining, wheedling, lying dramatically over chairs claiming to be dying and tantrumming.

I have to say that for music practice, I bribe - every single practice goes on ds's star chart and 60 stickers is something like a book/small lego kit. I simply care more than him whether he does it, so I feel I must pay for what I want!

simpson · 03/11/2011 21:26

DS (yr2) gets too much IMO and we had a few tears over it tonight (from him not me!!)

He gets 3 pages of literacy (including writing a poem/short story/letter etc), 3 pages of numeracy, 10 spellings weekly for test on friday and 2 reading books a week.

DS is away this weekend with his grandfather (he is going to his first ever footie match and is beside himself with excitement) and will be leaving v early sat, staying overnight and back late on sunday. The homework (literacy & numeracy has to be in on tues) sooo I thought we would do the literacy tonight, numeracy tomorrow and then he has the whole w/end off iyswim but he was overcome with tiredness and found it tough going

2BoysTooLoud · 03/11/2011 21:42

Lordy me.
I wonder how effective all this home work is at such a young age. My ds in year 2 and also 6 and his school give a 10 min type home work once a week [when they remember!] and encourage daily reading. That is fine though some parents want more and I notice they give writing and stuff to the teacher anyway that they get their kids to do.

Mavend · 03/11/2011 21:44

ds usually approaches it with tears, grumping and stress.It ain't pretty

Mavend · 03/11/2011 21:45

He would rather be playing football.Tis the low point of my week.

bibbitybobbitybloodyaxe · 03/11/2011 21:47

Dh makes himself available to both dc to assist with their homework. I would be more hands-off than he is, but he likes to be around when they are doing it.

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