How much extra work does everyone do?

[wheresthebeach]

Hi
DD is Yr3. We do timestables, spellings plus maths and literacy homework with her. My question is how much do people do at home above the basic home work? Talking to people it feels like there's a lot of additional work being done by most parents, and we've started to do some too. I'm stuck between feeling like DD does so much more homework then I ever did at her age so she needs a break vs we need to support her at home to help her school work so she keeps up. Her school reports are good but she's in the middle or lower sets in class. Is everyone doing extra work or does it just feel that way??
Thanks

I feel like you that school+ normal homework is enough academic things at this age! We do the spelling, tables and reading with Y3 DS, plus the 1 piece of weekly homework that the school sends home. We don't do any other specific "work" but do try to supplement his education in other ways e.g. trips out, cooking together, reading different things and talking about them, encouraging him in craft projects etc.

He also plays an instrument, does after school clubs and this term has a part in the school play. I'm not sure when we would fit in anything else

I feel like we're sucking the fun out of childhood with all this work. But then I worry that she'll fall behind. I wish I had the courage of my convictions!

I think it would depends on the level of homework and schoolwork.

DD is only at the end of Reception but we do a lot of games with letters and numbers. At her age she is very interested in it so we try to keep her going.

She also loves doing workbooks when we eat out or waiting somewhere.

When mine were in Yr3 we only ever did the homework (I include the spellings in homework). No times tables drills or anything else.

What we did do (and still do even now) is read to them every single night. The books have changed as they have got older. We are now doing Terry Pratchett's entire Witches series and it's great, even though I have to explain the odd rude bit.

Both DDs doing very very well in school. I have no intention of doing extra work with them unless they are not thriving at school.

None. Homework for DS (yr3) is already a battle. He does however earn time on the CBBC maths games online (his favourite thing atm), by doing chores. Sometimes, he will even surprise me and do a literacy one, instead!

I am teaching him and DD (yr1) French very slowly, but he asked for that, and despite it being on the curriculum at his school, there's been no sign of it being taught.

DD does lots and lots of writing, which is entirely her choice, and spends hours playing schools and doing spelling tests with her friends. My involvement is limited to being the final arbiter on correct spellings, if they can't agree.

There are various workbooks around, as they will usually pick one out if we go shopping, but I do not force/require them to spend any time on them.

None we only do the homework (DS is in P2 and homework is usually a maths sheet and a couple of short activities eg write about your ideal room there is also a Reading book) I think that's more than enough when you consider after school activities and just relaxing! However DS does struggle with writing so the school have given me some writing sheets and we will do them over the summer.

Surely it depends on how they are doing?

My two are currently struggling in certain areas so I'm doing extra work, in one case suggested by a teacher, in those areas- as well as school work but its hard going though necessary.

I'm hoping there will come a point when we aren't doing as much extra with them.

I think many parents have to do so much extra work with children because the curriculum is so poor. Teachers are good but can only teach the curriculum and imo theres not enough time devoted to basic English. I know everybody is not in the position to home educate but I can see why there is such a rise. The school day is long enough and I feel I have to help with too much, just to keep what I feel is an acceptable level irrespective of a curriculum

I help with the homework (dd in Yr 3, ds in Yr 4). If there is something they clearly do not get, we might do a little bit of extra work around that, but only in the context of making sure the homework task was understood.

dd is average, just below average and I think if we did much more with her she would be too stressed by it all.

Hi wheresthebeach

You know I think it totally depends on how you're feeling about the school and how you're child is doing.

I've posted a lot elsewhere so won't reprise here -but I have had two children seriously struggle at various points and the school were so laid back about it they were horizontal.

For us, the issue was ensuring solid understanding on concept (how to subtract, how to sound out multisyllable words, how to multiply) which quite simply wasn't getting across to my kids. We opted for about 20 - 30 minutes of 'a bit extra' a day (Mon - Thurs) - with at least one if not two nights of the weekend off (Fri - sun). We also have much more regular homeworks now - but this only came to pass this school year - previously we'd have weeks without books, maths worksheet or spellings - sometimes all at once.

So my advice is that if you're happy with where your child is at - if you're recollection of where you were at at this stage is roughly where you see your child is at - or better yet your child is way ahead of where you were, then relax and enjoy.

If on the other hand alarm bells are ringing - your DC isn't keeping up, struggling to read or work out maths problems and noticeably behind his pears when they have play dates - then perhaps a bit of extra help at home won't go amiss.

Hi - am thinking that if your doing extra on top of normal homework and child is still only average or below then its likely they are not being taught very well either at school or at home.
Average in the NC is really not very taxing for any SEN -free child to grasp so more likely the school and home lessons are not effective enough for the child. doing more of the same really would demotivate the child.

Perhaps consider getting someone else to teach her ? Tutor, change of class at school, Dad, Grandparents, Kumon, Explore etc, or give her teach-yourself materials.

DS yr3 does school's homework which is spellings, reading and either literacy or numeracy exercise per week. We don't do extra homework-style learning outside that but we play board games and read to him. He does swimming/tennis/football/cricket after school. We'd rather he was learning to be a team player out in the fresh air at this age.

I do do extra work.
Including music practices and set homework from school, aswell as things I teach dd, it probably averages out to about two lots of 20 minutes a day, one of which tends to be in the morning before school.

I do more in holidays, but then have a policy of working in the morning and giong out in the afternoon.
I make the teaching fun and so far, Y4, my daughter still loves learning.