Year 1: homework every night...and to be done for the next day?

[Greythorne]

I am a bit surprised, but maybe it's normal....

My DD1 (aged 5.9, in Year 1) has been given homework every night since being back. One night it was to colour a picture (ok, not very onerous) and sight learn 12 words (that's a whole other thread, BTW, the sight reading and lack of phonics). Tonight she had to sight memorise 9 names of colours and colour in a picture using specific colours.

Given that the school day is 8.30 - 4.15, I really feel like they should be able to fit in the work to the school day. Or is this normal?

Tonight, D came out at 4.15, hot, bothered and very tired. By the time we had walked home, got in the house, had a dink, it was 5.15 and the very last thing she or I wanted to ddo was start drilling colour names by sight. But we had to because the homework is for tomorrow.

I feel like I would be more relaxed if we had homework over the weekend, but every school night......

Feeling glum. God knows how DD is feeling. Very disheartened, I think.

Dd2 has just started Year 1 brings a reading book home every day but they don't have to read it more than twice a week. She will get one piece of homework a week to do over the weekend (but given it early in the week) and a short list of spellings. I think any more is too much.

Just dont do it all. Make an appointment with the teacher and explain your concerns re lind days and tiredness and tell her what amount you find acceptable for your dd, and then stick to that. There have been times when due to personal circumstances I have struggled to have dd do her homework every week and elained to the teacher that while I take her education seriously, at 5 it was not priority. I agreed to read every day, which I did, and for dd to do homework as she/we were able. Sometimes she had, in yr1 two or three pieces on the wed to be completed by Monday,sometimes just one thing.plus reading daily.

They cannot force your dd to do that much surely? What will happen if she does not do it?

It's a ridiculous amount.

Way too much imo.
I worked in Y1 last year and all the children had was regular reading.
When DD was in Y1 they had daily reading and a weekly set of 5 spellings, but all based around the phonics sounds they'd been revising all week.

Y1 children do NOT need homework like this.

DD1 is in Year 2, village primary, and gets no homework at all. Not even spellings.

In the school holidays, we usually have to collect a group of items to take in for the start of a topic, but during term time she never gets any homework.

In Ireland - most primary schools would have homework mon to thurs but none for weekend. Some mightn't get homework other than reading with parents till 3rd yr in school but homework from start is usual. Don't see anything wrong with it to be honest though the school day is much shorter than one in France. With school day that long I don't think I'd want too much homework.