Reception homework

[maebyfunke]

My son started reception about four weeks ago.
The week before last the children were given reading books which we have been asked to read with them everyday.
Today DS brought home a phonics folder. He is supposed to practice saying the letter and sounds, colour in the picture on the sheet, sing the ryhme and practise writing the sound. He will get a new sheet four times a week.

I feel like this is too much for him, it is a lot for four year olds isn't it? He is my third and I'm pretty sure the others only had one worksheet a week to complete, maybe two certainly not four!

That sounds a lot to me, mine was in recepton last year, reading 3x a week plus literacy - which sounds equivalent to one worksheet, draw a picture beginning with that weeks later and some words beginning with that later. Plus numeracy once a week, measuring things, comparing things etc.

Thanks. They haven't started on the numeracy yet!

We get new books twice a week and nothing else so far. Four times a week seems a lot, especially if you are a working parent.

In reception my DS3 was expected to read most days and practice writing a ew letters a week. That, I think, is plenty.

It is a lot. If it's too much for him, then don't do it. (I'm a reception teacher btw). I'd prioritise the reading book and give him the chance to do the sheets if he wants. If you think he's too tired, or too grumpy or needs to go to the park instead, then do what you think best.

You could always practise the sounds by doing more interesting and physical activities such as 'collecting' words beginning with one of his sounds on the way to the park, playing I Spy, sing the rhyme in the car, use water and a brush to paint the letters onto your patio and so on.

Above all, don't worry about it. There's years of homework ahead (gulp) and there's plenty of time to help your son develop a conscientious attitude to it

Thanks everyone.

lakeofshiningwaters thanks for your point of view, good to know a teacher thinks it's a lot. As I was on here complaining about it he was doing it in the living room with one of his sisters!

DS1 (state school) only had reading to begin with then from the Spring term 1 piece of homework a week (either literacy or numeracy) nothing major! He does lots of after school stuff so if we didn't have time then it didn't get done and I learnt not to worry. If he was struggling with something then that is different of course.

DS2 is at pre-prep and he has a reading book plus 1 piece of homework but it is really easy homework (like either jumping 10 times in each room in the house whilst counting the jumps, practicing writing no's 1-10 or just going over the 4 letters they are learning that week).

There is no need for YR children to be getting that much homework - its not fair - most of them are exhausted as it is!

Dd started reception this year. On a Friday she comes home with 3-4 phonics in her book, reinforcing what they have learnt in class that week, her number workbook (1 number a week) which they have done in class and while they are not on a formal reading scheme yet, the school is doing 'read around the world' as a whole. Bit like the library summer reading schemes. For every 10 minutes they 'read' (are read with in R) they travel so many miles. They get a certificate/prize for reaching each destination. They will start ORT either after half term or Christmas.

My daughter started three weeks ago and the class reading book gets changed three times a week she's having Read Write Inc books sent home in her bag. They've got grids with twenty or so words in them and a handful of words to expect in the "stories" I say stories advisedly because they're not really stories. Her school doesn't tell me whether or not I should explicitly follow Ruth Miskin's instructions, it's up to me. Ruth has reams and reams of instructions! It's possible that you could spend twenty minutes or more on each book but we read the grids up to about page 13, read the stories and then I put a note in her reading log. The whole process takes about five minutes. I did put a really long explanation of what I was doing and why when we received the first book. Since then we've had most of the series and now I just write procedure same as previously, no problems encountered with this book. The school is happy, my daughter is happy. I'm happy.

This is a lot. DD got a book (ORT level 1+2) each night plus on Friday her phonics book with the four letter their practiced during the week.

The task was to practice the sound and action plus writing the letter. The latter was very important as DD learned printed letters in pre-school but primary teaches now cursive writing.

After half-term we got a homework book, again Fridays, with a small task in relation to the topic of the week. Identify shapes and patterns, speak to your parents/adults about xyz and note down (the parents should write) what you learned, draw a picture of xyz.

After 1/2 max it was finished.

DD gets one book a week a jolly phonics yellow level one. She also got a list of tricky words to learn ( about 12) but she already knew them so they gave her another (but she knows those too).

She had to make a gingerbread man puppet, and write a sentence about the beginning of The Gingerbread Man story, a sentence about the middle and the same for the end...

Oh and she has a handwriting book too, but we have not done that yet