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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

Are your Y3s doing homework independently/without asking?

34 replies

gabsid · 14/03/2013 10:37

My DS is almost 8 now, in Y3 and would never dream of doing a single piece of home/school work by himself. He has been told by me and his teachers that homework is his responsibility but he still seems to think that its my job to make sure he has done his school work. And its a pain because I have to make him read, do spellings, times tables and any other bits. On top of that he tries to hide and avoid any work, e.g. leaving reading book at school, handing in homework before its finished etc. Arghhhh!!!

On top of that, a new maths teacher accused DS of getting someone else to do his homework because the writing didn't seem consistant to her and threatened him with the HT. I spoke to the teacher on the phone and explained that this was very unlikely as HW doesn't concern DS at all and that he wouldn't bother, but that I would be concerned if he did that in school. I saw the sheets and could confirm that he did it himself but on different days which may explain the slightly different hand writing.

Do you have to force your Y3 DC to do any work or are they doing it fairly independently? How and when did you step back a bit?

I am planning to give DS a bit more time and in Y4 I think I will just let him face the consequences of not having done it, after a discussion with the teacher - to make sure she knows and that there really are consequences.

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50shadesofvomit · 14/03/2013 11:01

At our school, homework is set on Friday and due on Wednesday. Reading and spelling practice is done daily.

My y2 child does his work (bar reading) independently. What has worked here is a routine.

Monday-Thursday Read after supper then spelling practice.

Saturday after breakfast- Numeracy sheet then read.

If we go away for the weekend or hes ill, he does his numeracy sheet on Monday after spelling practice and we read his school book at night before bed.

SunflowersSmile · 14/03/2013 11:03

We get minimal homework but my year 3 ds would not do it unless I told him to get on with it.
He is thoroughly lazy BUT would not want to get into trouble by not doing it.
However that fear would not be enough for him to do it unless kicked up the bum.
[Only 10min home work once a week [if that] plus occasional homework project which most definitely would not happen unless he was sat down by me!].

Acinonyx · 14/03/2013 11:26

DD year 3 has to be told to do HW or it would never get done. I thought that was normal!

Original poster

gabsid · 14/03/2013 11:27

We have a routine, always had - still. Maybe its still a bit too much for DS?

Before school we do X tables (2 min if focused) and then a bit of maths practice as he finds maths hard. After dinner spellings (3 min) on Mondays he gets his new words and has to write 6 sentences (that is usually a drama), xtables (2 min) then reading. On Thursday there is usually a smallish piece of HW which we do at the weekend.

But every day he tells me 'no, not now' until I make him sit down.

We are almost done with the xtables which is a relief, but will have to continue practicing X and division I guess.

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Original poster

gabsid · 14/03/2013 11:29

Yes, I could live with telling him, 1x, 2x even 3x - but physically making him and sitting with him until its done?

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Bramshott · 14/03/2013 11:31

I am having this battle at the moment with DD1 in Y5 . I ranted at her last night saying "you KNOW you have homework, it shouldn't be up to me to say 'sit down and do your homework now'!"

SummerRainIsADistantMemory · 14/03/2013 11:32

Mine are 6 and 8 and do it independently for the most part. They call me if they're stuck and I give a quick check when they're done but other than that homework doesn't affect me at all.

The 6 year old has to be prompted to do it sometimes but it's very rarely a fight unless he's tired/sick

member · 14/03/2013 11:38

She spends more time avoiding/arguing about doing it than it actually takes to do the homework! She does do the actual work independently but there is a lot of groaning/sighing involved throughout. It is always left until the day before it's due in.

Tiggles · 14/03/2013 11:47

DS1 is in year 6, I haven't had to ask him if he has homework for at least 2 years he just gets on and does it.
DS2 is in year 1, I now tell him when to do his homework, but he does it entirely independently (other than reading to me obviously).

Original poster

gabsid · 14/03/2013 11:48

DS doesn't read for fun, so he reads to me every day. Same drama, no, not now, moan and groan until I say 'now, sit down'. Then he actually enjoys the story (he likes Horrid Henry at the moment) and sometimes reads more than I would ask of him.

And we do that every day.

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Twinklestarstwinklestars · 14/03/2013 11:55

Ds' school likes them to be independent with things like homework so they get rewards such as extra break time if they all get it in, he knows when it's due so I leave it upto him, I listen to him read but he does his literacy and maths homework.

steppemum · 14/03/2013 11:57

Oh the homework battles we have had ds is 10 and dd1 8

ds, after years of saturday battles - (2 hours of prevaricating, followed by 20 minutes of work) now does his independently. He has to go to his room after breakfast on Sat. Not allowed to go anywhere or do anything til homework is done. If he chooses to play lego all day he will miss tv at end of the day til it is done.
This works, but presentation and handwriting has got worse.

dd1 - 8 - we sit her down on sat morning, and she fiddles and chats and eventually does it. Daily reading etc is harder

I would suggest a couple of things. In our house we have no screens til 5pm. For dd1, now it is no tv or computer til you have done trumpet practice (15 ms) and read for 15 mins. This is good incentive for her.

We have a penny jar for times tables. For every table practised without fuss a penny goes in the jar (it goes in for practising not getting it right)

I would do homework earlier if you can. dd2 (5) reads to me at about 4pm, after snack, before she fades away. if I wait til after dinner she is often too tired. Dh tests them on times tables in the car too (and puts penny in the jar when we get home.

I would also suggest home from school, snack, 10 minutes of something physical, then homework for 15 mins, then play/tv

He sounds pretty normal to me, I would be working towards independence, but very structured at this point

simpson · 14/03/2013 12:04

DS is in yr3 and gets literacy and numeracy homework on a Thursday/Friday to be in by the following Tuesday. He gets no spellings but reads daily.

I have to tell him when to do the homework but he does it himself with no fuss and I don't have to sit with him/help him at all.

Startail · 14/03/2013 12:27

There isn't a child below Y10 who does all their HW without prompting.

Yes, there are those who do the bits they like or are liable to get in very hot water for not doing.

But every single little thing, no! Do adults do everything we are supposed to. Of course we don't!

Why the hell should a Y3 be expected to remember some bit of paper when they are having fun.

It makes not on jot of difference to what GCSE grades they get. Honestly my dyslexic DD1 will get an A for maths and she will never know her tables. Years of slogging through the reading scheme made no odds she learnt to read when she was ready. She wouldn't ever learn to spell, however many tests she has and word lists she learns.

Mean while DD2 was born able to spell and learnt to read without trying.

Honestly, most primary school HW and an awful lot of Y7-Y9 HW is a waste of space and the DCs know it.

iseenodust · 14/03/2013 12:30

DS yr4 needs reminding that he has homework to do. (Set on Fridays for handing in Wednesdays.) He wouldn't dream of remembering let alone starting it without prompting and yes he likes to postpone/faff interminably.

Startail · 14/03/2013 12:30

If a primary school child does their HW without promoting it's only because it's too easy and they can show off.

redskyatnight · 14/03/2013 12:43

Depends on the child I think.
DD actually always does her homework without prompting (sometimes we have to actually persuade her not to because we want to do something else at homework time!)

DS (Y4) hates homework. But. We have slowly introduced good practices e..g doing a bit every day. He's learnt if he wants to play with Mummy when she gets in from work then he needs to get off the computer and do it earlier. It's hard at Y3 because they do need adult interaction with learning, practising tables and spelling.
It was at Y3 that we instituted the practice that homework was up to DS - we will "remind" but we won't nag or fight. IF he wants help he needs to ask, we won't sit over him. It's taking a while but slowly working.

PureQuintessence · 14/03/2013 12:47

My son in Y3 gets homework out on Thursday. Reading (3-4 books) is due on Tuesday, Spelling test on Wednesday, and numeracy and literacy is in on Thursday. We spread it out. Some of it he will do on his own accord, like reading and spellings. I sit with him, but he is quite happy to do this. He will instigate doing the numeracy and literacy, but requires me to sit with him, and sometimes help. The numeracy is usually fine, he can get on with it himself.
The literacy is harder. But he only learnt to read and write last year when he joined Y2 straight from nursery in Norway.

It is not feasible to do it all in one go, we have to space it out and do it in chunks.

SummerRainIsADistantMemory · 14/03/2013 12:49

Startail.... Dd does!

I have no idea how I spawned her but she comes in from school and sits right down to do it.

And whilst ds1 sometimes has to be prompted he complains if he has no homework

I'm expecting ds2 to be a horror as punishment for my easy ride so far

IsabelleRinging · 14/03/2013 12:55

My Y3 dd will do homework when I say "dd, do your homework now". She does it by herself and I help if she gets stuck. She wouldn't really go and do it by herself without a reminder though as she is only 7 like your DS and too young to take responsibilty for making sure she does it for the right day. It is normal. She has just started reading for pleasure and not needing to be told to read at a given time.

Elibean · 14/03/2013 14:59

My Y3 dd didn't (apart from rare occasions when it was something exciting to her).

She's now in Y4, and always does

user12785 · 14/03/2013 15:02

Ha ha ha ha (maniaical laughter). Sob.

Chandon · 14/03/2013 15:07

I still have to remijd my y5 boy AND sit with him, and help too. He has dyslexia and hates any writing.

DS2 just does it himself, aged 8.

Kids are different and patience is key...

leesmum · 14/03/2013 15:07

My Ds1 is in yr3 and always moans about his homework, I often have to bribe him ( X box) to get it done, he does most of it himself but I linger around in case he needs any help.

ThreeBeeOneGee · 14/03/2013 15:11

The ones in Y4 and Y6 just get on with it. No prompting, no supervision, no checking.

The ones in Y4... not so much. Some days they'll remember to do the straightforward stuff like spelling practice without being reminded, so I'm telling myself that we're making progress.

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