Homework & Encouraging learning.................

[mammasmadhouse]

Hi All

My dd goes into junior school in a couple of weeks and we will have the joys of homework to contend with I just wanted to see if anyone has any tips on the best way to deal with it and also how you encourage learning.
Do you set a sepcific time for homework, do you encourage learning in addtion to work set by the school??

I'm probably not very typical (especially because I'm a primary teacher!) but I allow my ds to choose which day he wants to do his homework and then hang around while he does it in case he needs any help. I don't 'make' him do it iykwim. If he can't do it because its too hard then I write a note explaining, although not if it's just a simple misunderstanding, I just help him with that.

As far as encouraging learning, my two do lots of extra curricular things that they don't get to do in school. We don't do extra 'formal' learning at all.

my 2 do theirs straight after school to get it out of the way. They get homework every night rather than getting it all on one day to complete in a week. We dont do other learning except for when ds (6) asks me to ask him times table questions! DD also reads a lot too.

I am a primary school teacher.

My children will not be doing homework until secondary school. There is no research to support homework as a benefit to learning at primary school.

Dd is 10 now and she performs best in homework when done right after school ( after a quick snack)

We did play games like junior monopoly, orchard games bus stop etc, basically learning games that don't feel like work. DD went to library at least twice a week too. We went over spelling and sums on the walk to school but never anything new really.

Even now I still look for fractions games etc to reinforce what she's learning, and she likes it ( though less so now than when she was 5!)

Stargirl I salute you! I'm of the same opinion.

I am a teacher and I wrote a letter to say that ds would not be doing homework other than reading or anything that he was behind with. I listed the extra-curricular activities that he did. The school wrote back ...fine, no problem! Most teachers that I have spoken to think there is no point in homework, other than reading, at primary school.

We do homework, but I also let the dcs choose the time and stick to the time the school suggests.

Best thing is to pick the same time each week, so it just becomes another routine.

DS has a quick snack but then it's straight down to homework. Otherwise it is a big battle to get him to do homework after he's been playing etc. Other learning is via general reading, going out on day trips, visiting museums and generally just learning about the world.

dd1 is going into Y5. Somehow, at the start of Y4, she picked up responsibility for homework herself - doing most of it the day she got it, and only asking for help if confused. I think the teacher has to take credit for that, tbh - she was very hot on independence and responsibility for self

Generally speaking, I too found snack then homework the way to go. Other than the given work, I expected dd to do her spellings and/or five minutes of times tables after school on the days she didn't have clubs.

Personally, I think the only work at home that has made a real difference to learning is the work on times tables. Spellings are forgotten as soon as the test is over, and homework is great for learning to organize oneself and take responsibility, but not much else (at primary level).

I am dreading the next school year as I have been told the new homework policy is lots of making things as it "reinforces learning"

Am dreading it tbh...

Give my DC a worksheet and they are off but making things is not up DS's street at all although DD (5) will enjoy it.

Encourage learning in addition to work set by the school ...

I have a CD of French songs for kids which we learnt by listening to them in the car. We were going to be in France for a while and it really helped my dcs, and me. I'd recommend something like that - it didn't feel like work, and it made everyone feel less tongue-tied.

Mumsnet is full of threads from parents pleading for help or advice because their kids have started secondary school or starting GCSEs and the kids either can't or won't do homework.

I got my DCs into the homework habit at primary school so I don't have this problem

Sorry if this is a hijack, but stargirl and useless, do you have any links/info to support the "no homework until secondary" issue? At our local primary they start them off with homework from reception (OK, only phonics, but I hear it ramps up again in Year 1), and I instinctively feel uncomfortable with that.

I don't mind homework. DS1 came home last night to start his topic work (they gave us the outline he had no actual work). He has just started Y3. He will have spellings, need to practice timestables and have one piece of set homework plus reading. It suits him though.

DS2 (Y1) will have words of the week spelling and reading.

It seems reasonable but I am filled with dread at all the bloody models and things I saw last years Y3 wandering in with. School work is usually my domain but DH will be coming in for his share this year.

I think it is nice to get them in a routine. We do very loose projects at home - usually around our bedtime story. I usually look for online resources and show the DC and see what they think, do internet research etc. E.g. DS2 wants to read Astrosaurs so we will probably explore some space stuff and some dinosaur things. DS3 wants Around the World in 80 Days... we will do country based stuff. They enjoy this and ask if they said they didnt fancy soemthing I found we would just stick with what school did.

DS (8) gets homework every day and tends to do it straight after school after a quick snack.

We learn spellings after dinner and reading/piano practice is in the morning before school.