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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

DD struggling a bit with Reception homework - too hard?

30 replies

DataColour · 02/03/2015 13:45

DD gets phonics homework once a week and she has always struggled a bit with it but the latest was asking her to write down a few words with 4 "sounds" in them (i,e train, lend etc)....and then to choose 3 of those words and write a sentence with each one. It wasn't easy getting her to do any of it.
She is in the top phonics group and this ifstheir homework for that group. I don't know...it seems a bit difficult...maybe because she is mid Aug born and still seems so little.
My DS was in Reception last year and was also in top groups and he had no homework at all except for the reading books. So this is a new thing anyway.
Also they are quite pedantic when marking the homework. Last week, she had to write some words under the pictures using certain sounds and I suggested she write "howl" (as among the sounds she had to use were "ow" and "ear") apparently the RIGHT answer was "fear"(a pic of somebody screaming)!!

I'm thinking maybe she is not cut out for top phonics group and should learn at a slower pace.
Any advice?

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Zinxie · 02/03/2015 13:50

Only advice is what your heart is telling you already...pressurising a child in reception year is utterly redundant. Let her succeed and have fun.

She'll find her own level in her own time, anything "too hard" age 4, can be postponed!

Original poster

DataColour · 02/03/2015 14:00

Thanks Zinkie She also struggles to remember the sounds she has learned in phase 3 (they absolutely raced through phase 3...IMO a bit too quickly, and onto phase 4 already).
I don't know how well she is "performing" at school for them to think that she is capable of this level of homework. I think it's time for a chat with her teacher perhaps.

OP posts:

MMmomKK · 02/03/2015 14:03

I still remember when Dd1 was in Y1 and had to write sentences with her spelling words. I had to explain to her what a sentence was - as sometimes hers were missing either a subject, it a verb... Or only had a subject and a verb...

And she was in an academic private school, and in the top of her class.

I think this sort of homework in Reception is too much - they still need to be taught how to do it - and that teaching should happen at school, not at homework time!

I'd write a note to the teacher that she flounded XYZ difficult. I am sure she is not the only one.

BMO · 02/03/2015 14:06

It sounds like too much. I'd let her do it for 20 minutes max and if she hasn't finished write a note explaining.

wetsnow · 02/03/2015 14:10

I'm a reception teacher (job share hence home today!) And yes... that's a very challenging homework.
My class get copies of each sound we have learned that week and have to think of words for each... but that is all.
May be have a chat to her teacher... homework should no way be a chore... especially at 4!

mrz · 02/03/2015 17:52

Speak to the class teacher and explain your daughter found it difficult. They need to be aware.
I don't think it is a difficult task for this stage in reception.

mrz · 02/03/2015 18:03

The sentences can be very simple
The train is red.

Original poster

DataColour · 03/03/2015 12:06

Thanks for your replies...they have been very useful.
Agreed that the sentences can be simple but it's the volume of the work that it she is not coping with. Writing a few words and then choosing ONE word and writing a sentence she can manage, but writing 3 is a bit beyond her attention span. She doesn't really like writing that much so it is difficult to get her to sit down and do it.
I will mention it to the teacher. It is a new teacher replacing her previous teacher on maternity leave and this new teacher seems quite "hardcore". This morning she gave out target sheets for numeracy, individualised for each child that needs working at home. The previous teacher was more relaxed, but got great results with my DS last year.

OP posts:

Singleandproud · 04/03/2015 17:18

If you think her attention span is too short break the homework up. Dad is in Reception, they get given homework on Friday to hand in by the following We'd.

Write the words using the sounds on the first day. Read the 2nd part so you can be thinking of sentences and then write the sentences on the 2nd day or just 1 sentence a day depending on how many days you have. If you briefly recap the sounds before you do the writing this might work much better than getting it all over and done with in one go.

Singleandproud · 04/03/2015 17:19

*Dd not dad obviously and Wednesday

mrz · 04/03/2015 17:45

I agree it's better to do less more often than to sit down and battle on to the point you are both stressed.
Would she cope with one shirt sentence a night for three nights?

TwoOddSocks · 04/03/2015 18:25

This is why other countries don't do reading and writing and especially homework at this age, it ends up putting kids off (probably why the UK starts early and ends up behind in education). I don't think you should force her to do all of that if it's too much for her.

MillyMollyMama · 04/03/2015 18:35

Only some children end up behind - it is clearly not everyone in the UK! Plenty of privately educated ones who have homework in prep schools tend to do OK. Some children are ready to do everything asked of them, others are not. The homework given should match what the OP's DD is doing in class and that should be based on her prior attainment. If it is not, then it is worth seeing the teacher who might not have assessed her ability correctly.

nonicknameseemsavailable · 04/03/2015 19:45

my daughters were both top phonics group and homework in R varied. the elder one was reading well so the teacher gave her sentences etc to write and that suited her, it was set at the right level for her. The other one was a lot younger in the year and also reading well but the teacher gave her what I assume was the same as the rest of the class which included things like write the word under the picture. There was a picture of a fort which she wrote carsl (castle) for and it was corrected but I didn't see it so much as being marked wrong, just as a comment that it was actually a fort (there were 4 spaces for a 4 letter word but DD had been insistent it was a castle and I wasn't arguing with her).

If you genuinely feel it is too much for her then talk to the teacher. I agree that homework at this age is too much pressure for some children, not because they can't do the work but just because they are small children and they aren't ready to sit and do homework. I suspect your daughter is doing very well and they are trying to stretch her, some children thrive on this and others panic.

TwoOddSocks · 04/03/2015 20:07

MillyMollyManda - I didn't mean all school children are behind their expected levels only that the standard of education in the UK is lower than that in other countries where formal education starts later.

TwoOddSocks · 04/03/2015 20:15

At four or five years old you shouldn't be aiming to produce kids who are willing to "do everything asked of them" but to actually foster an enjoyment of learning.

Having taught quite a few kids both in the late school and early undergrad age I find our education system is particularly good at creating kids who want to learn material superficially and pass exams and far fewer who are keen to actually engage in the material and actually understand it.

ThisFenceIsComfy · 04/03/2015 20:21

I find the concept of homework in Reception an utterly bizarre one.

I think it fosters an attitude that Lear Inn is nothing but a chore from a very early age and pushing little children when they are at a very tiring stage.

ThisFenceIsComfy · 04/03/2015 20:21

Learning not Lear Inn.

mrz · 04/03/2015 20:52

Interesting as UK were 7th in 2014 UNESCO list of countries with highest literacy rate. (Finland were 8th)

TwoOddSocks · 04/03/2015 21:23

We're ranked 25th for reading, 28th for maths and 16th for science. Despite starting education substantially earlier.

www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2010/dec/07/world-education-rankings-maths-science-reading

TwoOddSocks · 04/03/2015 21:24

Although we're probably derailing the thread a bit - sorry OP!

threepiecesuite · 04/03/2015 21:32

It does sound hard.
I have a DD in Reception. Her phonics hwk sheet has things like flg with a picture of a flag and ri _ with a picture of a ring. Maybe 9 of these to a sheet.
Some hwks are creative - colouring, cutting out, glueing.

In her home/school book and reading record is a space for parent voice - I'd be writing some comments down that it is too hard/not enjoyable for your DD. They are still so little.

mrz · 05/03/2015 07:05

Yes apologies OP (however the PISA rankings are widely recognised as deeply flawed)

Missmidden · 07/03/2015 21:58

Fascinating, this- the variation in reception homework is clearly great. My DD's seems to be on the light side with a reading book changed whenever she wants and a book of letters which all parents seem to draw different conclusions on what we are to do with it. But certainly nothing to be written, handed in or marked as yet.

However my main point is how are parents with full time jobs supposed to ensure homework gets done until children are old enough to do it by themselves? I make sure DD does some reading at weekends but that is all we can do. Thankfully we have a wonderful nanny in the week, but she mainly ferries DDs to and from after school activities and play dates, so again very little time for homework. Surely it must all be optional until children are older for this reason if no other?

SetTheWorldOnFire · 07/03/2015 22:06

This sounds like too much to me, in reception we'd give the homework about 10 mins and whatever got done in that time was enough. Primary homework is entirely optional, it shouldn't make everyone miserable and plenty of schools don't even set homework for this age group.

I'd talk to the teacher before opting out completely, but being pedantic about howl/scream, when both are possible correct answers, makes it sound like the teacher may not be the most understanding...

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