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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

What do you do to support at home

18 replies

HamishBamish · 08/04/2015 13:30

I have read many times that children do best at school when they have good parental support at home. Obviously, the level of support can vary hugely, but I have been wondering whether we are doing enough.

We supervise/support homework, read to and with the children in addition to their formal reading books from school, try to follow our DC's natural interests outside school.

I'm wondering if we should be doing more in terms of more formal learning in line with what is being covered in the class room.

It's very early days with both children (one is nearly 5 and other is 7) and they have both been doing well according to their reports. I don't want to over burden them, but at the same time don't want to be too laid back and not support them enough.

So, I would be interested to know what other people do.

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BeyondRepair · 08/04/2015 14:06

sounds like your doing fine and no need I would say ( as a lay person) for any more if they are doing OK.

we do same as you but I also helped mine learn tables.

i think your level of support is spot on

Original poster

HamishBamish · 08/04/2015 15:56

That's encouraging Beyond thanks.

They've been learning their times tables as part of their homework, so we've been covering those, but haven't gone any further than the required ones (2, 5 and 10 so far). Occassionally the older one does some practicing on the Mathletics site, but nothing much beyond that.

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BrieAndChilli · 08/04/2015 16:03

Mine are 6 and 8
School work each week is
Ds1- spellings, reading boom with reason extension activity, library book (which they need to read as do an activity on it at school) maths homework on the school maths website, talking homework (discussing wow words or a topic they are going to be doing the next day)
Dd has Library books, reading book and extension activity, maths homework an talking homework

They also have a home project every half term or make a model, fact file etc
They both have music practice and ds1 has physio and hand gym exercises.
Between all that and thier various activities there isn't much time left for anything else!!!!!
We have various science kits/book, electronics set, poly optics set, lots of board games etc so we do those plus cooking (they are taking it in turns weekly to cooks meal )

2cats2many · 08/04/2015 16:18

Mine are 6 and 8. I support their learning at home by making sure they do their homework even though it often is a load of old rubbish, they are both learning to play musical instruments and read music, they are both in a sports club and the TV is switched on in the mornings before school and on Sunday avos so they do more interesting things instead of sitting and watching. They also still have bedtime stories.

However, the most important thing I do IMO is to give them as much space and time to play as I can. I think it's vital that they get this time so they are ready and willing to learn when they are in school.

WombatStewForTea · 08/04/2015 16:45

Honestly, I think emotional support is important. Things like taking an interest in what they so and having a positive attitude to their learning. I've lost count the amount of parents who, when talking about their child's progress, saying things like "oh I was shit at maths too so I'm not surprised xxx is shit. He takes after me." I hate it. Does nothing to inspire or motivate.

That and reading.
Homework in my opinion should require very little to no parental input!

Leeds2 · 08/04/2015 16:58

Sounds to me like you are doing everything you should be!

I used to occasionally do trips to support what DD was learning at school, for example I remember going to Hampton Court when she was studying the Tudors. Not for every topic though!!

RhinestoneCowgirl · 08/04/2015 17:03

Mine are 6 & 8. I talk to them a lot, if they ask questions try and answer them (helping them to look up information if I don't know the answer). I prod them to do homework and still read bedtime stories, even though they can read now.

And what pp said about time to play - I think that's really important, as school is so scheduled.

Original poster

HamishBamish · 08/04/2015 17:31

Thanks for all the replies. I'm quite focussed on giving them time to just play and 'be' as they both have what I consider fairly 'hard' schedules as both DH and I work (I work mon-thurs). They are in early birds at 8am mon-thurs (they start class at 8.30) and are collected from after school club before 4.30 (again mon-thurs, earlier on Fri). They get home at around 5, so it's right down to homework then supper and bed by 7. Fridays are a bit easier as I don't work then, so they are at home earlier.

The youngest doesn't start school until August (we are in Scotland) and his brother is in P2, but just gets down and does his homework as soon as he steps in the door unprompted. I just feel that they have more than enough (too much if I'm honest) on their plates as it is through no fault of their own. I just want to make sure we aren't failing them iyswim.

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Original poster

HamishBamish · 08/04/2015 17:32

Also, we don't do any school related work over the weekends. I like to keep that completely free of anything school related.

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Original poster

HamishBamish · 08/04/2015 17:35

I would love them to start learning an instrument 2cats, but I just don't see how on earth we could fit it in. We're down to the wire mon-thurs as it is and I don't know how we could fit practice sessions around that.

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Original poster

HamishBamish · 08/04/2015 17:36

Sorry, meant to say that I don't think you're saying we have to do the instrument thing, it's just that I had those opportunities growing up, so it's something I would like to do for them.

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2cats2many · 08/04/2015 18:03

They have a half hour lesson once a week and then we do 5-10 mins of practice at around 5 days a week. It's easily fitted in and manageable when it's just in short spurts.

Original poster

HamishBamish · 08/04/2015 18:17

Thanks 2cats. We could or probably manage that. They can learn in school, but parents have to attend lessons (Montessori) and they move the times so I can't manage that due to work commitments. I'm going to look into lessons outside school though. I went to a specialist music school myself, so I so have some background, but I'm not a teacher iykwim.

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Original poster

HamishBamish · 08/04/2015 18:18

Sorry, not Montessori, I mean suzuki.

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AmazonGrace · 08/04/2015 18:45

We make sure ds (8) does his homework, we help with projects.
Ds now lives reading by himself at bedtime and has read loads more books, before this time we'd read together but his teacher has said she's happy letting him read to himself now. We play times tables games, we shout out random tables using all of them, so any up to 12. They have games at school like this and it's had a positive impact on ds, he wants to win, so he's happy to sit for five minutes at a time, or when we're in the car, when he's sitting in the bath, learning his tables this way. He has an extra maths programme which is linked to the school, where the dc are encouraged to complete at least three times a week.

That's it really, we do sometimes struggle to get him doing his homework, he has spellings each week too (how could I forget) we're quite lucky as he finds these easy.

Between this he plays out quite a bit and spends time on the laptop, xbox, tablet. Wish he was as keen to do his homework as he is at playing games but on the whole he's not too bad.

CharlesRyder · 08/04/2015 19:31

DS (4.8, YR)

Read with/ to daily
Provide materials and encouragement to write (but no scheduled practise yet)
Day trips and books/toys etc to support school topic
Swimming/ tennis lessons out of school
Teaching him some programming
Talk about and explain everything in as grown up a way as he can handle
Regular playdates

We also try to give him space to just be a kid. We spend a lot of time on the beach and I have adjusted my working hours so he only has to go to afterschool activities twice a week. Luckily his school lay on great afterschool activities- this term he is cooking and in forest school the two afternoons he has to stay.

Lamere · 08/04/2015 19:39

Reading when they're little at home is the most important thing I think, plus support with any maths homework they get. I get annoyed with projects as I think more often than not parents do them. Oldest now at secondary and does homework completely independently thank goodness!

AmazonGrace · 08/04/2015 20:03

Our school encourage parents to help with projects so it's expected, I really don't like the projects, I think the lack of praise when the dc take them into school after working bloody hard in them, is a real damp squid. We've also just had notification that the project is not something that you HAVE to do, school are just suggesting This to me is pretty annoying too, either set a project or don't, to give you an option puts pressure on you to do it anyway imo!

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