Homework in year 1 causing tears. Is it worth it?

[RatOnnaStick]

So DS1 had his second weekly homework task yesterday. To make an aerial plan of one floor of a house he'd like to live in, and a key showing the various things he's put inside it. We had a go this morning and I think he did fine actually. Took him 10 minutes to do most of it but it ended in tears because he finds writing and drawing very hard (hypermobile hands) and, indeed, even his name at the top is not legible. But he tried. He had a go and surely at this age that's what matters isn't it?

Anyway, my question is, how important is homework at this age? And how much is he going to struggle with it if he can't make his writing readable? And what can I do to boost his confidence and not just give up when things inevitably get hard for him?

[user789653241]

My ds's school was very clear on what they expect in FS and KS1.
Teachers kept saying, have a go, but if they started to get stressed up, just stop. Also if the home work took more than 20 minutes, stop, unless the child wanted to carry on.

[MrsHulk]

There's no evidence that homework at primary school boosts academic performance, and a lot of evidence that it can alienate pupils from school as it's just too hard and boring when they're already tired.

I have hypermobility and it does cause serious fatigue (your muscles are always working harder, because they're not properly supported by the joints if that makes sense), so it's no wonder he's tired and frustrated in the evenings.

You don't have to do homework at this age, schools can't make it compulsory. personally I don't plan on making my boy do any homework until he's at least 7 :)

[RockinHippy]

I do worry he's going end up not bad enough to warrant help but too bad to produce good work easily. Stick in the middle

Please see your GP & ask for a Paediatric Rheumatology referral. I know the CP diagnosed hypermobile hands, but chances are its a wider problem than that & its a rheumy who should be diagnosing. The OT should not have refused to see him, going the Rheumy route should mean he gets proper help & OT too & early. Getting proper help early will make a world of difference to his schooling.

Its so frustrating for them not to be able to keep up with themselves & can really impact on confidence too. Getting things in place properly for DD & a proper diagnosis really helped her a lot

[mrz]

https://m.facebook.com/Tree-Tops-Childrens-Occupational-Therapy-194609837241169/ may be able to answer some concerns online

[mrz]

https://m.facebook.com/Tree-Tops-Childrens-Occupational-Therapy-194609837241169/ may be able to answer some concerns online

[GahBuggerit]

not worth it. i asked him to try but when it got upsetting for either of us i took it off him, somdtimes it was so ridiculous id bin it beford he saw it.

[RatOnnaStick]

Thanks for the links. Lots to consider.

[nicp123]

I think you have to check you child's school Homework Policy.
In some schools the Early Years and KS1 homework is set at the demand of parents, whilst in other schools EY & KS1 Homework is only optional.
I found homework useful as it helped my DC's understand the importance of presentation of work and improved his fine motor skills. It did give him a boost of confidence as most of his homework tasks were displayed around the school as 'Good' examples. Homework wasn't stressful in our household as it was sent to us as a list of tasks to choose from on the first week of each half-term & only ONE task had to be returned every week. DC was always choosing the DT/Art tasks first.
Different story with older DC in High School: homework every evening and for at least three subjects at any one time usually extension of what has been taught that day in class.

[twilightskyline]

I don'the see it as a big deal, I think it's great to get kids used to the routine of doing a bit of homework and remembering the skills they've been learning in class and applying them away from the classroom environment.

We had homework back when I was 5/6 in school - we were learning times tables, spellings and reading every week.

[mrz]

It's a big deal if you are a child with physical difficulties

[Kitsandkids]

I hate, hate, hate homework for my kids. I was 'academic' at school. I used to want homework when I was at primary school (we were never given it) and I used to love filling in workbooks from WHSmith. But none of it was a chore for me. I found most work at primary easy, so I enjoyed doing it.

My children do not find it easy. It is a chore for them. And without doubt, every week, at least their literacy homework will be too hard for them. So it causes anguish and frustration and further puts them off doing written work. I really think that homework, if given at all in primary, should be work that consolidates knowledge already gained. Not something the child obviously doesn't know. And if teachers want my 7 year old, who is not a fluent reader so can't read the words in the sentences on the worksheet, to learn grammar rules I wish they would send home work focusing on the same rule for a few weeks instead of nouns one week, then verbs, then adverbs, then prepositions and on and on and on. He needs lots of practise for things to sink in, so consequently he doesn't learn what any of the words mean because it doesn't matter what he does one day, the next time he will be working on something else.

[Blue4ever]

We always do all homework, and have done so since reception, even if there are tears. If your child doesn't do homework because he cries, when will he start doing homework? In year 3? Or year 6 maybe he'll start stumping around making a fuss? No sorry. If a teacher gives them homework they do it. Simple. As a parent, if I start to say well, the teacher says you should do this but I say don't do it, it discredits the teacher's authority. That's not how it works in my house, they do what the teacher asks them to do. I know it's not a popular approach and I will probably get told off by some of you!

We have a schedule, the boys find it helpful, and so do I. They know that it's half an hour's homework Thursday and Saturday,Sunday it's spellings until they know all the words, and Monday before school they review the homework to correct any mistakes. Yes, we've had tears on occasion but now they know the rules are the rules, no negotiating.

[user789653241]

Like pp said up thread, in this case, the child has physical difficulty.
I wish people post after reading properly.

[Blue4ever]

Ds2 has a speech disorder, as well as dyspraxia, low muscle tone and Hypermobility. It's hard work for him, but he will only get better by practicing over and over again. I am not saying it's easy, it isn't.

[sonlypuppyfat]

Mine never ever did homework until year 7

[user789653241]

OK, I am sorry, Blue.
As a matter of fact, my approach is exactly same as yours, about my ds doing his homework.

[Blue4ever]

And about other stuff as well. We did bloody hours of cutting. It's really hard work for a child with dyspraxia to learn how to use scissors. That's on top of all the speech therapy. But I have to say that now, at 9 years old in year 5, there is very little difference between him other children his age. He is very resilient and hard working, even though he is still quite slow!

[mrz]

And all of that is far more useful than spending an hour over a homework sheet.

[sonlypuppyfat]

I'd never force a child to do anything if it made them cry, that's mean

[Sofabitch]

I've never made my children do primary school homework. There is no evidence it has any benefit.

[sonlypuppyfat]

sofabitch my thoughts exactly

[BabyGanoush]

Not worth it.

In yr 1! Goodness, not sven worth it in y6 imo

[Blue4ever]

So how do you expect your child to do what they at asked to do in school if you tell them that it's fine not to do their homework?

[Blue4ever]

Oh and if they cry long enough and hard enough, they will get their way and won't have to do anything.

[mrz]

As a Y1 teacher I've never found it a problem