If you work ft how/when do you support your child's learning?

[MrsFogi]

I've been reading the threads about year 1 and what people do with their children in the evenings. My dd is due to start reception in September and I have begun to think about how on earth mothers who work manage to fit in supporting their dc's learning. I think I'm in too late (6.30) to fit it in in the evenings and even if it wasn't I would then be neglecting dd2. Can anyone enlighten me on how you organise supporting your child's education whilst working? Do you cram at the weekend/pay someone to do it in your stead in the afternoons after school?

We used to do homework whilst the supper was cooking, reading just before going to bed.

My two are in after-school club until 6.

Our favourite part of the day is when we walk to school and talk about what they've been doing and what they are looking forward to. We do reading every bedtime and other homework is done at the weekends.

Your child's learning is not neglected in any way.

I wonder about this, too. At the moment I am working, studying for a Masters and trying to fit in some life with my two children (reception age and a baby) and husband, which is hard enough! We do talk loads with the kids and read together every night, but I am dreading the homework stage. Need more hours in the day!

When my DC started school I was lucky enough to be able to tweak my hours so I started very early but finished earlier a lot of days - meaning we could do stuff after school.

I realise this may not work for you but is there any way you can get in a bit earlier - even a couple of days a week?

Is there no-one in before 6.30pm? What childcare do you use/plan to use?

BTW I agree with cat64 as usual, lots and lots of worksheets are not going to help anyone. Reading with yr child is all you need to do for first 2-3 yrs IMO - 5 mins a day.

Our school sets negligible homework til yr 5, and we found that in KS1 the dds were generally a bit tired and not too inclined to do much work or reading straight after school anyway, even when we were around to do it with them.
We found it easier to do bits of reading etc at weekends or in the holidays when the dds weren't as tired.

And by the time they get more homework in our school they're 9 or so so they don't go to bed so early, so there's more time in the evenings.

also these days I get the older ones listening to the 5yo's reading and helping her with her homework, that saves time on a busy evening.

totally agree with cat: learning is about interacting with them, so much more than a specified routine of set homework

I was forever sending in notes saying "dd was too tired to do any reading tonight"

hasn't done her education any harm at all

As I said in the previous thread - I don't get in until 6.15. The only homework we do is reading. Reception child reads to me in bed and then I read to her and yr 1 child together. Then Yr 1 child reads to me in his room. We don't do any worksheets or anything and spend weekends playing.
Yr1 child spends a lot of time doing maths and writing rather than going to sleep but that is his choice (I have on several occasions removed all paper and pens from his room but he has hiding places!)
They are certainly not lagging behind due to lack of homework - Yr 1 child is working at 2A across the board and Reception child is reading level 6 ORT.

we read a book at bedtime every night (I get in at 7pm) (dc reads to me or if tired, we do alternate pages), and then we do a bit on saturdays and sundays...some number work and writing. I like seeing how dc is learning and we have a bit of a laugh, esp over the numbers because there are so many number games you can play.

My DCs school is good at sending home notes telling us what they have done this week and will do this half term etc. So you would know there was a big thing going on about penguins, for example, and you could do your own penguin related activity too.

DS1 is not very good at telling me what goes on at school, but DS2 chatters away. I tend to find out what is happening in DS1's class from speaking to the other mums. It is worth investing some time making friends with other mums, IME, they can be a great support network.

I agree with others you should get some feedback from your childcarer as well - my nannies have kept me in touch with school.

We do reading practice at breakfast time, because they are too tired at night. DS2 is in reception and does not get homework apart from reading. DS1 does his homework with his nanny and sometimes with us at weekends if they have had a busy week.

If the school gives us enough notice about things, I try to work at home that day and show up. There are special reading assemblies sometimes, quite often opportunities to hang around for half an hour before other people's children read out more fluently than your own little darling can manage, all at short notice naturally. However the DCs place great importance on a parent being there and you can catch up with the other mums. I also keep a couple of days holiday in reserve for going on school trips.

I do drop off about once a week.

I contributed to the year 1 thread and I work full time and not home till late (dd at childminders as I type).
It is difficult and we do a lot in holidays and weekends.

I work 3 days DH works til late every evening so I did worry about this but actually it has been fine. On the two days I'm at home we go swimming after school one day and often have a play date on the other so don't do much then tbh.

No need for too much formal stuff in reception.
We read 'reading book' over breakfast. Bedtime stories every night reception age DS now reads to 20 month old DD.
Counting and sums whenever you have the chance- while walking or driving with sweets/ grapes/biscuits whatever (if you have five and your sister takes two how many left etc etc). Board games once or twice a week we have 'games night' he gets to stay up late when toddler in bed so we can play monopoly/snakes and ladders/Pingu game/spotty dogs/some other nonsense
Getting DS to sit and write much harder we have taken to writing lists ( my favorite films/toys/superheroes etc) draw lots of 'treasure maps' and 'secret spy' notes. so at least I know he's written a few words sometimes manage to get him to write a 'story' at the weekend (hard work though).
On the other hand I have friends whose children fill exercise books with elaborate stories or beg to be given pages of sums at bedtime and some of them work full-time! So you may have nothing to worry about!

We do reading, spelling, division and multiplication (and some mental maths)on the bus each morning and reading on the way home. DD goes to homework club and I check through it. If it has to be finished at home and I'm not back (I'm frequently not back till 7.30) our nanny supervises. We do the majority of written work at the weekend (deliberate homework setting policy.

I might see my daughter at night but not frequently and never in the mornings as I will be commuting and working so late. Her mother will be at home but academia is not her strong point and her curriculum is not English. She can teach many more life skills than I and I see the balance coming from meal times together when possible and weekends. We, like most, will just have to make the best of what we have.

mumtolawyer - division and multiplication in reception? yikes! is that usual?

I get home around 6 p.m. Dcs are at after school club - and tend not to do any homework there so on days when they don't have activities, we do homework from getting into house around 6 p.m. and dinner at 7 p.m. During this time I also get the dinner ready - I can start dd on something, chop some veg and then go back to her. SHe is dyslexic so needs a lot of help. ds just needs a bit of nagging to get him on track.
THey both get given homework on a Monday to be handed in on Fridays. On top dd has additional phonics work etc which we try and fit in.
Reading is done in teh mornings before school - which is when ds does dance or guitar practise.
It is hard work but possible.

Im home 6.30 to 7pm .Have nanny till I arrive home so homework starts generally as soon as Im back.Nanny gives dd dinner before I arrive.
DD has homework from school every day and has been same from reception.
Now P3 and its much harder as the assignments are longer and some teachers refuses to allow extentions.
Sunday couple of hours revision or recapping for Monday tests.
Daily homework is supposedly 20 minutes maths and 20 minutes english but time varies depending on difficulty. French 3x per week and science 1 x per week. Find the teachers set homework without considering what the children already have for that day bearing in mind they are 7 so soetimes overloaded.
Thursday night usually revision required for Friday tests.
Manageable providing DD is motivated but hard after a long day if patience required. Find a glass of wine and a sense of humour always helps

reading book at bedtime, set a limit of only 5-6 pages each evening, cos we love books and have too many to fit in, limit to 3 books a night.

sometimes do a bit while we are cooking tea.

spellings and other bits are only once a week, so do them on a sunday.

also we do it between us me and dh. he will do it one week, me the next.
It works well.

ds HAS to be in bed for 7, so we dont dedicate hours upon hours to it yet it all gets done and ds is at an acceptable level of academia.

Sorry, no. DD in Y3! In reception it was reading and poss a little spelling.

We read to them every night, they read to us when they feel like it, and we talk to them. Homework is done at weekends.

they'd do homework at the childminders and if it was hard, they'd wait and go over it with me when I was home

I work 10 mins from home, so i tend to work with my children for forty minutes every morning. Weekends are free ,apart from some reading. One has to find time to help our children, as we cannot rely on schools. My children are doing really well at school and i believe that this is due to parental input.

In reception and year 1 we did a lot of reading at breakfast time. DD was a bit more alert and we managed to fit in 10-15 mins per day. Now 7, she is reading books to herself.

All I can do is to offer reassurance that you will find the time. My DD are now in/leaving Primary Education and I have always worked full-time with childcare support until 6pm every night.
However we managed to do the simple reading tasks in the early years and then homework (mainly at weekends) once we moved to KS2.