Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Homework - Asking for Advice

When Sweet Pea started Kindergarten she only had a tiny bit of homework every week.  She had to read or be read to for 5-10 minutes every night and had a worksheet to do once a week.  That worksheet always came on the same day so it was easy to remember that that was homework night.

As she's gotten older she's had more and more homework, and now that she's in 3rd grade, it seems to have bumped up considerably.  It's also random throughout the week based on what she wasn't able to finish in class.  She also has chores to keep up on at home, which aren't too time consuming but add up.  And we like to hang out with her as well, and she likes to go to friends' houses.

Homework is getting harder to keep up on.... and I know it's only going to get worse.

Until now we have agreed that after a full day of school, the kids deserve a break away from school stuff to relax at home for a little while before jumping back into it.  The problem arises when that break goes too long and nobody remembers that there is homework to be done.  We thought that after dinner would be a good time to remember to get it done, but it isn't working because fun things tend to come up after dinner causing her to either rush through it or forget all about it.  By the end of the day we're exhausted too and it can be hard to remember to get her on her homework.

So in order for her to get her homework done and out of the way so she can do other fun things that may come up later in the evening, she's going to have to get her homework done first thing after school.  I'm not happy about it, because I think she needs a break, but doing at other times doesn't seem to work right now.  Maybe as she matures and becomes more responsible and can focus on her work better?

My Question to all parents with school-agers, especially if they are older and you've been through this stuff before:  How do you handle homework?  I need some advice on homework policies and what works for other people.

Comments (8)

Loading... Logging you in...
  • Logged in as
My boys are only in 1st grade and so far don't have much homework but we do it right after they get home because, at least in my house, once i give them free time I'll never get them back. Chores at our house are done before they leave for school that way they aren't bombarded with everything at once even though it means getting up a little earlier.

curious to see what works for you because I know homework here will only get worse too.
I remember the bus ride home taking so long it was like a break in and of itself. A break after school doesn't have to be super long...enough time for a quick snack and letting you know how her day went? I don't know. Even when I hit grad school I preferred doing my daily work right when I got home so I could feel free to have my fun once it was done. Then again, I was a big fan of schoolwork, so that might just be because I'm weird. I wish you luck! I'm curious to see what ya'll decide to do! (Did Sweet Pea have any input regarding her preferences?)
Would doing it before dinner work? Or at least starting it before dinner work? My Dad didn't ever get home until 6:30, which was when we ate. More than enough time for me to normally get some homework done.
Since you are home when she gets home I would try 30 minute break (like recess) and then get into it prior to dinner, finishing after if still need more time.
The homework thing was always tough to get the time in and now days there are more distracitons than just the tv. What does she want. Before school would not work because it is too much rush and she may not get it done. She could use a study place. Maybe the round counter in kitchen could be set up for her to have her own space. Good luck with what you decide
I've had all the same internal arguments you are having and ended up at the same place - right after school works best. Give her a snack to munch on while she does it and just remember: in life, it's always best to do what we HAVE to do before we do what we WANT to do,.
I like Mindee's montra, and agree
Thanks everyone for you input! Day one she did her homework right when she got home, and it was all done so she could enjoy her night. Day two she brought home her crayfish from school so that was too much of an exciting distraction to dive right into homework... which meant we all forgot about homework and she had to do it Friday morning. Day three she didn't have homework. I'm liking the idea of a little snack while she does her homework right when she gets home. We'll see how that works!
I don't have kids yet - but when my sister and I were growing up, We got into the habit of doing our homework right away after school. We usually walked home or caught a ride home, and as someone above said, that was a small break in itself. The lessons were also fresher the shorter the time inbetween school and the homework. It was probably also a nice incentive to start and finish homework before fun could be had - that way it taught us to get business taken care of first and then fun can come a little later and you can fully enjoy it. Good luck!

Post a new comment

Comments by

Related Posts with Thumbnails