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Having been there, done that with my eldest two, it came as no surprise that my four-year old would be coming home with homework so soon. The first time around, with my eldest, it all felt like too much too young but I don’t think I was ever brave enough to question it. I just accepted that that’s how things were.
But do you know what, it is all just too much, too young and I can’t help but think that homework is given just for the sake of it.
I honestly don’t think that children learn by sitting at a table with a worksheet shoved under their nose. I also begrudge the moaning and cajoling that comes with it too. Precious family time being eaten away by trying to force a small child to complete their homework is no fun for anyone. And I can’t help but think that the whole forced nature of sitting down to do such formal homework is enough to put them off for life too!
My eldest two are now at high school and I can see the benefits of homework the older they get but not in primary school! For their whole primary school careers, they hated homework. And I hated forcing them to do it. They would spend longer moaning about having the homework to do, than they actually spent doing the homework! And now that they are in high school, they still hate it – of course! But they do just seem to get on with it. Although I do think that the threat of detentions if they don’t hand in homework on time has helped to be quite honest!
What I really don’t like though is the inference that I wouldn’t teach my children if the school weren’t there to tell me to do it. There is so much that can be learnt in a natural way, rather than the formalities that homework force upon us. I like to think that we learn through life. Or am I turning all hippy mummy?!
To me, looking for words on the back of a cereal box is much more fun than having a boring old list of keywords forced upon you. Counting as far as you can, then back again is a great way to pass a car journey. As is looking out for blue, red or yellow cars. Sorting your blocks into piles of colours then counting how many you can make into a tower before they all fall down, now that sounds like fun. Learning should be something that just happens along the way, don’t you think?
Forming letters in the sand, counting the conkers that you have collected, that is where the learning, and the fun, is at when you are four. I read with my children every single day, I don’t need somebody to tell me to do that! It is an insult to suggest that as a parent, I wouldn’t want to spend that time with my children.
When I was growing up, it wasn’t an issue as I didn’t get any homework in primary school. End of. And do you know what? I think they were right back then. There just seems to be so much pressure surrounding our children’s education these days and I just don’t know where it has come from? Why the need to push and push? Why the rush? Many European children aren’t even in full-time education at aged four – let alone getting homework!
Am I just being selfish? Wanting to spend my time how I like with my children? Teaching them in my way? Hey, our school is great, I honestly can’t praise the teachers enough and they really do a great job but I wouldn’t dream of telling them how to do their jobs – clearly, I am not even nearly qualified to be able to! So on the same note, I don’t expect to be told how I must teach my children at home. So as much as I want to support my children through school, does that have to be through homework?
I just don’t understand why it is necessary to be quite honest.
I heard Kirstie Allsop saying almost exactly the same on Radio 4′s Woman’s Hour (I think it was last week, but I podcast it so I’m not sure!) There are so many ways for small children to learn that it’s such a shame and a waste of everyone’s time to shove a worksheet under their noses. I don’t see why schools can’t give a an activity such as counting cars on the way to school or planting a seed in a pot and measuring it as it grows as homework? Surely it would be better for everyone that way?
For me at least, when they are so little learning seems to be best when it comes more naturally,for sure x
After a particularly gruelling homework session with my 5-year-old, he voluntarily drew and cut out a white flag, then lay on the floor waving it. I was tempted to join him.
Oh bless him!!
hear hear,
they are babies, let them play – grown up stuff comes too soon anyways
http://www.northernmum.wordpress.com
Definitely! I think with having two older ones too, it makes me realise even more with my youngest two, just how quickly they do grow up x
If a child is to be given homework, then I think there should be time built into the schedule to cater for it.
When you study a full-time college coursen you’re only actually in class three days a week, the rest of the time is given over to studying.
That’s very true!
I completely agree. I just posted about the same thing. I also object to being forced to help most days. It’s like they’re giving me homework as well.
I’m with you – it definitely feels like homework for parents too!
I completely agree. Back in the day when I was at school we didn’t get any homework until we were about 11 – although we did of course have reading books to take home. I think that worked perfectly well. I always did ‘learning’ activities at home with my parents which were fun. I wish it could still be like that. My daughter has only just turned two but we already do lots things which would be considered educational but are also inspiring and fun. What ever happened to a young carefree childhood?
I wonder when they did actually start to give homework at primary school? My eldest two are eleven and twelve and they got homework from being four. But I wonder why homework ever started to be given at primary school? Like you say, we only used to be given reading books at that age – not actual homework like they are now.
I was a HUGE homework hater – hated them bringing it home, hated it taking time away from family time, hated them being tired and grumpy and sulking their way through things they obviously didn’t want to do.
BUT
Now I am a little bit of a homework convert… our school did a series of parenting classes covering numeracy, literacy etc and describing how they teach the children in school and how you can help them at home and I have to say it has completely changed how I viewed it! And since my attitude has changed towards it as has theirs! We break it down, we don’t over focus and we do it often as we are doing something else rather than sitting down ‘studying’ and I have to say they have progressed fantastically which I can only think is a result of the extra effort we put in at home.
The question of whether or not you should have to put in extra effort at home or whether it should all be covered in school I suppose is another issue – but for us refreshing and backing up their learning at home is helping tremendously and now I think they even enjoy it!
Oh my goodness – I so wasn’t expecting this comment from you but how very interesting! Thank you so much for that x
I’m fascinated to hear about your turnaround. If you have a moment, can you pop over and leave a comment on my homework post? (If you don’t mind, of course!)
As a teacher, I guess I’d be wrong to say I think homework is a waste of time! I work in a secondary school and I found homework tasks were the most effective way of truly assessing an individual’s understanding of what we were learning about in the lesson. As some always managed to hide away when there are 32 of them together and this can’t happen with homework. I guess the same could be applied to primary school, although I can imagine that primary school homework may be more of an assessment of the parent’s understanding of the lesson in some cases!
That said, I have stopped giving my students homework this year. The course I am teaching has changed and is far more practical rather than written. I teach music, so asking students to provide a written, hour long assignment isn’t an extension to their learning, it’s getting them to do something so I can tick a box to say I’m following school policy. Instead, I use the ‘time’ they should have spent on homework to get them involved in performing opportunities, such as the Christmas show, Carol Service, even busking in the local town centre for charity as I feel this is a natural extension to their learning. Most students support this, although there’s a few that resent being under school supervision for this time rather than writing an essay in front of Eastenders, but you can’t please everyone!
So there, sorry bit of an essay, but I do think homework’s a good thing, as long as it’s for the right reasons!
Thank you – I really appreciate this comment coming from you with your teacher’s hat on!
I have to say, I’m really not sure that four year olds ‘need’ to do homework, but I do think that some good things potentially can come out of it.
Firstly, arguably it forces parents to take an interest in the their child’s education from a young age. Now I’d love to think that all parents were really interested in how their child’s education was progressing, but I’m not sure that’s really true.
It also sounds to me like you’re really fantastic at creating learning opportunities at home – however, I’d hazard a guess that not all parents are. At least by giving homework the schools are perhaps planting the seed (as it were) that learning isn’t just something that happens at school; and as such the schools are actively encouraging parents to become involved at home.
Does that stop it from being a pain? Sadly not. I also totally feel your pain – I’m sure your way of learning is much more fun. I guess I’m saying I think I can see both sides!
Really thought-provoking post x
Thanks for the comment! I have to admit, it is nice to be able to see what they are learning about. I think school becomes such a huge chunk of their lives and it is nice to know what they are actually doing all day and share that part of their life. I think it’s fairly typical for children to say that they have done ‘nothing’ today so yes, at least homework means we get to see what they are actually learning! x
Interesting to see the other side of it. We do both the spontaneous learning and the formal learning and love both, but I’m seeing today that it’s not always as easy as all that. I am interested to see Whimsical Wife’s comment about having been turned around after some classes and tips on ways to tackle homework. I wonder if that would help more people to have a better homework experience.
I loved hearing your thoughts on this over on your blog and it was really interesting to hear about how much you and your daughter love homework – such a direct contrast to me!
And I agree, Whimsical Wife’s comment really is fascinating. It just goes to show that the communication between her school and the parents has really turned around how they now feel about homework. And to be converted from absolutely hating it to actually enjoying it – is really quite something!
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Hello to you all. I personally feel homework should be abolished until the age of 10, then just simple pieces to get them into the spirit ready for the high school.
Both my 13 year old daughter and 8 year old son dislike homework. They do it, as a family thing at the big old table, whilst eating favourite treats to make the whole experience slightly better. Homework always gets done as you quite simply don’t want your child to be ‘left behind’, but I don’t on the same hand think it advances them either.
We as a family, missed trips to the beach/park after school this year, simply because of ‘too much homework to do’. I feel sure the outdoor activity would have been alot more beneficial mentally as well as health wise (as we are all told frequently, our kids don’t get enough exercise these days!)
Yes, squash out homework and let the little mites be little mites. They have to grow up so quick in high school anyway!