If you have an ELEMENTARY aged child... School talk?

odusgolp

If you'd be so kind as to tell me, on average, how much homework and what age is your child?

We have a big meeting at our son's school tonight regarding his class. He is eight, 3rd grade, and on average has 1-2 hours of homework per night, plus a minimum of 20 minutes reading per night (that he has to write a summary about and have signed off on by a parent). The homework is generally a bunch of worksheets; always math, then science, "communities," reading comprehension, etc mixed in. Never computer work, art, music, etc...

Being that he's my only child, I have nothing to compare. Is this similar to your child's experience? I would love any input!!! Especially if you're in education...

ShaeDetermined

The common core is killing the kids, parents and teachers.
While I do agree every teacher needs to sign homework nightly, it should not be so taxing.

Icoza87

My child is 7 in 2nd grade. He has 1 two sided page of math homework and 20 minutes reading every night.

ETA: We're in the suburbs of Minneapolis, Minnesota, not sure if regions vary significantly.

spade117

We're supposed to keep track of our kids homework?

BusyRaeNOTBusty

2nd and first graders in my house. They each get a math packet for the entire week. 4 or 5 pages. They probably only spend 20-30min a night on it (if that, but math is the strong subject for both of them, they struggle at reading). Then reading each night for 20 minutes, plus the 2nd grader has to write a sentence on what she read. So probably 40min a night at the most, less some days.

usmcmp

I have one in Kindergarten and one in first grade. They have 10 minutes of reading plus 20 minutes of being read to (We combine them, so they each read to the other for 10 minutes and I read to both of them for 10 minutes). They usually each have sight word study sheets, one has spelling, the other has letter sounds, some sort of math/counting, they both have a timed reading/letter sound sheet each night. Homework takes us about an hour and I combine as much as I can to do it quicker.

Since we don't get home until 6 and dinner isn't done until 6:30, we tend to finish homework at 8. After that is bed time. It's sort of rough on us some days.

kshadows

My son is 6 and in 1st grade. He gets weekly spelling words to practice, 1-2 worksheets per night (30-45 mins), plus is supposed to read 20 minutes per day. It might not seem like a lot but for a family with 2 working parents, I feel like it's excessive for a 6 year old.

spade117

1st grader - 1 math worksheet per night, 1 spelling word packet per week.

4th grader - 1 math packet per week, 20-30 minute rading per day, project based stuff when applicable.

7th grader - roughly 1 hr per night, more if project based, less if work is done during study hall.

14th grader - no idea, she is off at college.

_JustDG_

In my experience it has depended on the teacher. I have kids in 6th, 4th and K, and teach the after school program at their (private) school, and have for 7 years.

The 3rd and 5th grade teachers at our school gives TONS of homework. A big part of my position is making sure all of the kids in our program get their homework done, working with the 3rd graders is not much fun AT ALL.

Also, some of the homework that our kids bring to "After Care" is worksheets that they could have/should have, finished in class, making more homework.

Alisontheice

My child in grade one is supposed to read 10 minutes a night and has a homework book from which he selects 3 items to complete and those are due once a week. So really 10 minutes a night I guess.

MarieRich

I have a first grader and a second grader. They have weekly spelling lists, otherwise there is no homework. On Fridays they bring home a reading packet for the weekend which is one book with a journal for them to write as they choose about the book.

wolfsbayne

I have a 2nd grader and he's 7. He only has 20 minutes of reading every night and to study his sight words and spelling words. It probably takes about an hour to get it all in. I'm in East Texas. I don't think it's too terribly bad. He just hates to do it lol

fitfabforties

I used to teach elementary school.....my opinion is that much homework at that age is too much....there is nothing wrong with a little bit so that children develop good study skills, working independently etc...because you know down the road that the workload is going to increase.....nightly reading is important to reinforce comprehension and build vocabulary....unfortunately it seems that the only homework given is in the core subjects, especially math and language arts....but at the elementary level these skills are so important to grasp because each year builds on the skills learned from the previous year....when I was teaching....the only homework I gave at that age, was to reinforce what was done that day in class....and also a way of showing the parents what we were working on....that way, the parents were involved and any issues or concerns that came up could be addressed early on....at age eight, I would try not to assign any more than half an hour of homework and 15 minutes or so of reading....

tinklemar

I have a 8yo - 2nd grade - we have 60 minutes of reading and 30 minutes of math practice a week. Usually get about 1 worksheet through the week to complete and spelling words with a test on Fridays.

My kindergartner (5) doesn't get homework yet but will get spelling later in the year. We do work with her on recognizing letters/sounds, sight words and numbers.

blink1021

that sounds excessive. My oldest is in the 6th grade and has one sheet of homework on average per night plus his reading. He also has a study hall period too where using his time wisely can complete most and not have to do it at home. When he was in 3rd grade he would usually have a worksheet plus 10 - 20 min of reading per night. Granted sometimes if they do not finish their work in class it too becomes homework.

mitch16

I've heard 20 minutes per night per grade level as a guideline. I have a 9th grader in a highly rated school in the suburbs of Boston who has 3-4 hours per night routinely.

Strange_magic

My kids both get a packet a week. About 4 pages? Typically they take about an hour to complete. That and 20 minutes a night reading.

But I think it does vary because I have heard others complain it is too much. I think for anybody in grade school anything more than 30 minutes is excessive. Unless it's "extra credit"

deluxmary2000

My daughter is 8 and in 3rd grade. She has 2 math sheets every night, but she's fast and they only take her about 10 minutes. She has supplemental math that is optional which can take up to 20 minutes. Then she has to write 12 sentences each night using her spelling words, and read for 15 minutes. I'd say it usually takes about an hour total. If she has a test coming up, we'll spend an additional 15-20 minutes studying if needed.

I think this is a reasonable amount. I've heard that 3rd grade is a big transition year where the amount of work and difficulty increases significantly from earlier grades.

AsaThorsWoman

Mine gets several worksheets (usually math) on Monday that are due by Friday. We usually take an hour or two one night a week (I think it's designed to be done one at a time, but whatever, I knock that junk out) and get it done. She also has reading assignments, but I'm never involved in that, because she can read to herself (5th grade).

Our kids school doesn't give homework over the weekends (I think they finally figured out the whole kids go to dad's house on the weekend thing) and light on the work for weekdays (which I am so thankful for, I work a full time job and am a single parent, it's a miracle if I cook, clean, give everyone a bath, and eat dinner at the table.)

Odus that seems like way too much. You'd literally have to sacrifice food or work to get it done, not worth it.

I know each child has different mileage (some learn faster than others) but it doesn't seem to me that multiple hours nightly should be required.

KelARita7

I have a kindergartner...he only gets a worksheet to do every couple weeks and it takes maybe 15-20 mins to do, interactive. And weekly things to send in...share item for whatever is the theme that day and occasionally something else like wear a certain color.

My daughter is in 5th grade and she almost never has homework. Well she has it but they give her time in school to complete it. We just had parent teacher conferences and the teacher said she is probably the one person who uses that time the best. *proud mom moment! We have encouraged her to take advantage of time given at school so she always has teacher to help if needed.

fitgirlandfoodie

I'm a teacher in Ireland..for an eight year old here the general rule would be 20 mins written homework plus reading/spellings/tables on top of that. However, I am currently tutoring a child outside of school and the homework she is given, for an average child should take 20 mins, but takes us over an hour to complete together.

What might seem achieveable for the teacher, can, for some children and parents, prove much more of a struggle. But 2 hours for an 8 year old? Way too much in my opinion.

craftymommy

That sounds almost exactly like how my daughter's 3rd grade homework was. Worksheets. Reading. Summary with signature.

Now she is in 5th grade and there is similar work plus computer work (they are teaching safety online, navigating and research online, and how to type). No art. Music yes. Music is mandatory for 5th grade (but I've had her in music classes for years now; she loves it and I think arts are good for kids).

silentKayak

That's horrible. I'm in Canada. My kids had essentially no homework (maybe a worksheet once a week or so) until 4th grade except for occasional projects and daily reading (which we would have done anyway). They're given time in class and have to bring home what they don't finish. But even then parents are instructed to stop them after 30 minutes or so for little kids.

My 5th grader now has about 20 mins/day, mostly spelling and math.

My 8th grader has up to an hour a day, plus longer-term projects that take a few hours on the weekends.

As an ex-teacher, I do think tracking your kids' work daily is a good thing. It's the best way for parents to truly engage in what's going on in the classroom and identify problems early. Now that my oldest is in middle school and he's responsible for his own planner, I struggle to get enough information about what's due when. Some kids aren't ready to handle all their own deadlines without support until as late as high school.

Kids your son's age need other activities - physical activities, organized sports, time with friends, art, music lessons, etc. And play! Kids need to play! Plus 10 - 11 hours of sleep every night. The schedule you're describing sounds pretty destructive.

4homer

I have a second grader and he has a math work sheet every night, 20 min of reading, his word review and sometimes social studies or an extra math paper.

odusgolp

Man, this is all over the map! It's really hard to judge. I guess, personally, I'm struggling. I get home with him at about 6pm (he's in after school care until I'm done w/ work at 5:30. He works on homework for 30 minutes there.) At 6, it's an hour for dinner prep and eating - if he's not cooking with me, he's eating some fruit and either starting homework or playing outside.

So, now it's 7:00, we've eaten. Homework time, usually until about 8:00-3:30.

8:30, Bath, Teeth, Jammies...

9:00 Bed, Read for 20.

Here's the problem. WHEN is there time for basketball? Karate? Music Classes? TV Time and play time??? I fell like his life is work and it sucks. I'm not even going to lie, it's just... NOT fun. And shouldn't life be some sort of fun when you're 8 years old?

What if we want to grocery shop, or go out to dinner with the family? Forget it...

We've had to quit karate... no time. I'm a huge advocate for music and sports, but they're not offered at his school (private). Sure, we do basketball on the weekends right now, but games are coming and that's on a school night.

I realize I"m whining *LOL* But where's the school/work/life balance?

latenitelucy

That's a lot. My third grader has a math sheet and 20 minutes of reading every night. Then she has a small spelling packet to be turned in once a week.

ew_david

My son is in 5th grade and he does a lot of it in class, so he only has to read for 30 minutes when he gets home. If he had to do both, I'd say it would be under an hour. Your little man has an excessive amount of homework; wtf are they doing all day that necessitates all that?

nmcrosier

4th Grade
1-2 hours, math, spelling and reading. They do no home work weekends - so I tend to let reading slide if it's not for that week until the weekend. Sometimes it's jus too much.

I agree with odus... there is little room for fun & sports - I now go into work at 7:30 just so I can leave at 3:30, sometimes run to the market, etc. pick him up from after school care usually around 4:30 then rush home allow snack and then homework - dinner - and oh look he got to watch 15 min of Nick

malavika413

My younger sister is in 8th grade and has 4-5 hours of homework a night. I kid you not. The girl is in a gifted program and due to all of her extracurricular commitments, she gets to bed around 11 pm every night--and wakes around 5 AM to get ready for school. It's insanity.

It was less work in elementary school, but she still never had time for much play or free time. Nowadays, if she has half an hour to eat dinner with the family instead of eating it in her room while doing homework, she calls that a relaxing evening.

Miss_1999

I don't know about a 3rd grader? Savannah is in Kindergarten, and we usually have a worksheet or two a night, and go over a packet or two of sight words each night (there are about 70, so we have roughly 7 packs), and then 20 minutes of reading. She reads to me her book, and I read to her. I do know they've stressed the importance of reading, so that's something I do my best to get in. I read to my oldest godson constantly, and he'll be a freshman in high school next year. He's a straight A student, and I'm so proud of him. They are expecting a lot out of kids these days, a lot more than when we were children, but it's definitely good that you are looking for imput from others. Had I not gone through this with my godsons, and my aunt (who is now a retired teacher) showing me and explaining everything that is expected these days, I would be confused and at a loss too as to whether or not this was a lot, or normal, too!

odusgolp

malavika413 wrote: »

My younger sister is in 8th grade and has 4-5 hours of homework a night. I kid you not. The girl is in a gifted program and due to all of her extracurricular commitments, she gets to bed around 11 pm every night--and wakes around 5 AM to get ready for school. It's insanity.

Seriously, that just breaks my heart... We have 45+ years as working adults ahead of us to hate *LOL* Shouldn't kids be having some fun in life still?