Totally OT- homework in kindergarten

Lesleycali

So I figured I'd post this here as it is such a vast, diverse group from allover the world. I'd love to hear people's thoughts on this, as well as their experiences.

My 5 year old is in full day kindergarten, so almost 7 hours a day, there is no half day option. He is getting 4 worksheets a night, which sometimes takes 40 minutes. (10 minutes per sheet. The work includes writing letters, writing words, doing counting, simple math, writing numbers etc. ) The school said if your child gets frustrated take a break. If they are still frustrated to stop. When we decided not to do all of it the teacher strongly suggested we do indeed complete 4 sheets a night.

On top of that my son does not have great fine motor skills yet. He can copy letters and knows them by sight but writing is still awkward for him. We are meeting with the teacher next week and she said she will be giving us MORE work to take home to help him.

So we could be looking at an hour of homework. Every night. For a 5 YEAR OLD!!!! This feels really wrong to me. Shouldn't they be digging for worms and making awesome art projects?

What are your kids doing? I would love to know!

Thanks

Jasmineb333

I totally feel your pain. My kindergartner had two projects week one, and has homework every night. I have 4 other kids and I don't think they had nearly as much homework in kindergarten as he does. Maybe schools are just trying to step their game up to prepare them for the future. Good luck girl.

CJisinShape

I am so sorry you have to deal with this. I understand the teacher - your kid, all kids, need reinforcement. The more they do it, the easier it gets. But, I feel for you because the time you want to be bonding with your child, you are having to force him to do what he doesn't want or is unable to do. Can you ask the teacher if his math homework be done verbally (he answers the problem, you write it down), and his writing be done for accuracy and not volume (one perfect letter instead of a whole sheet of sloppy letters)? Explain that you understand and respect her point of view, and that your child has some growing to do with his fine motor skills, and until that growth happens, you'd like some compromise regarding homework.

Best wishes!

SunofaBeach14

My third grader is reading a 200-300 page novel every month. Like it or not, the world is getting more competitive, not less, and the US is falling behind. We can either whine about what kids should be doing or we can push them to be competitive in tomorrow's marketplace. It's totally your call with your kids, but I'm not going to stand idly by and watch my kid lose college placement to students from overseas. Good luck!

deluxmary2000

That sounds a bit excessive considering he has full day kindergarten. My daughter is in 3rd grade now, but she only went to kindergarten for a half day and her homework never took more than 30 minutes.

Lisa1971

My third grader is reading a 200-300 page novel every month. Like it or not, the world is getting more competitive, not less, and the US is falling behind. We can either whine about what kids should be doing or we can push them to be competitive in tomorrow's marketplace. It's totally your call with your kids, but I'm not going to stand idly by and watch my kid lose college placement to students from overseas. Good luck!

QFT!

ilfaith

I have a son in full-day kindergarten. So far his homework hasn't taken more than 15-20 minutes...it's usually a single worksheet...plus the nightly reading (that we try to get in most nights)

PrizePopple

30 minutes of math facts, 20-30 minutes of reading. Last night my youngest (7) had to bring home class work she failed to finish. My eldest also has speech therapy stuff that is assigned, though that is done easily while doing other things. For example this month is to concentrate on the letter sounds she has issues with. One has already done 30 minutes of Khan Academy tonight, and the other is doing a school sponsored site that helps with state standards. My eldest hates to read, my youngest hates math. So it's quite a dramatic drawn out process, but they have to learn it.

HeavierThan_Heaven

I'm in college and it's considered a busy night for me if I have to do more than an hour of homework a night. When I was in kindergarden, I had reading each night and maybe a worksheet.

Lesleycali

My third grader is reading a 200-300 page novel every month. Like it or not, the world is getting more competitive, not less, and the US is falling behind. We can either whine about what kids should be doing or we can push them to be competitive in tomorrow's marketplace. It's totally your call with your kids, but I'm not going to stand idly by and watch my kid lose college placement to students from overseas. Good luck!

Yes, but we also have unprecedented levels of obesity in children. Meanwhile they are cutting recess time and PE. We also have young adults being medicated for depression, anxiety disorders at increasing levels. Some Scandinavian countries do not start schooling until later, and homework much later. I know these are not the countries that our jobs are going to, but it something to consider. I'm not sure how we fit it "all" in to childhood, but when 5 year olds are at a desk all day, and have very limited time to be physical outside when returning home...I think the balance is tipped too heavily towards academics at such an early age.

grubb1019

I am a kindergarten intervention specialist and I say that is too much. The most they should have is a very short reading assignment and/or maybe a worksheet every once in a while. It should never take more than 20 minutes. All that work at home is not doing anything but causing the students to be frustrated and unmotivated, its just too much.

AmyEm3

My Kindergartener goes full day and does not get homework. Sometimes she brings worksheets home for practice and she likes doing them because she watches her older brother and sister do their homework and wants to join in and she thinks it is fun. But it's one sheet maybe 2-3 times per week----and it's not required to be turned in.

My older two kids went to full day K at a different school and they would occasionally get one sheet of required homework but not every night.

SunofaBeach14

My third grader is reading a 200-300 page novel every month. Like it or not, the world is getting more competitive, not less, and the US is falling behind. We can either whine about what kids should be doing or we can push them to be competitive in tomorrow's marketplace. It's totally your call with your kids, but I'm not going to stand idly by and watch my kid lose college placement to students from overseas. Good luck!

Yes, but we also have unprecedented levels of obesity in children. Meanwhile they are cutting recess time and PE. We also have young adults being medicated for depression, anxiety disorders at increasing levels. Some Scandinavian countries do not start schooling until later, and homework much later. I know these are not the countries that our jobs are going to, but it something to consider. I'm not sure how we fit it "all" in to childhood, but when 5 year olds are at a desk all day, and have very limited time to be physical outside when returning home...I think the balance is tipped too heavily towards academics at such an early age.

Hmmm, another example of binary thinking on MFP, i.e. it's academics or physical activity. There is plenty of time for both, and my children are proof of it. As I said, it's a competitive world out there, and it's best to prepare one's children for it.

ilenewilliams

Homework is a nightmare. My son in Kindergarten had to be read to or read 25 minutes per night, one math worksheet, one spelling sheet, one vocabulary sheet (you look at the word and circle what it means) and this all took at least an hour per night. Thankfully they would give the entire weeks worth at once, get it Monday turn it in Monday, on really good days he could do more leaving only the reading minutes for a few days per week and on bad days, we would leave it for the weekend.

SunofaBeach14

Homework is a nightmare. My son in Kindergarten had to be read to or read 25 minutes per night, one math worksheet, one spelling sheet, one vocabulary sheet (you look at the word and circle what it means) and this all took at least an hour per night. Thankfully they would give the entire weeks worth at once, get it Monday turn it in Monday, on really good days he could do more leaving only the reading minutes for a few days per week and on bad days, we would leave it for the weekend.

OMG! An hour each night. Among playing with blocks, video games, and watching TV, how can a child be expected to do homework?! How much time do all the parents here spend on MFP and social media each day? I goof off regularly and still find time to check my kids' homework, and to be honest, my wife does much more than I do.

Alluminati

One hour devoted to studying/ homework is not bad at all. Inconvenient perhaps, but not bad. Kids learn by practice and memorization. If activity is an issue, don't you have time at home to devote to physical activities as well?

ninerbuff

Homework in the US is nothing compared to how they study in Asian countries. When I was last in the Philippines in 2010, my neice who was in kindergarten was already learning basic addition/subtraction with double digits.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

Lesleycali

My third grader is reading a 200-300 page novel every month. Like it or not, the world is getting more competitive, not less, and the US is falling behind. We can either whine about what kids should be doing or we can push them to be competitive in tomorrow's marketplace. It's totally your call with your kids, but I'm not going to stand idly by and watch my kid lose college placement to students from overseas. Good luck!

Yes, but we also have unprecedented levels of obesity in children. Meanwhile they are cutting recess time and PE. We also have young adults being medicated for depression, anxiety disorders at increasing levels. Some Scandinavian countries do not start schooling until later, and homework much later. I know these are not the countries that our jobs are going to, but it something to consider. I'm not sure how we fit it "all" in to childhood, but when 5 year olds are at a desk all day, and have very limited time to be physical outside when returning home...I think the balance is tipped too heavily towards academics at such an early age.

Hmmm, another example of binary thinking on MFP, i.e. it's academics or physical activity. There is plenty of time for both, and my children are proof of it. As I said, it's a competitive world out there, and it's best to prepare one's children for it.

Well I appreciate your point of view. It is a different perspective than that I have taken, so far. This introduction to public school is a chance for me to grow in my thinking (as well as my son!)

I live in a very outside the box, liberal, creative community in LA. Although our public charter school is ranked among the highest in Southern California, most of my neighbors either homeschool or send their children to very untraditional, loosely structured private schools. So it is good to hear a counterpoint to what I usually hear discussed.

SunofaBeach14

My third grader is reading a 200-300 page novel every month. Like it or not, the world is getting more competitive, not less, and the US is falling behind. We can either whine about what kids should be doing or we can push them to be competitive in tomorrow's marketplace. It's totally your call with your kids, but I'm not going to stand idly by and watch my kid lose college placement to students from overseas. Good luck!

Yes, but we also have unprecedented levels of obesity in children. Meanwhile they are cutting recess time and PE. We also have young adults being medicated for depression, anxiety disorders at increasing levels. Some Scandinavian countries do not start schooling until later, and homework much later. I know these are not the countries that our jobs are going to, but it something to consider. I'm not sure how we fit it "all" in to childhood, but when 5 year olds are at a desk all day, and have very limited time to be physical outside when returning home...I think the balance is tipped too heavily towards academics at such an early age.

Hmmm, another example of binary thinking on MFP, i.e. it's academics or physical activity. There is plenty of time for both, and my children are proof of it. As I said, it's a competitive world out there, and it's best to prepare one's children for it.

Well I appreciate your point of view. It is a different perspective than that I have taken, so far. This introduction to public school is a chance for me to grow in my thinking (as well as my son!)

I live in a very outside the box, liberal, creative community in LA. Although our public charter school is ranked among the highest in Southern California, most of my neighbors either homeschool or send their children to very untraditional, loosely structured private schools. So it is good to hear a counterpoint to what I usually hear discussed.

My oldest started school in a financial center, exclusive private school that cost more per year than I paid for private graduate school. I now have her in a public magnet school because I want her to have an appreciation for life. I have to be honest that it's taking some time for me to get accustomed to hearing about how overworked these poor children are when they're expected to actually do academic work. I find it a bit laughable. I guess we do need starving actors though.

Alluminati

Homework in the US is nothing compared to how they study in Asian countries. When I was last in the Philippines in 2010, my neice who was in kindergarten was already learning basic addition/subtraction with double digits.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

This year I'm learning WITH my first grader this.....Singapore math. I'm a dumbhead in math as it is, so yeah.
How am I gonna help her with homework?:blushing:

zcb94

I'm in college and it's considered a busy night for me if I have to do more than an hour of homework a night. When I was in kindergarden, I had reading each night and maybe a worksheet.

My sentiments exactly! I have those "busy nights" constantly while in college.