Should I make my kids do homework?

Question

Okay. Here it is. I have two children in school ages 5 and a half and 8 next month. Should I go above and beyond what the teacher normally gives and make my child do at least an extra 45 minutes of work EACH day (this includes weekends and holidays) or is a normal school day enough? My problem is my son's bio daddy makes him work weekends/holidays and I think it is wearing down the boy. Yes I've told him how I feel. So what does the general PARENTING populis think? Yea, or nay on working 30 to 60 minutes on weekends, including Sundays and Friday nights.

Answer 1

It is just my opinion but just make sure they do the minimum recommended by the teacher and reward them for extra work beyond that. You are only a kid once. They will plenty of homework to worry about later!

Answer 2

45 minutes extra a day 7 days a week for children that age is way too much. Children AND adults need some relax and play time. Sunday through Thursday is plenty, they need to get away from schoolwork just like we need to get away from our work. For the little ones, 15 minutes is plenty. For a ten year old, if they are doing an hour of homework a night, you might add 30 minutes. Anything over 2 hours is too much.

Answer 3

Let them be kids and enjoy their childhood.At the age of 5 my daughter was not getting homrwork apart from reading and spelling tests.Sure ensure the children do the work set by the teacher.Anormal school day is enough for their brains.They need to run around and let loose for a while.All most kids want is to spend quality time with their parents not be slaves to homework and other things.

Answer 4

If I'm reading your question right, you are not asking if your kids should do homework but rather if they should do EXTRA work beyond their assigned homework.

My answer is no, absolutely not. The quickest way to make a child hate learning is to force him or her to do things before they are developmentally ready. 8 year-olds and 5 year-olds are NOT developmentally ready to sit and do homework for 45 minutes. As someone else said, the rule of thumb is 10 minutes for 1st grade, 20 for second, and so on. Asking a child to work 30 to 60 minutes beyond the regular expectation is not realistic.

My recommendation for additional learning time is to read to your children and listen to them read to you. This would be a good time to bond and snuggle with your children. You could also have your older son read to the younger child. It will help your children develop their reading skills and give you quality time with them at the same time. It will also create fond memories for you and your children when they are grown.

Regarding your difference of opinion with your ex, perhaps you could schedule a parent conference that you both could attend? This would allow him to discuss his concerns with the teacher and get the same feedback you have given him from a non-threatening source.

Answer 5

There's nothing wrong with studying. It will keep your kid interested in school, and shows him that you think his education is important. Children need to be challenged or they get in trouble. But the thing is, you need to make it fun. After kids have been in school all day, they are tired of sitting still and reading books. If it's a nice day, I take my son outside and we do math problems with chalk on the sidewalk. We play games such as shutes and ladders, but we add a bit too it like making a rule that you have to answer a flashcard before you pick up a card. There's lots of ways you can do this. Just be creative, and remember - helping your child learn is the BEST thing you can do for him...next to giving him lots of love. Good luck!

Answer 6

School these day are a year behind compared to 20 years ago. Additional homework is not going to hurt them if you motivate them correctly. Some kids find it like a game and look for it. If you approach it as a burden they will think it's burden and will not enjoy it.

For me the more dumb people society produces the better chances for my kids to compete for the best jobs in this world.

Answer 7

Definitely make them do homework. I know kids hate homework but if they want to get into an ivy league college then they need to do their homework. Simple.

Answer 8

I work for a school district. I know teachers typically try to follow a formula. First grade: 10 minutes. Second grade: 20 minutes. Third grade: 30 minutes, etc.

It might seem short, but it is developmentally based. If you want to make sure they continue to make progress or maintain skills learned then ask your teacher to recommend games, puzzles, computer games, etc. that might allow them to generalize skills learned.

It is important to remember that kids have individual learning styles. If your son's dad is forcing him to learn with worksheets that are unintersting or don't aim at his style of learning then it might really wear him down. He should make sure to provide activities that can be fun. Math with football or cooking....writing with pen pals or letters to favorite sports stars, etc.

It's a lot of work. Is your son's dad doing this to further his education or is he doing it as a way to keep the boy involved in something and out of his hair.

Yes...you need to make your kids do homework....but don't make it painful!!

Good luck to you and your kids....

Answer 9

No you should make him keep all of his school work turned in and if he wants to do more then let him. If u make him do homework all the time he will hate to do the homework he really need to do and his grades will start to drop.

Answer 10

I think its great that your involved in your kids school, most parents are not involved enough id play it by ear id try 25 minutes of extra and if that is not enough add more or if too much take some away also consult with their teacher and find out if it is improving there grades and such but great idea and i can tell your a good parent