How much homework do you think is appropriate for children of various ages?

1. 81

   Stina Caxeposted 11 years ago

   How much homework do you think is appropriate for children of various ages?

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2. 79

   DreamerMegposted 11 years ago

   Most schools provide information for parents on this. (If they don't, they should - you can ask.)
   For very young children, in nursery or reception classes, it may not be appropriate to have "homework". Some schools ask parents to do reading with their children at these ages but this is generally learning 1 word and encouraging the child to talk about what is happening in the picture. This might take 5 or 10 minutes and should be fun for both parties.
   As children get older, more time can be spent on homework. For a child of 6 or 7, probably a maximum of 20 minutes. If they haven't finished their homework then, there is no point in both parties getting upset. Put the homework away. Either they don't understand or they don't want to do the homework. If it's lack of understanding, try to find a fun way of helping them to understand. You may also want to talk to the child's teacher. If it's "not wanting", then you will need to find ways of motivating your child into doing the homework.
   A child of 10 or 11 years of age can do up to 1 hour of homework a night but really, this should be a maximum, unless they are studying for exams over a short period. A young person of 16 years could do up to 3 hours of homework a night, though most probably don't.

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3. 81

   Seafarer Mamaposted 11 years ago

   I have an M.Ed. in elementary education, and for the primary grades, I don't think that homework is useful. I home-school my daughter because I could not justify making her do homework after a full day of school. Since recess time has been whittled down to practically nothing, she needs time to go out and play, because students don't get enough physical exercise as they used to during the school day.
   
   I very much believe that physical exercise and free play time are very important for the proper development of children. I believe that he mind and body are connected that way.

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4. 83

   Mrs Jil Manningposted 11 years ago

   None. Homework can be extremely damaging to the child's relationship to their parents if school work is something that doesn't come naturally to the child or parents.  We all need to slow down, appreciate each other more and be a whole lot less competitive and more co-operative. There is more to life than school. (You can probably guess from my answer that I'm a little biased, because school was a very hard time for me, and I hated that I had to bring it all home with me and do another day until I went to bed)

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