The boy is four. He started big school in September. Every night he gets homework.
Hold up there. Homework? For a four year old? Yeah, that’s what I thought. I was lucky (or should that be unlucky?) if I had much in the way of homework at the age of ten. At four? Well, it was all half my class could do not to cry as their mummies left the playground in the morning. Homework was most definitely not in order. It wasn’t until I was about six that I started bringing reading books home. In my day, learning was done in the classroom, not in the home.
Every night the boy brings home a sound sheet. At first they were single letters, he had to trace and then write the letter himself. It was the letter they’d learnt that day in school. Now they’ve gone through all the letters he brings back sheets with two letters combined. He has to blend the letters to create the words. The other night it was book, look, took and so on. Every Tuesday he gets a reading book for the week. They’re still totally beyond his reading level, and are more for us to read to him. This bit I like – it means no power rangers or transformers every night at bedtime! He also gets a word box – about eight words which he has to sound out, blend and practice. Once he’s got them sorted, we sign a form and a new box comes home. Then there’s tricky words – every Friday he gets two more sent. They’re words like the, she and it that can’t be sounded out. He has to learn them off by heart. And there’s the math game – another one every Friday to be played over the weekend and returned.
Mornings are chaos in our house – none of us are good with them. We all get up at 7 and somehow manage to make it through breakfast, showers and getting dressed in time to leave at 8:30. There is no way we would be able to fit homework into that end of the routine. Because Y and I both work, TB gets picked up from school by the YMCA and taken to their after-school club. He gets home somewhere between 6 and 6:30 (usually the latter) and still needs feeding. I get home around 6:30. The chaos begins again. By 7:30 we’re trying to bundle him off to bed and somewhere in the middle of that hour we have to sit down and try and achieve the day’s homework. With a tired boy who’s had enough and really can’t be bothered.
Last night, I sat down with the boy to try his math game. Luckily, he’s very enthusiastic towards them, which at least is half the battle done. The next is getting the adult to read and understand the instructions. Last night’s game involved each person laying down a card from a deck, and the boy having to add up the numbers and shout if they made 10. Naughty me changed the rules and just tried to get him to add the numbers. It was a struggle. I fail to see how it’s constructive to push a four year old into adding numbers of that size in his head. Needless to say, he couldn’t manage it, and we gave up.
Now, forgive me if I’m completely wrong here, but I don’t see that this level of pressure can be a good thing for a kid his age. It’s certainly not good for me, and I’m only the mother. I don’t think I’m the one really suffering here. I wasn’t pushed at the age of four, neither were my sister or my brother. We can all read, add up, play nice. I just don’t see the reasoning behind it. Sure, he’s got to learn – every kid does – but does it have to be at such a rapid pace. Surely they can go slow now and speed up once they’ve got the basics solidly under their belts. Surely at this age they can learn in other ways, without reading or writing and adding up numbers in excess of ten?
So I ask you, have I got it wrong? Is there some vital point that I’m missing here? What was wrong with the way I was taught that things have to be so different for my son? What are your thoughts, your experiences? What really works?
Dunno… I think homework is normal…
kids did use to be introduced to things a lot later when we were kids…
I suposed that’s why they are trying to get the introduced to useful things earlier no?
It was like that with me… and I don;t really regret it… It was good in a way…
UrbanVox says let it snow, let it snow let it… hey… where did it go???
That seems really very very young to be giving h/wk and it also sounds like quite a lot. Do they have any study hall at the YMCA? Guessing that isn’t really applicable for his age – but I also understand what you are saying about your routines etc at night being hampered with his homework having to be done.
Over here 6 yr old get homework but normally with a few nights to complete it…..
mumof4 says Musical Monday
That sounds a lot to me. Belle got homework last year in reception but it was once a week and either some word games or some number work eg number lines etc. This year she gets a lot more. I like that she gets some but I think sometimes it’s too much – especially when they have after school activities too. What do the other mums in your school think? I know that some parents have asked for the weekend to do the homework in at Belle’s school which has helped them a lot…..
I’ve not got kids but it sounds a bit much. I can’t even remember what my nephew had as his family lived away at the time.
I didn’t get homework til high shool, except violin and recorder practice.
The YMCA does have a homework room, but there’s no support with homework and the boy does need someone to sit down and do the work with him for the moment. It’s a shame I have to be at work really, because I think he’d manage it much better if I could pick him up from school and sit with him straight away, before dinner, and just get the work done.
At his age if it isn’t fun then don’t do it, honestly. Tell the school he is too tired at the mo, particularly in the run up to xmas school is bedlam kids are tired. After xmas holls try again. If the school want him to read, read it to him, being read to at his age is so good for him. If the numbers games are too hard, sing the counting to him, get him to join in, the old fashioned way of learning times tables was to chant them, make it a game, number bonds are still being taught in year 2/3 so chill. Talk to the teacher, explain.
I still remember K’s end of term parents evening, Well Mrs HJ, K can’t sit still for more than 5 mins (no really? he’s 4 1/2) he can’t read fluently (no shit sherlock) this is a kiddo who is now around 3 years above his reading age, because we didn’t push him but encouraged him until he was ready.
Ya boo sucks to school at this age.
Don’t be pushed around.
The end ;o)
x bossy c
(who can’t stand pushy teachers but appreciates the good ones)
mrs hojo says Switch
That sounds like a lot to me, definitely more than the government guidelines http://www.parentscentre.gov.uk/educationandlearning/whatchildrenlearn/learningathomeoutsideschool/homework/ (apologies for the long link).
Don’t worry too much about it, at TB’s age having a quiet, gentle evening with his parents is more important than rushing to do excess amounts of homework.
Hannah says In other news…
I am not a supporter of homework for kids under ten. I feel they are tired after a day at school and need time to unwind and play. I read a study recently which indicated homework was not all that beneficial for younger children, that due to fatigue and so on they had trouble concentrating and retaining information. However, many school districts are forced to give homework due to pressure from parents. That is what happened at my son’s school. The irony is that most of these pushy parents have ended up doing their children’s homework for them because the kids are too tired. It’s crazy.
Selma says White Ribbon Day
Wow, I was feeling bad for my daughter. She is in Kindergarten and she is being pressured to know at least 20 of her sight words by the end of December. I say she will know them when she is good and ready. It is not like she will never read, she is just not willing to try to do so YET. The school systems seem to think that is unacceptable.
At age 4 though? That is INSANE!
Mrs. F says You Are A Boob