Is there a way to help your child with homewrok

gabyjane

Hi thanks for the replys..well dd is 10 sorry thought ide put that..she was ok afterwards and has just put a ? as neither of us were sure on one part! I don't agree with homework at times as yes they work all week and then have more but she was in a good routine and did it straight away and it's now gone out the window, we have had bits going on though so must get back into it..i also don't do her homework for her but i do help if she needs it and i think that was the point..if she asks for help i will if not i let her do it and she is usually ok..annoys me when she gets in these moods though over me trying my best!
Anyway all done now and the teacher can help with the bit we cant do as that's what they are there for..
Thanks again.

James123_2

Talking as an ex-teacher, I've never been comfortable with primary-aged children having formal homework. If a school can't teach them to be numerate and literate in term-time then I think that the school has a problem over its priorities. After all, a primary child has 7 years to master the basics.

Reggie_Rebel

James123 wrote: »

. After all, a primary child has 7 years to master the basics.

Five and a bit once you take all the holidays out

dizziblonde

Ignoring the completely unwarranted comment about holidays (if they're so good - hey come join us).... Unless you have a child like my (very sad) younger brother who used to set his alarm early on a Sunday morning, get up and sit and do his homework at the dining table unprompted - yes he's not exactly normal (also had a spotless bedroom) you're probably best off setting a routine about a time of the day that's homework time and there's no TV or whatever until it's done... whether that's when she comes straight in from school, or just before/after tea depends on your house - but it eliminates the whole "just a minute" lark that I used to be a master of as a child................................. Ultimately though - if she doesn't do it - she's the one who's going to take the consequence at school - whether that's having to do it at break, or not getting a merit/sticker/whatever or what-not... that's the choice she's making. If there's something coming back that a child can't do - a good teacher will mark it on planning to revisit later on or go over the following day as it's probably not just one kid struggling with that bit of work (my plans used to be full of red pen with stuff that had/hadn't been grasped and needed to be revisited etc)................................ Personally I set minimal written homework - when I was working full-time I set spellings, double/halves facts and a times table to be practising and a reading book available rather than piles of worksheets. As a sidenote - the best excuse I ever had for no homework (alongside the usual "my little brother ate it"s) was "Byker Grove are using my bedroom as a location at the moment and when they came to set up one of the camera crew must have moved it" - with the child in question it was actually the truth as well!............................................. Edit: for some reason the forums are eating my paragraphs again - put the excessive full stops in just to try to break up the wall of text while I beat my computer to a messy pulp to get it to co-operate.

Gingham_Ribbon

Don't let it turn into a fight. Give her choices - eg h/w before or after dinner? Do you want to do your Maths first or your English? Help her with rewards - eg depending on her age, pocket money/phone credit/trip to the play park dependent on whether it gets done or not.

If she won't do it, don't argue. Let her go. But make sure she's aware that the result will be less pocket money/no milkshake/whatever.

Try to help her make it fun. Depending on her age, she may want you to sit with her or leave her to it. Try to respect her choice as much as you can.

Above all, and there is NO underestimating this one, boost her self esteem with praise when she's trying. Really 100% better than trying to make her do it.

And remember that it really is a long day for kids when they're at school and usually the last thing they want to do is more work. Lots of schools give far too much homework now. Be sympathetic, but she has to follow the rules for her own good, so make sure she knows it's not optional, but you do understand how much of a frustration it must be for her.

Newly_retired

At primary school age I think the most important thing is reading. I think it is best to establish a pattern, either straight away or after tea. Allow treats afterwards or special rewards for really good attitudes/motivation/speed - whatever.
By secondary level they need to learn to take responsibility for their own learning and the consequences if they don't do homework. A good school will have a homework policy designed to spread out the subjects and allocate fair timings across the week/ years.
Speak to the teacher if you have concerns about the amount or difficulty.

Nenen

James123 wrote: »

Talking as an ex-teacher, I've never been comfortable with primary-aged children having formal homework. If a school can't teach them to be numerate and literate in term-time then I think that the school has a problem over its priorities. After all, a primary child has 7 years to master the basics.

I have no idea how long ago you were teaching but I think you might find that these days it is not the schools or individual teachers who have their priorities wrong, but government policy driving ridiculous changes so that they can appear to be doing something, when in fact they are rearranging deckchairs on the Titanic! Along with all the other interfering bureaucratic nonsense successive governments have introduced (most of it without seeking the opinions of the teachers who actually try to implement their never ending 'initiatives') central government gave recommendations for regular daily homework to be done in primary schools. Most teachers do not want to do this, particularly in areas where many children do not even have a quiet area to work, let alone a table to sit at, as it is counter-productive and discriminatory.

I attended a recent meeting for parents during an OFSTED inspection and the lead inspector told us that homework was invariably the most divisive issue they come across in every school they visit. Apparently, in the same school, parental opinion on homework is often split into thirds - one third saying the children get too much, one third saying about the right amount, and the final third saying too little! You just cannot please everyone on this and until we, as a society, have some sort of rational debate and reach a logical, informed and well researched conclusion this will continue to be a problem.

To the OP... I found the only way for my dd was to adopt the approach that as soon as she got home from school (while she was still fairly geared up for work) she had a quick drink and snack and then had to sit at the table and do her homework. No TV or anything else until it was finished.

Taye

The teachers at my childrens school must hate me.

I have 2 sons 7 and 9 at first i used to help and encourage them to do ther homework but it got stupid, my 5 year old at the time was getting homework every day, im a working single mum i do not have time to help with homework EVERY night.

As a single mum between housework, working, cooking etc i get to spend very very little time with my children. I was getting home from work cooking tea then helping with homework then sending them to bed .. no time for baths no time for spending time with my kids it was utterly insane.

In the end i called a halt to it, now neither of my children do much in the way of homework, the teachers complain and i always have a stage at the begining of the year where i get called into the school to discuss it when the new teacher who feels the need to discuss the situation.

I always explain that my child spends 7 hours in school 4 hours in childcare and that really the last thing he needs at the end of the day is loads of homework. If they can't teach what they need in 7 hours then i think it's they that have the problem .. don't get me wrong i will help me kids to do homework for an hour or so at the weekend so i tend to tell the teachers that if they have anything important to give them to give it at the weekend.

right now it doens't seem to matter that i refuse to allow my children to do homework, and my eldest is at the top of his class and it doens't seem to be doing him any harm.

However i do realise that soon that will have to change especially as my older son go's to senior school and more rides on it.

Most people only work a 7-8 hour day is it really fair to make our children work longer than we do??

Oldernotwiser

James123 wrote: »

Talking as an ex-teacher, I've never been comfortable with primary-aged children having formal homework. If a school can't teach them to be numerate and literate in term-time then I think that the school has a problem over its priorities. After all, a primary child has 7 years to master the basics.

Once upon a time primary education was about more than mastering the basics! Is that really all we expect from 7 years of education?

Oldernotwiser

Gingham_Ribbon wrote: »

And remember that it really is a long day for kids when they're at school and usually the last thing they want to do is more work.

I have to disagee with this, particularly for the older ones. The school day used to be far longer than it is and this is still the case in most of continental Europe.