Parents Home and gymnastics

[Faith]

DD actually gets quite a bit of maths practice working out DD values.... She has an abbreviated table of difficulty and works out what skills she'd need for what starting DD..

 

[Committed]

If she is struggling a bit with maths, some of the old methods really work. There is a proven link between activity, music and memory, so singing the tables and clapping out a rhythm can really help them stick. Even as I type this my foot is twitching and my brain is doing the 7 times table - I know saddo

That's exactly how I taught my oldest her times tables. Some of them are made up, but I know the x4s are to "Row Your Boat"! Like the PPs have said, I use the car ride for quick learning activities. However, that can be difficult for a visual learner. Perhaps you could have her load up videos on the car ride and watch School House Rock (my middle schooler students love them) or other videos to help with lessons such as times tables, prepositions, etc.

I also agree that speaking with her teacher about math extension work maybe the better choice than piling on the work. Luckily, DD still gets homework packets (Monday-Friday), so I have her do the work on her non-gym days. It will be a struggle when she gets daily homework (along with a more intense gym schedule).

 

[Iwannabemargo]

there you are - real life problems. I used to get Step-daughter to write out the shopping list, then read it out at the supermarket and add up the prices ( in a small shop), or work out what was the best bargain in multi-buys

 

[auswi]

Any tips?
Including gymnastics, dd1 does 8hrs extra curricular stuff (plus commutes) a week (which I know isn't loads compared to a lot of people) but as she's getting older her homework is increasing.
Also her homework isn't focusing on the areas I'd like, so I'm trying to get her to do extra maths, but it's all pretty jam packed. What do you do?

Hi Rapunzel, dd's schedule is jam packed how we manage is to prioritise - and for our family number 1 is for dd to feel relaxed, happy and enjoying her childhood ( it might seem obvious but so important when she's training 24 hours a week, plus travel, plus homework plus several other leisure activities which are not overload for dd but fun) so the first thing I do is have a meeting with her teacher/s and explain her situation. So far this has been really successful- she has moderated homework which she has a week to complete and we do some as we travel. She's doing really well at school, she has become way more disciplined as a result of her gym. Her maths used to be behind but in some of her down time she plays the educational maths game recommended by her school and this has really helped, probably combined with all the cross body exercise she's doing

 

[wgymmom]

We homeschool.

 

[Ex member]

My oldest dd (10) is in year 6, they don't get a lot of homework at the moment. Dd only does 3 1/2 hours a week at them moment so plenty of time for homework, but that is changing from next week when her hours increase to 6 a week, homework will have to be done on Friday or Sunday (if no competition that weekend) ready to be handed in on a Monday.

Youngest dd(7) is in year 3 and gets homework Friday night which needs I be handed in on The following Friday, her homework gets done the same time as her oldest sister as she is busy Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday with Gymnastics and Dancing. Dd will also start competing towards the end of the year so some Sundays may be out.

For some reason youngest dd gets more homework than oldest dd. Youngest dd also gets gym homework once a fortnight (conditioning) and oldest dd's coach is also planning on having them do conditioning homework.

 

[Noideaaboutgym]

DD (age 8 in Year 4) gets 2 lots of homework, maths comes home Monday has to be handed in Thurs, literacy home Thurs in Monday, plus spellings sent home Friday tested every Friday. This is the 3rd school year of this system, each school year the day she completed her homework depended on training days/times, however we utilise time sat outside gym before it starts along with before school and after school. Sometimes one piece of homework will take 3-4 hours which is unreasonable IMO and so I write in the homework diary, I now limit her total time spent to 2 hours on a subject per week and write in her book how long she has spent and that she had been told to stop. In previous school years I have had to remind her to do her homework however this year has been a turn around, she has decided she wants it done as soon as possible after it is set so she doesn't have to worry about it!!! LOL, I am impressed with her mindset. She does 10 hours of gym plus 3 sessions of her other sport and is transported with us to her brothers swimming lession and has childcare sessions in a gym for 2 of his other classes.

I don't like kids having homework and DD didn't have any until Y2 (other than spellings and reading book), DS has gone into Y1 and now has 2 reading books per week Mon for Fri and Fri for Mon, spellings, literacy and maths. This weekend it felt like he was doing homework all of his free time and it seems so wrong at the age of 5. He does 4 sports sessions per week 1.5 hours each plus swimming lessons.

Time management is something I am becoming a master of as I also fit in work, school runs and my own sports! Ustilising before school and car journeys is essential.

 

[Flossyduck]

I'm another one who questions the value of homework at primary age. We try and do things as a family, which my kids learn from - occasional museums and theatre trips and just taking time to explain the news and so on. And they like to write stories and read books and make stuff with junk and build dens in the garden. They're both doing well at school and the teachers are very supportive of dd's commitments.

Both of them get homework handed out one week, to hand in the next - usually Thursday for Tuesday. They get spellings, times tables and a maths sheet. dd (year 5) also gets topic work and English comprehension. dd trains 5 sessions a week. ds's gym overlaps, but he also does swimming and two school clubs. I have two jobs and often have to work weekends.

We look at homework as soon as it comes home. We break it down and agree which days they should do what. That helps to plan it, but also avoids some arguments as they know they've agreed to it. Some is done before gym, some on Saturdays and Sundays. Tables and spellings in the car, but luckily they're both strong on these.

I have no problem writing a note or chatting with the teacher when dd has had a particularly hectic week and needs a break. And another thing I do is to reduce the repetition. Last week for example she had maths, with three lots of 20 questions. I reckoned she'd demonstrated that she understood the process by doing 10 of each not 20.

 

[Rapunzel]

Some great ideas, thank-you. Sitting down on a Friday and making a plan sounds like a good idea, definitely useful life skill to learn and will hopefully alleviate the Sunday afternoon panic (& tantrums, from me, not her!)
We definitely need to be more organised!

 

[Iwannabemargo]

@Noideaaboutgym 3-4 hours of homework at year 4 is plain ridiculous !

My boys at secondary didn't get that ! the most mine have ever spent on homework at primary is 30 minutes, well that's 30 minutes of actually doing it, not the moaning plus setting up - putting away time. I don't include spelling and tables in that as we do them in the car.

Are these normal state schools ? Blimey

 

[Rapunzel]

Yep, standard state school here.

 

[Noideaaboutgym]

We are voluntary aided state school, although I don't think that makes any difference.
The 3-4 hours isn't every week, I would say normally it is 45-60 mins of maths and the same of literacy, just every so often there is a blow out and one of the set pieces is enormous. After the first couple of times this happened (in Y2) I decided on the 2 hour per subject max rule. I may need to set a lower limit for DS if I think it gets excessive.
In Y3 for the first half term she hardly got homework which I was pleased about however other parents complained about the lack of homework and it started back with a vengeance.
I agree with previous posters that homework in primary should be about finding things out with family/by yourself rather than rigid pieces. Mine get a lot more out of a foraging/baking day and learn about how food grows, nature, weighing, measuring.... (sorry I'll get off my soap box )

 

[Rapunzel]

It varies from teacher to teacher, year to year. Last year it was 15mins/week. This weeks does seem particularly large, maybe the teacher is seeing what she can get out of them.

 

[Gymbee06]

My dd year 3 aged gets 3 pieces a week usually a sheet of maths English and handwriting plus reading she has spelling test on a fri but had never brought any spellings home to learn. The homework is given on a fro to be in the following Wednesday she does it in the car on the way home all of a 5 minute journey she gets so excited by it and can't wait until we get home to do it lol. She would like more she usually has English maths science workbooks I buy as well as word search books she never stops! My other dd 12 year 8 never has any home except maybe once a month which is look up theses words writs 3 sentences of something she's in secondary and she had more homework in her last year of primary than she's ever had at this school she is the one I had to force to do homework but she's started asking the school for more homework lol

 

[xrachx]

DD has just moved up into Year 7 and she's now getting at least 2 pieces of homework a day. Luckily, her school runs an afternoon prep session, so when she finishes lessons at 3.45, she goes straight to prep and does her homework there until I pick her up at 5/6pm (depending on the day).

Seems to be working fairly well, except Monday when she leaves at 4pm to do 2hrs of trampolining, so she ends up working after dinner...

 

[Jenny]

Oh I like the idea of a prep session. But overall I see no reason for kids to bring things home really. Not that much. Spellings reading and times tables in Primary. Topic work and finishing off in High school.

 

[Faith]

Friend of ours in a local secondary apparently has 1.5 hours each night in year 7. Poor kid has had to give up all her extra-curricular activities, it's school, then homework (mum isn't a fan of sport, thinks you should focus on school).

I love the idea of a prep session- some of the teachers in my secondary would do lunchtime clubs where you could take a sandwich and do your homework, and be on hand to help. Unfortunately we have to be at the gym by 4.30 so after school wouldn't be any use to us.

I would consider asking school to excuse her from PE if she did start struggling, so she could sit and do homework then.

 

[Iwannabemargo]

I know its common to skip PE in the states, but (down here at least) I was under the impression its one of the few things required by law under the education act ? Maybe my knowledge is out of date but when I did the first year of BEd way back when the only things required by law were RE and PE

 

[Faith]

I have no idea She just hates it and would rather be doing something else!

 

[Anna's_Mom]

I'm guessing from the "year X" comments that this is not in the United States. But I think what we do is probably helpful anyway. My daughter is in middle school (so, 6th grade, not sure how that translates for you). She has some nightly assignments (given in class, due the next day), some weekly assignments (given on Friday, due the following Friday) and some long-term assignments that take 3-4 weeks to complete. She trains 10 hours a week for gymnastics, performs musical theater periodically and sings in the school choir. We all participate in church activities. Both of us work full-time and I have a high-school aged son who also has a sport and music. Looking at that -- no wonder I'm always tired!

For us, organization and motivation are key. We have set times for homework - though it varies by day of the week due to activity schedule. We make a plan each Friday for the following week (Friday rather than Monday since some stuff must get done on the weekend). This includes a portion of long-term assignments. While I don't restrict TV, the rule is that that days plan must be finished before TV or computer (for fun) is turned on -- violation of this rule results in no electronics the following day. For weekly assignments she does as much on the weekends as possible. Right now there are meets every weekend, which makes it tough. We have found that she works best laying on the floor in the living room with headphones on with music. Drives me crazy but that's how she works best. My son works at his desk, alone and in silence. It was important to figure this out so everyone was working in an environment that worked for them. We do use car time for memorization practice -- be that multiplication tables (when she was younger), music or theater lines. Over the years both kids have learned that it is easiest if you sit down and do it quickly rather than draw it out. I think they finally got this after I kept pointing out to them how much easier it was and how much better the day was if they worked quickly. They both ride their bikes home from school, so that helps get them some physical exercise before they have to start homework, though 2 days a week she goes straight to gymnastics (the other 3 days are evening practices). For my son, when he was younger, it was crucial to divide things up, so he would do 30 minutes of homework and then have a 30 minute break where he could go out and play or whatever. He also needs a longer "wind down" time between school and homework. I think its important to figure out how your child works best and work around that.

In terms of the types of homework, it might be worth talking to the teacher. Not necessarily to ask for a change right up front, but to ask what the plan is for the year. It might be that a month from now the teacher plans a major switch from language arts to math. In my experience, everything generally balances out in the end but you should definitely ask about the overall plan for the year. Maybe this is a year that emphasizes language and next year will be a math/science focus? Probably depends a lot on local conditions.