I'm not a believer in homework in the lower grades. Little children, especially, need time to play and explore the world. My feeling is, if they have to keep learning at home, what are they doing in school all day? Also, what about other forms of development that come from playing or helping cook or daydreaming?
I can see the value in doing extra algebra problems or in reading a portion of a novel or history book in 7th or 9th grade, but I just don't see the point in, say, 3rd grade. I also don't get the 2+ hours per night thing in the older grades for the same reasons I outline above.
My prediction: Someday, someone will publish a seminal study (or group thereof) showing that too much homework can be damaging to very young brains.
Val
