Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Learning Environments Do you make your kids do all their homework?

I guess what I should say is - Do you make your kids do the "extra" practice sheets/"Try this at home" stuff. My DD is in 1st grade and there are only two real homework assignments they have to turn in each week: Math Worksheets and Reading Logs.

Yes, I make her do the assignments that need to be turned in, but then there are other "assignments" that don't need to be turned in. Some of them are spelling practice and the others are practicing some sort of Math triangle formulas (from the Everyday Math curriculum). I don't make her do these. I never made her do these because I know she doesn't need the practice. I have never even discussed them with her.

Well, the other day, she came up to me, plopped down the math fact triangles and said "I'm NOT doing these. This is dumb! It's stupid to practice these when I already know them!"

I agree with your DD!

I don't make DS6 do any of the "try this at home" stuff unless he wants to. Occasionally his science teacher will send something home. Those he generally likes.

I made DS7 do all the homework, but I skip all the extra practice because he has already mastered the topic. If he has extra time, I would rather have him read a good book or play something in his level.

No but the "middle kid's" K teacher made a good suggestion. Instead of make a line from the picture to the word... cut out all the big words on the "extra" sheet and make them into sentences or use in a story with some of her own words added in extra. I think the goal is to manipulate whatever you can and then just supplement so there is a general sense of "doing homework". Although I'm very glad for your post because I've gotten away from thinking "do homework" ever since the bigger kid never seems to have any (does it on the 9 minute bus ride home).

Yes, we rework things sometimes, even the regular assignments. We have an ok from teacher to take spelling practice and do vocab/word meaning/origins lessons instead because that is definitely an area where practice is rarely needed for ds8.
When he gets the word sheet we definitely go over it, but if it's clear he's got them down, more spelling of the same just seems like a waste...also, why learn to spell the word if you are unclear on it's meaning?

Huh. We get homework for DS (now 6!) Monday - Thursday which did seem to be a bit much to me. DW got tired of forcing him to do this work ... which he has mastered so I think we've taken a few liberties with it ... like we generally ignore the homework and he gets afterschool work we (DW) assigns.

JB

When DS6 came home with the sight word list from K at the mid-year point, I made him read the words once and threw it away. Every week his Kindergarten newsletter says to practice that word list in addition to the one math homework sheet--we obviously don't do it.

The same thing has happened with his 1st grade spelling challenge words. He spelt them once for me (while he was in the shower no less) and we have not revisted that assignment again.

I do make sure he does the required math sheets and any projects that need to be turned in.

DS7 (then age 6) came home from 1st grade every day with a book he was supposed to read. They were stuff he could have read 3 years earlier, and not even good, fun ones. I asked for better choices, but was rebuffed by the teacher...and not gently!

One book had the exact same text on every page with one word change. DS6 sighed sadly when he saw it. He was really disappointed. It broke my heart. He asked, "Can I just read the first page and each word that is different?"

I agreed. He finished quickly and ran off to read something more developmentally appropriate.

Sad!

Yes, that is how I feel too. Thanks for everyone's replies --- glad to know I'm not alone