I just got an email from my son's preschool/kindergarten (he just turned 3) that starting today, he will be getting homework twice a week. WHAA??? I mean, I don't really care, I'm sure it will be, like, coloring a picture or drawing squares, but wow, did your child have homework at this age?
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That's annoying. At that age giving homework is more work for the parents, not for the kid.
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i hope it's something like, 'choose your favorite book to bring in & share with the class', otherwise, that's absurd. his homework should be looking for frogs in a pond, not sitting at a table with a worksheet. i'm pretty anti homework.
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I'm sorry, but I don't think 3 year olds need to have homework at all, no matter what it is!
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@KT326: @mrs. bird: @MamaMoose: Fantasizing about how amazing it would be if I just did it myself and turned it in like that. I wonder what they'd say.
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I am really anti homework too and this would really piss DH and I off. No way are we making our 3 year old sit down and do homework.
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@mamimami: I'm curious as to what the homework is going to be. I would probably be inclined to do it myself as well and see if they notice!
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As an early educator this makes me really sad
I'm anti homework for elementary students for a number of reasons...homework for 3 year olds is just plain depressing.ETA: if a teacher tried to give my 3yo homework I would write a letter declining it and explaining how I would be working on the skills at home (which prove to be much more effective than worksheets anyway)
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This wouldn't bother me, I'd be okay with it as long as it isn't pages of meaningless worksheets as my view is that it's easier to introduce something when they are younger rather than older.
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Umm, no way!!
My kids go a great school and even at 5 (pre-K 2) he doesn't have homework - that's crazy!
You will have to post what it is - I am curious
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This isn't really shocking to me TBH.
My niece went to a very prestigious preschool and she had homework and tests at 4. That was 6 years ago! It's just the way of some of the better schools these days!
Her school had over a year waiting list and they even gave the kids "tests" to separate into gifted classes. A little crazy perhaps but not shocking to me anymore. -
@Mamaof2: OK I will report back!
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DS's nephew had homework starting in kindergarten as well. I was surprised when his parents told me, but the dad said he has homework DAILY!!! What the.... really????????
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Children at this age can barely sit for more than 5- 10 minutes. This makes me sad that early childhood develop is moving in this direction. HW at this age is developmentally inappropriate.
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I think this is a Mexico thing; in our last newsletter I also saw that kinder 1 was going to start getting homework. FWIW I think it's ridiculous and would probably ask for an exemption from it or something...(but I'm also the crazy mom that sends plain yogurt instead of danonino, so you know...)
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Wow, I would boycott.
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I bet they conceptualizer it as getting the parents involved in learning at home. I wouldn't mind if but I hope there woukdnt be repercussions did not doing it. Preschool is more for learning soft skills anyway.
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Our son Charlie is in pre-K and he also gets regular homework! And extra homework over long vacations like Thanksgiving and Christmas.
No penalty for not doing them though...
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Wow I'm surprised!
@char54: Another anti-homework elementary teacher here. I only assign it because I have to.
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My daughter does from time to time. She's 2. She's in an Abeka program, so maybe that has something to do with it.
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I'd be interested to know what they homework is at this age.
I'm hoping it is practicing some new skill, not actual worksheets.
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I used to teach elementary school and hated assigning homework (and as a nanny I hate it even more.) If you realize it doesn't fit in with your lives I would politely decline it at this point.
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Yes. I love it. We get it once a week for our two year old. It is a coloring page and then optional enrichment activities related to the letter. Like for k we made a kite. It is fun for some kids to do together with parents. It is worth a try...It is probably isn't graded anything.
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I believe learning should be play based at that age.
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When DS was in 3 and 4k he never got homework. He didn't get any in regular kindergarten either! In 1st grade he gets a math worksheet twice a week and some reading practice but nothing too hard to handle.
HW at 3 is a pain!
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We are asked to bring in something that starts with the letter of the week and are given a list of ideas for extension activities regularly, but no worksheets or required reading or anything mandatory. I'm fine with 'homework' like that because it ties into what they're doing (making the transition to school a little easier) and doesn't require sitting. The extension activities are all things that are local, often outdoors, and require minimal planning on the parents' part, but they are sometimes time-consuming, weekend-type activities.
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My DD (5 yo) gets HW everyday in Kindergarten. But it makes sense to me.... It gets her used to a routine early on and it forces parents to be involved daily with what their kids are learning in school.
What happens is, she gets 2-3 HW worksheets at school and she does the front pages at school with her teacher during class, as part of their lessons. At home, it's simply the backside of the same worksheet. It's whatever she already did at school, but also a way for her to practice at home and do it independently, or with my guidance, as needed. They don't introduce new concepts to learn in homework.
She also has tests and official report cards. The reasoning is to get them used to it early on, rather than later. I used to think it was too early for this stuff, but she doesn't have any anxiety or hesitation with the tasks, so I think she is ready for this kind of curriculum. Some days she is excited to do her HW, because she's learned it's good to get it done early!
I'm not surprised that in a 3-4 yo pre-k class, there is homework twice a week. That's not too bad, IMO... as long as it's kept to simple tasks and experiences that foster their learning and development. My second DD will be getting HW in pre-k regularly too, mostly handwriting and some simple math.
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@SAHM0811: I've noticed that it's really hard to keep up with regular homework with two working parents! I'd be a lot more comfortable with the assignments if Charlie could do it on his own, or if one of us wasn't working and could dedicate daily time to help with it!
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@mrbee: it's tough for me too since after school she has swimming or speech therapy and then I gotta tackle getting dinner ready, taking care of DD#2 as well and other chores! It's very nice when my DH is home from work at a time when he can help her. Otherwise, I juggle it into our evenings also and it is tough... especially every night!
It can be time-consuming, but in our case, over time, she has been more independent about it, so I can see the benefits. It is definitely a challenge for parents too, I agree.
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Well, for@KT326: @Mamaof2: and anyone else who was curious, this was the homework... drum roll please!
Tracing lines. It took about 5 minutes max but I definitely did have to stand there and remind him to trace the lines instead of just drawing all over the page. So, I guess it's fine. I still find it weird, but it's not like it put me out a lot.... Meh.
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@char54: Agreed. This is a Major Bummer.
I'm anti homework for elementary students for a number of reasons...homework for 3 year olds is just plain depressing.
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