Last year in junior kindergarten, our daughter got homework. Our school has full day every other day for kindergarten (e.g. Tuesday, Thursday, alternating Fridays). The teacher found that the kids needed to keep their letter writing and sounding going on the days they were not in school to keep up their skills. It seemed like a lot but Ava shot to the top of her class for letter recognition and sound identification. We couldn't argue too much!
This year as a senior kindergarten, Ava is learning to read. She gets a home reading bag sent every week and we are encouraged to read with her daily. This month there is going to be letters discussed again and first words. I am sure there will be more homework.
As a first-time parent with a child who gets homework, I was intrigued by the article "Lesson Plan" (October 2010) written by Canadian Living and their take on how to work with your children to do homework.
A few nuggets I gathered were to have a routine and let your child help set it. Write the day and time of homework and post it where all family members can see it. Set a study place and, when correcting homework, makes it the child's responsibility to find them. This will let the child have a sense of accomplishment in their own work and let the teacher see where they are having trouble.
What are your tips for helping your children get their homework done?
