Elementary children are bombarded with commitments and responsibilities at an early age. They are being pulled in many directions with extra-curricular activities and home commitments. Not to mention getting daily homework assignments.
To be completely upfront, I am against 90% of the homework assignments that children receive. For the most part, it is busy work. A lot of the assignments that children bring home are not value added to their education as a whole. Sure a lot of it reinforces the lessons covered in the class that day or helps prep them for the next day’s activities. However, I view my child’s school as their job. They spend almost as much time there as I do at my place of employment. If I was forced to bring home work with me every day, I would be upset. Last rant…I still remember doing many of these assignments and I even thought the same things while I was in school.
I do teach my daughter a few lessons that I learned throughout the many years of completing homework. They may benefit your child as well.
1) Prioritize. What assignment is the most important? Which will affect her grade more or which one is due sooner? These assignments require the most time and brain power. I have her work on this right after school while her mind is still focused on the lesson and avoid procrastinating on homework. She is still pretty young to get anything of any real value, but it is a good practice to help her learn to prioritize. Again at our jobs, we do the same thing.
2) Once all of the important assignments are completed, we move on to the value added. Which of these assignments will she learn the most from or find joy in completing? My daughter is a very creative and quite a talented artist for her age; however, I know her mind will wander quickly if it is something she is not interested in learning or doing. These are the assignments we push to after dinner or before bed, when her focus is not as sharp. If it is a fun tasking, she is willing to tap last bits of brain juice.
3) Quality, quality, quality. I refuse to let her do a homework assignment and not give a solid effort. After each portion of her homework, we go back and double-check the work. Did she answer the question completely and was her writing legible? It is important that she understands her work is a reflection of her. The teacher does not see her completing the assignment; the teacher sees the completed assignment.