Homework before or after dinner?

[mpls_mm]

Before. Some times the oldest has too much and she has to do it after the table is cleared and kitchen is cleared. She has several sports plus manages the boys basketball team but has study hall. We expect her to have as much done as possible at school. It makes her manage her time better. As for the others, we try to combine their homework with household stuff, like we do flashcards while I cook or have them do their out loud reading to the baby in her high chair while I clean. DH expects straight a's and we have to run on a tight schedule to accommodate sports, activities and accelerated learning classes for the kids.

 

[mtemm]

our current (and preferred) schedule is homework is done when they get home from school. they have a snack first, then homework, then they can play, go to activities, etc, before dinner. after dinner they do their reading. my kids are in 4th and 2nd grade, so this works out well. I'm sure as they get older and the workload gets tougher, we might find a different schedule works better.

 

[NikitaZee]

our current (and preferred) schedule is homework is done when they get home from school. they have a snack first, then homework, then they can play, go to activities, etc, before dinner. after dinner they do their reading. my kids are in 4th and 2nd grade, so this works out well. I'm sure as they get older and the workload gets tougher, we might find a different schedule works better.

This is exactly how we do it too.

 

[wvjules]

I say before dinner. I say this because I'm taking college classes and if I dont have my work done before we have dinner it will not get done. After dinner my mind shuts off so I do it as soon as I get home from work.

 

[LoriABil]

My ds is 8. He does it before dinner, but we don't have to remind him. We will usually do reading or math facts (multiplication tables) after dinner.

 

[Magic Mom]

I think it depends on the kid, some kids NEED to do homework right away, or they won't be able to get back into "school mode" in order to focus on homework. Other kids need a break first in order to focus on homework.

 

[cybrkitn]

Before. DS9 will never get his homework done if he waits till after dinner.

 

[Glynis]

My oldest is in 9th grade. She gets home from school at 3:10. She has 20 minutes to relax and unwind with a snack. Then she works on homework for 20 minutes, then a break to practice her violin. Back to homework for 20 minutes, then a 20 minute break to clean an area of her room. She does this until she's done all her homework and after school chores. After dinner, she relaxes and reads.

My other kids are in elementary school and get home at 3:45. They are given a homework packet on Monday. We divide the pages up so there are an equal amount each day, and when they get home, they have 15 minutes to have a snack, and get some "wiggles out" outside. They do their homework for the day, then do their after school chores. Most days they are done by 4:30, and then have the rest of the afternoon to play with friends. After dinner, we have a "reading time". Each child (all 5 of them) choose a book, and we turn on some classical music, and read for 30 minutes. They love this time to just unwind.

We went through a period of time where the kids were so involved, that they were exhausted all the time. We now let the kids choose one activity, and that's what they focus on, besides their schoolwork. It has made it a lot less stressful!

 

[Coconut36]

Right when he gets home from school. It is completed before Tvs go on, before games are played, friends are called. I want homework out of the way and done before anything else and he is still in "school mode" to some extent. Then the entire rest of the day/night is his completely.

 

[indimom]

When ours were younger, we always required them to do the homework as soon as they got home from school. Since I had to help them with studying and some math, this was mainly for my benefit. I prefer to get everything done early so I can be "off the clock" to relax and enjoy my family.

Now that they are in middle school, their schedules are much more complicated and they have to manage their own time in whatever manner works. Sports and activities complicate the schedule.

DS got home from school yesterday at 3:15 p.m. He had to meet the bus for a wrestling meet by 3:45. He didn't get home from the meet until 9 p.m. He did the "thinking required" homework during that 30 minute break. He did some reading/review after he got home. (He's usually tired by thiss time of night so math or intense studying would have led to a breakdown. ) He did the rest of his homework this morning before school. Not ideal, but it's how things worked out.

My daughter usually does about half her work right after school. She works on projects, papers or reading after 9 p.m. when the rest of us are in bed. She is a night owl and finds it difficult to settle down as early as we do, so this guarrantees her some quiet time to work uninterrupted. As long as she can get herself up and ready on time in the AM, I'm fine with it.

 

[disfan07]

For us it always would depend on when it would get dark and when dinner was.

In elementary school and most of middle school, most of our parents would basically kick us out of the house right after school. We were supposed to be outside playing until it got dark. We would spend sometime outside and then we would often go from house to house just hanging out.

So if it got dark late, most likely, we would do HW after dinner. If it got dark early, we would usually do it before dinner adn after if we had any left.

The only time it would change is if we had practice after school. So during soccer season I had practice twice a week....those days, homework was done whenever we had time.

In high school, we never did homework alone. We always did homework in groups. So it was usually right after school since that was when all of us could go to the same house.

 

[NHdisneylover]

Depends on the kid, homework, and the schedule really.

Some kids need downtime after school and some need to do it right away because their brains are mush in the evening.

I would tell you to access your kid, homework amount, and schedule. Be realistic & tweak as needed.

When my dd's were younger we had days that we did homework right away and some days it was after dinner.

My youngest is a freshman in HS and she comes home and needs downtime. Usually she starts her homework right before dinner, eats dinner and then does more homework.

I 100% agree with this. My daughter has always worked best if she can keep her momentum and prefers not to do anything else after school until homework is finished. My son, on the other hand, needs some downtime to regroup and does much better doing homework after dinner.

Now that they are older (13 and 15) a lot depends on schedules--some nights they have late activities, and some afternoons are full--and they fit things in wherever they can (and often there is too much work to be done ONLY before or ONLY after dinner).

 

[aprilgail2]

My oldest is in 9th grade. She gets home from school at 3:10. She has 20 minutes to relax and unwind with a snack. Then she works on homework for 20 minutes, then a break to practice her violin. Back to homework for 20 minutes, then a 20 minute break to clean an area of her room. She does this until she's done all her homework and after school chores. After dinner, she relaxes and reads.

My other kids are in elementary school and get home at 3:45. They are given a homework packet on Monday. We divide the pages up so there are an equal amount each day, and when they get home, they have 15 minutes to have a snack, and get some "wiggles out" outside. They do their homework for the day, then do their after school chores. Most days they are done by 4:30, and then have the rest of the afternoon to play with friends. After dinner, we have a "reading time". Each child (all 5 of them) choose a book, and we turn on some classical music, and read for 30 minutes. They love this time to just unwind.
!

Wow that 20 minutes on and off homework thing sounds way to hectic-I would rather get the homework done at one time rather than jumping to and from one thing to another. We do not do any chores after school though-we have enough to do without adding that in the mix!
I wish the school send home a weekly homework packet, I know my daughter would get it all knocked off that first day and then be homework free the rest of the week, that would be great!