Homework for four year olds?

[LaraK]

So my four year old had homework sent home from pre-K last night. My husband did it with him and said it was a struggle. When he's had homework before, it's also been a struggle (and more of Kindergarten level work than preschool).

I am floored that four year olds are getting homework. My daughter was in a different school when she was four and never had homework (in fact, she didn't have homework in Kindergarten even though the "standards" for the school system said she should). Now my daughter has homework every night (first grade).

Did you four year old have homework?

 

[bicker]

My DN4 was visiting this past weekend, and spent some time working on her homework. She was practicing the letter H and the letter K.

 

[SereneOne]

My daughter started K4 this year and she has not had any homework. Now she has a couple times brought home letter sheets to trace over, but because she wanted to, not because she had to.

 

[Tinijocaro]

So my four year old had homework sent home from pre-K last night. My husband did it with him and said it was a struggle. When he's had homework before, it's also been a struggle (and more of Kindergarten level work than preschool).

I am floored that four year olds are getting homework. My daughter was in a different school when she was four and never had homework (in fact, she didn't have homework in Kindergarten even though the "standards" for the school system said she should). Now my daughter has homework every night (first grade).

Did you four year old have homework?

Sorry but homework for a preschooler is not educationally sound.

 

[DISUNC]

Homework for a 4 year old....That is just crazy stupid!

 

[clori]

My dd attends a private preschool program. While it is just called a nursery school this is her preK year and she is in with all other kids who can start kindergarten next school year. Typically they give homework this year though I can't say how many days a week or what they give. Honestly when I heard about this I laughed and said while dd will probably love to have it (older sister gets homework daily) I don't see the necessity.

So far the school hasn't sent home any homework because their photocopier has been broken but it was just replaced. Another mom actually asked last Friday if the kids can please start getting homework because she feels her son is missing out. Why do I anticipate homework starting today (no school Monday, MWF program).

 

[bambootinker]

Just don't do it. There isn't any purpose.

 

[aprilgail2]

My daughter used to have homework in preschool- just one little sheet of practicing writing her letters. Once she hit kindergarten it was WAY more homework though so it sort of prepared her for that. She actually liked doing homework in preschool and and kindergarten- it was once she hit 1st grade and it was really pilied on that she started hating it.

 

[Mickey'snewestfan]

The school I work out allows children to check out books from the classroom library -- we hope that our families that don't have books at home will spend some time looking at them or reading together, but we don't require it.

We will also occaisionally send kids home with stickers on them that have conversation starts such as "ask me about my trip to the zoo".

Other than that -- no homework, which is how I think it should be in PreK.

 

[happygirl]

My daughter is also 4 and attends a pre-K program. They send stuff home for her to work on. Nothing that has to go back just stuff for her to pratice on. Days of the week and whatnot. I don't have a problem with it

 

[freckles and boo]

In preschool my daughter had one sheet that the teacher handed out on Monday and it was due on Friday. It was cutting and pasting pictures of objects that started with the letter of the week. She had four days to do it so we TRIED to do a bit at a time but we occasionally ended up doing it all on Thursday night. It wasn't a big deal. I would not have been happy if she had something new every night of the week.

 

[JoyG]

Thanks to NCLB, even PreK isn't what it used to be.

 

[sdarwkcabemanmy]

DS's teacher sends home notes about what she would like us to work on (tracing letters, etc) but nothing I would consider 'homework' (although that's what I call it).

 

[bambootinker]

If your child knows the information, just do something else instead. Wh cares what the preschool thinks about their work habits?

 

[okeydokey]

The best homework for a preschooler is to read books with an adult. Learning should be more natural at that age. I have a friend who is a kindergarten teacher. Her homework last weekend was for the kids to try to learn how to tie their shoes. Sounds reasonable to me.

 

[It's A Happy Day]

Homework for Pre-K is ridiculous and considering you don't "have" to go to school or be monitored for home schooling till 1st grade I wouldn't do it if the child knows the basic information. The only homework I would consider doing would be things like collecting pretty leaves now that it's fall or some other fun type activity ~ more game basing than sit down and do a sheet homework.

 

[DawnM]

The thing that gets me: I learned to read in 1st grade. That is just when it was taught when I was in school. I did very well in school and have two MAs to prove that I am a capable adult.

Now they want kids reading by Kindergarden. That is fine, except, they can't seem to prove at all that it is better for kids. By 4th grade, they are exactly where the kids who learned to read at 1st grade are academically.

My 4 year old had some "homework" but it was optional. The preschool actually had parents complain that there was none! We refused to do it.

Dawn

Thanks to NCLB, even PreK isn't what it used to be.

 

[JimmyPicker]

My four year old Pre-K'er has homework every night. The very first day of school, he brought home homework. There was a picture of a bear family on the beach, with a sandcastle, buckets, little shovels, etc.

The expected him to already know the written numbers 1, 2, and 3. The homework was to look at the picture, tell how many sandcastles there were, and then circle the correct number. How many shovels, and then circle the correct number.

I was flabbergasted. When we met the teacher before school started, she was sitting with my son and another little girl. She showed them a circle and asked them what it was. The little girl said it was a circle. My son got upset and said, "It's a hole! It's a freaking hole!"

So they expect my son, the hole expert, to know written numbers. He had just turned four, 10 days before school started.

 

[KAMLEM]

Another mom actually asked last Friday if the kids can please start getting homework because she feels her son is missing out.

That mom needs to get a life. When my daughter was in the 2nd grade, a boy in the neighborhood was in her class. His mother complained to the principal that the teacher did not give the kids enough homework. They had homework every night and she thought they should have more.

I recently read an article about a study that determined that kids who get homework don't do any better than kids without it. Some schools don't even allow homework now. I wish my town was like that!

 

[U2_rocks!]

At my kids' school, the 4 - 5 year olds start the reading program (Oxford Reading Tree) where a book comes home once a week for the child to read with their parents. Level 1 is only pictures, not words, and it progresses from there as the kids learn to read. That's the only homework they get.

From 5 - 6 they start getting some spelling words to learn for one test per term - very easy words, many only 2-letter. The reading program continues until they are 7 (spelling too, but getting a little harder as they mature).

From 7 - 8 they stop the reading program and start getting "real" homework most nights.

I don't have an issue with homework being assigned at any age, as long as it is mostly voluntary at the younger age, like 4 or 5 i.e. if the kid isn't in the frame of mind to sit down and do that kind of work one night, there shouldn't be repercussions at school the next day for not doing it. If the kid wants to do it, then I see absolutely no issue with it - some kids, especially if they have older siblings who are doing homework, love to practice their schoolwork at home. I gave my 5 yo a written spelling test yesterday evening because she was so eager to show me that she'd learned all of her words! She really enjoyed doing the test (and got all right too!). But if she hadn't been in the right frame of mind, I would never have pushed her - the test isn't until the middle of November, there's tons ot time. The 4 - 6 year old kids really need flexibility - they aren't ready to be forced to sit down and do written homework every night.