The Question:
I have been struggling with how much homework to give scholars. We do 4 (2ELA and 2 Math) pages a night for homework + 20 minutes of reading. We also differentiate the homework by low, medium-low, medium-high, and high.
What do other schools assign?
The Answers:
Maura
No Kindergarten HW. Never give it. I only expect parents to read to their children. They’re 5. Play is their work.
Marrissa
I teach K in a very low support/income area. I give 5-7 pages a week. Half reading/phonics skills and half math skills, plus they are to read 2 independent books (from my library) per night and practice their sight words. I also differentiate, low, med, high. If they don’t need it, I don’t assign it. They love it and can’t wait for the new weekly packet. Doesn’t take more than 10 minutes ever and most complete it with their aftercare.
Abigail
No homework except for the suggestion that they read at least one book a night with their child. That’s it. Kids need to play and be kids. Homework is not necessary. Especially in kindergarten.
Lisa
All of the research that I have done shows that homework in elementary school is used to get students in the habit of studying and to share what they are learning with parents. Their ability level is not affected by how much or what type of homework they complete (significantly.
Amber
4 worksheets nightly seems like a lot…..
Erin
No homework in K! Just encouragement to read.
Sarah
That is way too much!! As the parent of a first grader, I despise homework. As a teacher, I hated the paperwork and the copying, and half the class didn’t do it anyway. Now we send home a monthly calendar with a low-key suggested activity each day, and if they do it, great, if not, oh well. It’s awesome!!!!!
Julianne
NO HOMEWORK except reading. Lots of research against it….especially in the lower grades.
Amy
No homework in kindergarten. It carries no advantages for kids, and is disruptive to family life.
Laura
Read each day for about 15 minutes is the main homework. I do send home one math activity (not a worksheet, but a game or activity) to do per week.
Mick
20 minutes reading daily. Most important.
Teresa
I give a weekly packet that covers the math and language arts skills for the week. It is short and only one page a night always due on Fridays. I love giving homework because it gets the parents involved in their child’s learning so they can also keep track I their progress at home. It teaches the kids responsibility and accountability for the parents .
Ellen
We give a 1/2 page a night, Mon. -Thurs. Its math/Ela that go with our reading and math programs. They only get 20 minutes of recess/play so I don’t overload them with HW. They need to be kids after all!
Laura
30 minutes of school mandated reading (may include letter, sound, word recognition as well as reading and being read to) That is the Bd. of Ed policy. I do not give anything else….. just suggestions on how you fill that 30 minute block of time and a monthly family assignment where parents, siblings and any other members are encouraged to help… (decorating a turkey from nature, a tree to be hung in the nursing home etc.)
Clifford’s Kindergarten Class
That sounds like a lot. We send home an ELA workbook to complete at their own pace and ELA/math suggestions. We also ask that our parents read to their children every night (no reading logs). More than 10 minutes is too much, IMO.
I always tell parents that if their child is interested in homework, let them do as much as they want. If they are stressed and unhappy, just read a few books together. I give several examples of how to engage their children during a read aloud.
I don’t want kinders who dislike school. They have such a busy, learning filled day… skipping HW isn’t a big deal to me.
Lori
I teach kindergarten in a Christian school. No homework other than reading, unless a student doesn’t finish work at school or is really struggling in a particular area.
Wendy
No homework in K other than a very short Guided Reading book to read nightly. No more than 5 min tops.
Heidi
No homework, the expectations today as so much more stressful for kids! We are cheating them of their childhoods, so none from me, I encourage PLAY!!
Kara
I send 1 book per night & a weekly packet that has 4-5 pages to be completed over the week, turned in by Friday.
K homework is quick, easy, review, no more than 5-10 minutes per night. It’s main purpose is to create a good study habit. It also helps involve families.
Kari
I find this interesting how different the responses are. I’m wondering why we feel the need to “create good study habits” in 5 year olds? Reading and listening to books is so important, and so is just interacting with your child. Not in a worksheet-academic way, but in a natural, fun way! They have 18 years or more to do worksheets. Early elementary kids don’t need “study skills”, in my opinion.
Cheryl
We have no mandate. I ask parents to read 15-20 minutes a night. I do assign other tasks to students that need to work on specific skills. But this is only for individual students. No sense giving home work just to say they have homework. They’re kids.
Tina
A guided reading book to read 3-4 times a week and nothing else.
Kristina
No homework for my kinderkids.
Laurie
I don’t give my 5 and 6 year olds homework. They’ve been in school a full day– that is all the structure these little people need! I hope they go home to relax, play, read stories to and with their parents, eat healthy food and get lots of sleep.
Kelli
I always give choices. There are between 4-6 choices and parents were asked to choose 2 or more a week. The homework varied from paper pencil ideas, to reading choices, learning web sites, oral activities, physical activities, science & social studies ideas, etc. There was also a “make up your own” for those who did not like my choices!
I felt like I met the needs of those who were struggling and those who wanted more.
I felt like I met the needs of those who were struggling and those who wanted more.
Kelly
No HW. Go home and play since we have so little play in school
Ginny
I do a monthly calendar and ask for 20 minutes of reading each night. That’s it. They work so hard for me during the day, they need to play!
Amy
Lynn
That seems like a lot of homework to me. We expect our kindergartners to do about 10-15 minutes of review each day. We also ask parents to read to their children each day, as well.
Jennie
Reading every night and that’s it. There isn’t a minimum either.
Lucinda
That is way too much homework, in my opinion! I am a K teacher and a mom of a first grader, and I would DIE if my son had that much homework every night. That would be pure torture for us. I try to give my students homework that is game-like, fun, and a good review/reinforcement of things they have already learned.
Tina
Four pages every night is way too much. Would you give them four pages to do during the school day all at once? (I’m assuming we’re talking about kindergarten)
Roxanne
Mine just take home their reading book. Homework comes early enough. Let kids be kids!
Sue
We send home the reading workbook pages for the week & one or two math pages and they have a full week to do it (Monday-Monday) plus nightly reading. Even that is too much for some kiddos but our parents almost demand it.
Jaime
As a 4th grade teacher, I encourage my student to go out and play. For me this is the most important “work” for them. That said, I also assign 20 minutes of reading a night and 10 minutes of math fact fluency practice. To prepare students for managing their time, I also assign a vocabulary packet that is due 2 weeks from assignment.
Anna
Yes, as a parent that is way too much and as a teacher way too much correcting to do! Reading nightly, monthly calendar and one math homework per week in my room!
Randy
When they need to work on something, or work for over a long break to keep from forgetting everything—otherwise homework for kinders, in my book, is unnecessary excessive, punitive and ugly!
Sara
I believe in limiting it to 10 mins per year of school, per night. Anymore than that is too much.
Sue
None, except read 20 minutes a night, and approximately one family project per month. We also give our sight words for each month and ask that they work on them with fun activities throughout the month.
Lois
As a parent, I’m frustrated when I don’t see kids coming home with homework. I feel it’s the only way to see if they are truly comprehending what they learn in school. My kids always had it, and they never complained. It just becomes part of the daily routine. And, parents should NEVER do the homework for them.
Diane
I encourage parents to read to their children and play games with their children. Once students are starting to read, then they can also read to their parents…other than that…NO HOMEWORK! My Kindergarten students have worked hard all day long…they need down time with their families when they get home. They need time to play outside, and they need to get to bed at a reasonable time. There is no need for more worksheets when kids get home. That being said, if kids want to practice writing letters or words or solving math problems on their own agenda, by all means let them…but it should be their agenda, not mine.
Jen
1 page per night and 15 minutes of reading. I think 4 pages per night is too much.
Miss Bindergarten's Classroom 
I send one 5 min page per nigh m-th. One handwriting, 2 math practices, 1 sentence/dictation/picture. I also send books to read at their level and ask parents to read to them. I do it as a communication piece so the parents know what we are doing in school and can support their student. I tell them not to stress about it but I think it supports the idea of learning and the value of education and i think 5-10 minutes of 1 on 1 time between parent and child is valuable all the way around! My kiddos get a lot of play time at school also.
Thanks for weighing in, Lynne! Your comment helps the discussion.