Homework
Views differ widely on the value of homework. For kids in the primary grades, some parents and teachers see homework as just busy work. Others value it as a bridge between home and school and a way to teach children to take responsibility for their own learning. By the time a student is in grades four to six, however, there is more consensus among educators and parents that applying what they've learned in class by doing assignments as homework is a good way for kids to learn to work independently.

Will doing homework improve your child's performance? Research indicates that high school students who spend 60 to 90 minutes a night on homework can improve their grades. But for elementary school students, especially those in the primary grades, there are no answers about the effectiveness of homework to improve grades.

Just as teaching methods have changed over the years as we've learned more about human intellectual development, so has the concept of homework changed. A trip to the zoo, or an afternoon in the park collecting leaves to mount and label, or tallying the number and length of commercials in a few television programs are all different forms of homework, that is, schoolwork outside the classroom.

By the time they're nine years old, many children consider homework something of a chore, something to fit in between time spent with friends, or watching favourite TV programs, or playing. Teachers recognize that many children aged six to 12 have busy schedules of lessons, group activities, and team sports, so some elementary schools make it a policy never to assign homework on weekends. Adding major homework assignments for Monday just means adding more stress to family life.

The amount of time that your child spends on homework should relate to his age, somewhat like this:

Ages six and seven Up to grade 2, five minutes of reading or other language activity with Mom or Dad constitutes homework.

Ages eight and nine By grade 3, a child's homework may consist of a page of mathematics that wasn't completed in class or a special project that requires some research. Kids may spend about 20 minutes a night on such homework. For this age group, most teachers give outside class assignments for the weekend only if the child has been absent and needs to catch up to his peers.

Ages 10 to 12 By grade 5, the number of homework assignments and special projects increases. Depending on their classroom teacher, students may have to spend up to 45 minutes a night on their schoolwork. By this age, managing his time to handle short-term (next day) and long-term (individual or group projects) homework assignments becomes a learning activity in itself. These skills are essential for success in senior elementary school and in high school -- and even as a life skill.