First of all, if a young child goes to school and sits and listens and works and learns for six hours, they deserve to do what they want when they get home. The need to play, move, laugh, yell, imagine, and be KIDS!
Homework should teach children responsibility. Homework should be a tool to help parents see what their child is doing at school. Homework should extend learning from the classroom to the home. Homework should be MEANINGFUL!
If I were in charge of the world, primary grade children would NOT be allowed to spend more than 30 minutes on homework each night. They might be asked to read 20+ minutes and then have ONE other assignment. I would try to make the assignment engage with the parent and connect the real world with what’s going on in the classroom. For example, the assignment might be to ask their parents what a veteran is and to find out who the veterans in their family are. The assignment might be to ask their parents how they use math in their jobs. The assignment might be to cut out a picture from the newspaper and write one or two sentences about it. Drill and kill worksheets should be banned!
My daughter brought up the point that many parents WANT homework and are impressed with lengthy assignments because they think it will make their children smarter. In the book Battle Over Homework: Common Ground for Administrators,Teachers, and Parents, Harris Cooper put together a variety of research studies on homework. He found that in elementary school, homework has almost no impact on academic achievement. In middle school, the results are mixed. In high school, moderate levels of homework can help the learning process.
Tic Tac Toe Homework
Make a tic-tac-toe grid and put a different assignment in each section. Children can do as many activities as they choose, but they must do at least 3 to get tic-tac-toe by the end of the week.
Hint! This is perfect for the parents and children who actually “like” homework because they can do all nine.
Homework Folders
You will need a pocket folder, crayons, and markers to make a homework folder. First, let children decorate the outside of their folders. Trace around their “left” hand on the left pocket. At the end of each day children put completed work in that pocket and it is “left” at home. Trace around their “right” hand on the right pocket. Use a homework sheet similar to the one below. Fill out assignments for the whole week and place it in the “right” hand side of the child’s folder on Monday. On Friday save homework sheets in children’s folders. Review with parents at conferences.
Weekly Homework Sheet
Monday ________________ Tuesday ______________
_______________________ ______________________
_______________________ ______________________
Parent Signature/Comments Parent Signature/Comments
_______________________ ______________________
Wednesday_____________ Thursday_______________
_______________________ ______________________
_______________________ ______________________
Parent Signature/Comments Parent Signature/Comments
_______________________ ______________________
Clipboard Homework
Each child will need a clipboard that she can decorate with her name, stickers, etc. Each night clip the homework assignment to children’s clipboards. (Think outside the box with interactive activities, rather than worksheets!) Make sure parents know that their job is to look at the clipboard each night, help their child with the assignment, and send it back to school the next day.
Monthly Calendar
Send a calendar home at the beginning of each month and ask parents to complete at least ten activities and return by the end of the month.
Note! You can download these free on my website drjean.org.
Image via Pexels
Staying Organized as a Busy Parent
Being a parent is hard work. With a day job, taking care of children, and running errands, staying organized can be a challenge. However, there are some cost-efficient solutions that can help make the daily balancing act easier. Taking advantage of these simple technology ideas from Dr. Jean and Friends can help keep your life in order and reduce stress.
Organize Your Child's Medical History With PDF Tools
It is important to keep track of your children's medical history and schooling documents. With PDF tools, you can easily manage, organize and store these important documents in one place. Furthermore, you probably want to try a PDF file converter so you can access them from any device with an internet connection.
Generate a List of Tasks
Chore charts can help keep the house clean while teaching responsibility to your children. Assign age-appropriate chores that each child can do independently or together with parents. This makes it easier for everyone to pitch in and take ownership of tasks around the house which helps reduce stress for busy parents in the long run.
Assigning weekly chores helps to teach responsibility within a family and holds everyone accountable for specific tasks. For example, taking out garbage and recycling on Tuesday nights. This reduces stress in the household, as everyone knows what is expected of them without needing constant reminders from mom or dad. Moreover, this helps to instill good habits in children and can even help with budgeting by teaching them about setting aside resources for completing chores.
Create a Cleaning Schedule
PureWow notes that creating a cleaning routine for your home can seem like an overwhelming task. However, breaking down the process into smaller, manageable chunks makes it easier to keep up with and maintain. With regular cleaning, you'll find that your home is tidier and more organized than before, while the process itself becomes faster and more enjoyable.
Add Organizing Time to Your Schedule
Organizing time should be set aside in your weekly schedule so that you can regularly go through papers, forms, bills, toys, clothes, etc. Reader’s Digest suggests setting aside even just a few minutes each day for organizing tasks so that it does not get overwhelming over time. This also sets an example for kids who will learn how important organization is in their everyday lives.
Meal Planning
Meal planning is essential for busy parents, as it saves time spent on grocery shopping trips and cooking meals from scratch each day. By having a meal plan, families can shop smarter and take advantage of bulk discounts at the grocery store or use coupons when possible. Additionally, having a meal plan helps ensure that families are eating healthier meals at home without spending extra money eating out.
Family Calendar
Busy parents have a lot on their plate, so staying organized is key. A great way to do this is by having one calendar that can be seen by all family members, like near the entrance door. Keeping track of activities and appointments with this shared calendar will make it easier to keep tabs on what everyone needs to do during the week ahead, as well as keep them in the loop about upcoming plans and activities.
Being a busy parent can be overwhelming, especially when it comes to trying to maintain order in the chaos. To help make life easier, it's important to stay organized. There are lots of cost-efficient ways to get and stay organized, such as using PDF tools, creating chore charts, and making cleaning schedules. These strategies can go a long way in helping you maintain sanity and manage all your daily responsibilities without breaking the bank.
