Research indicates that homework offers little to no advantages for young children, so why are we insisting they complete it? My elementary school-aged kids will not be doing homework, and here’s why: it’s not a requirement. While education is compulsory, homework for younger students is not. I have the power to decide whether my 5-year-old should spend extra time on assignments after already enduring six hours in school.
Parents today have plenty to be concerned about, and rightly so. The reduction of recess time, the pressure of standardized testing on both teachers and students, and the diminishing presence of art and physical education are all valid issues. In my local district, children receive just a 20-minute recess daily and have P.E. class only once every four days. While we may not be able to march into schools and demand more playtime, we can certainly establish boundaries at home by refusing to encroach on our child’s valuable free time to instill a sense of “responsibility” through homework at such a young age.
Anyone who’s helped a child with elementary homework knows it often devolves into a frustrating battle to keep them focused. Why should I put myself through that? Will my child be held back for not completing a worksheet filled with triangles or trucks? Absolutely not.
You may have found yourself questioning the absurdity of the homework load your grade-schoolers bring home. But did you know you have the option to opt-out? Too often, we feel obligated to adhere to every rule in the educational system, forgetting that we have choices. What if we took the advice of various studies and stopped assigning homework to elementary-aged children? I doubt the world would come crashing down.
In her insightful article, “Why Parents Should Not Make Kids Do Homework,” Sarah Jenkins, a play advocate, emphasizes that parents shouldn’t be pressuring young kids to do hours of homework nightly. She cites research by Duke University psychologist Harris Cooper, which shows that the benefits of homework are heavily age-dependent: high school students may benefit from up to two hours a night, middle schoolers get a small academic boost, but elementary kids? It’s better to wait.
With the looming presence of standardized tests, schools are bombarding children with homework intended to prep them for these exams. This is causing frustration for both kids and parents alike. Try asking fellow parents at pickup how many have done their child’s homework for them this week; I’m sure you’ll find a few who are less than honest.
Valerie Strauss, an education reporter for The Washington Post, reviewed extensive research on homework for young children and concluded: “No study has ever found a benefit to assigning homework in elementary school. There’s no correlation between the amount of homework given and any measure of achievement.” If we’re insisting that our young children complete homework, it’s either due to misinformation or an outdated belief that they should.
So why do we continue to enforce this? We receive those homework folders and feel compelled to ensure completion. But if our children aren’t concentrating on their assignments—or worse, not benefiting from them—why make them do it?
Recently, a teacher’s no-homework policy went viral, highlighting the collective desire among parents to ease this burden on themselves and their children. Given the research indicating little benefit for such young learners, why not take a stand?
I plan to inform my kindergartner’s teacher that my child will not be participating in homework assignments, and I can only imagine how that will be received.
This article first appeared on March 11, 2016.
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Summary:
The article argues against the necessity of homework for elementary students, asserting that it does not benefit their education. It highlights the pressures of standardized testing and the diminishing playtime in schools, encouraging parents to opt-out of homework assignments for their young children. With research supporting the idea that homework is largely ineffective at this age, parents are encouraged to prioritize their child’s free time instead.