How Do You Have Time for Homework After School?

We have the aftercare help with homework. Then at home, we J. have to go over it with them. I look over it and see what he's working on and try to drill on it for a few minutes. That leaves us more time to play out side, take a bath, and read a book before bed.

Healthy meals take longer to cook. I admire you sticking to this. Many kids are overweight because of fast, convenient, but unnutritional food.

How much homework does she have? The idea of homework in Kindergarten is, IMO, totally insane (my 4th is in K now and there has never been "homework" for any of them).

If she has a packet of papers or something that has to be done each week, she should be able to do that in the after school program and then relax when she gets home.

If the homework is not assigned and is something additional that you're having her do...stop. She's got the rest of her school life to do homework - let her J. relax and unwind when you get home. She won't fall behind - read to her before bed, do all of the normal things that parents do to teach their children in everyday activities (count things, rhyme etc.) but don't feel like you have to "teach" her things. School is for formal learning - let her unwind at home.

It sounds like you need a more simplified dinnertime routine. Have you tried a crockpot? Check out http://stephanieodea.com/ for great meal recipes. Or preparing most of your dinner meal at breakfast time when you are already in the kitchen and then J. having to heat it up or add a few things? You could consider cooking in bulk one day of the week. For example, I will cook up a pot of spaghetti, rice and stir-fry, a chicken and vegetable roast, and sometimes a dessert all at once. I keep a big tupperware container in the fridge of ready to eat chef salad, J. add dressing. That keeps our famly of 4 pretty well stuffed for 3-4 days - w/o having to spend hours at the stove each and every day. So I usually bulk cook on Sundays when we don't have such a routine.

As for homework, it should simply be a reiteration of what she did that day at school. If it is not? If it is new stuff - then they are doing it wrong. Up till about 3rd grade, homework should not be in any way stressful, and if it takes more than 15 mins for a kindergartner, you need to decide if it is really worth her time. You don't want to burn her out.

Best of luck! You sound like a wonderful mom.

Where my son goes to after school care, they have the kids work on their homework. Most if not all of it gets done there.
Get a crock pot and set it up so dinner is ready to eat when you get home.
The time you would have spent in meal prep you can then use for helping with homework.
Make some meals up on the week end to freeze so you J. have to warm them up for supper during weekdays.
Talk with her teacher, too.
Sometimes some places really heap on the homework and the parents have to almost rebel in order to get it reduced to a manageable level.

As soon as my girls get home (6 and almost 8), they immediately feed the dog and the fish, pick out clothes for school the next day, and start their homework while I make dinner, check their folders, and make their lunches for the next day. Then we eat. If someone didn't finish their homework, now they have to. I don't look over their shoulder the entire time they're doing it. If they need help, they ask M. or my husband, and then one of us checks it when they're done. If they have to actually study something, that takes place of reading time J. before bed.

Kindergarten is a learning experience for you both... you'll find your homework niche! It does get easier :)

Tell your afterschool care that homework has to happen right after snack. Most afterschool cares already have that built in. At kindergarten she shouldn't have more than maybe a sheet or 2. should not be taking hours to do. if it is talk to the teacher. You should not be "teaching" her everything. you need to work with the teacher. I am not saying don't supplement but it should not be a big stress at night. or your setting her up to hate school.

First of all, her teacher is teaching her, you are reiterating what she is being taught, so cut yourself some slack.

Secondly, there should be a time at aftercare set aside for all the children to work on homework, she should be doing it then when the other children are, and there is someone there to help her. Best to get her into the routine there, so she isn't dependent on you to get her going on it at home.

Then before or after you prepare dinner set aside a few minutes to go over it with her, J. to see what she did and what she is working on, nothing time-consuming. Save the online educational games for the weekend and J. have her concentrate on her actual homework during the week. You might also see if she can use a computer at aftercare to play the games, my grandchildren did this and there are helpers there to assist them. But if she's needing so much help to play them you might want to scale back on the games, they should be geared towards her doing them herself, otherwise how is she "learning" from them? Also, don't try to squeeze arts and crafts into the mix, save them for Friday night or the weekend as well.

Your objective should be to get home, review the homework, put dinner together (have your daughter help by getting items for you and setting the table so you can spend time together) get her bathed and in bed peacefully without any stress. Best to get a solid routine going now, so as she gets older and the homework gets harder it isn't a struggle as she'll be used to doing it on her own with you there for assistance if needed.

Also, simplify your dinner routine, healthy meals can be made in advance or simplified on nights time is short. Make meals on the weekend and freeze them in dinner-size portions, casseroles, baked mac & cheese, enchiladas and spaghetti sauce freeze and reheat well, use a crockpot some days, and stretch meals over a couple of days or so. Say, one night you serve a roasted chicken with veggies and the following night a chicken salad, sandwiches or quesadilla with veggies, all using leftover chicken, or a roast with veggies and soup and sandwiches the following night, etc. You can have a plate of veggies washed and cut up in the fridge ready to use or eat as is, and can prepare them on the weekend as well.

With a little pre-planning it should all work out.

Aftercare for school aged children SHOULD have homework time. Otherwise, there J. ISN'T time. Part of the dinner routine can be her showing you her completed homework... kicks off the conversation/memory aids for how her day went.

((What I wanna know is who only spends 15-30 min on hw for K and 1st? The schools all SAY that, but I have yet to meet a kid who spent less than an hour or more even on "J." a couple worksheets... it's because reading takes TIME, and writing even LONGER... these are brand new skills and there isn't the muscle strength built up yet. And that's not even taking into account kids like my son who are NOT neurotypical... HW took HOURS when we were in awayschool.))

Sending home loads of homework for early elementary students is a troubling trend. There is not only no evidence that it helps kids with their academics, but plenty of evidence that it can have the ultimate effect of killing a child's natural joy of learning. Nationally-known educator Alfie Kohn has a great deal to say about this. Scroll down this list of Spotlight Articles for many helpful articles to help you understand your child's education, including "Rethinking Homework," for good reasons to connect with other parents and talk to your child's teacher and school administration about their homework policies.

The teacher may be well-intentioned but misinformed about the need for homework, or she may be simply jumping through hoops set up by poorly-informed administrators.

Either way, your daughter is not well-served by repetitive drills or practice that takes up important family or play time. A kindergartener is still doing a great deal of her learning through imaginative play and everyday activities and interactions. You can help her practice reading and writing on weekends or at bedtime, and she will probably do J. fine academically.

Kids who are way ahead or way behind on reading at the beginning of their school careers are much closer to the same level by third grade.

Good luck. This isn't an easy problem to tackle, and you will do well to band with other concerned families in helping your teacher understand how poorly-served young children are by time consuming and enthusiasm killing drills and practice.

Kinder aged kids, DO need help with homework.
It J. is.
Not doing it for them, but they need help.

Does the aftercare, ALSO help with homework? Some do.
Ask them.

Homework needs to get done.
So no matter when that is, it has to get done.
WHY have her do online games, when she should be doing her homework? Use time efficiently.
The priority, is completing homework.
Aside from that, then you can have her do other things. ie: the online stuff you do with her. But that can be only on the weekends.
Not EVERYTHING has to be done everyday. Only homework has to be done everyday. Because, it is a school requirement.
That is the priority.

Don't try to fit in ALL of that, every night.
The main thing is, that her school homework is completed.
As you cook, you also have her sit at the kitchen table, and help her in between. Toggling your time. Essentially, doing 2 things at one time.

My Son is in Kindergarten. He gets homework everyday.
We do the everyday homework, as a priority.
Then he has things, that can be done, as WE have time for. Per the Teacher. Supplemental things. But that is not done, everyday.

Hello,
When my daughter was in kindergarten last year, I actually asked my boss if I could come in a half hour earlier and leave at 4:30 for J. this purpose! Not enough time in the evening! Anyway, she said yes so that did help. I don't know what your morning routine is, but perhaps you could squeeze some in before school? We also do that at our house, too. But what has also helped is on weekends do all your meal planning for the next week and you may even try making two or three meals on Sunday to last throughout the week. Then you can J. reheat on work/school nights and go from there. I know it's hard, believe M.. But a little extra planning goes a long way. Good luck!

I J. met with our principal, school phsychologist, resource teacher and teacher about this today. Without rehashing all of our issues, the principal said a "typical" kid should be able to do homework for 10 minutes for every grade (so 30 minutes for a 3rd grader). So if its taking more than 15 min to do homework, talk to the teacher to see if they can reduce it like every other question/problem instead of the whole thing. Also, ask the aftercare teachers if they have homework time before you pick her up. Most of the time they do where they will help them with it so you don't have to. I hope you find something that works for you. Good luck!

How do you "help" ?
It shouldn't be beyond reading or explaining the directions.
If you correct what she does wrong , her teacher won't know what things she needs help with. If you walk her through every problem she won't be able to do it on her own later.
It should only take a max of 15 mins for her to do her homework. Doing it while you are making dinner is a perfect time to do it. You can step away from the stove for a few minutes to clarify something and go back to it ,you don't need to sit with her and walk through every problem.
Also drop the extra stuff, unless the computer stuff is assigned , drop it. You don't have time for it in your day.

Try cooking for the week on your day off so all you have to do is heat it up.

I'm in a similar boat! But I am also wondering how much homework does she have and how long does it take?

We are officially home by around 6pm. I make homework the first priority. I will sit her in the kitchen, she usually had worksheets, this year a little different. But I would read only part of the directions and have her complete that task on her own, when she was done I would read her another part and so on. Having her in the kitchen while we did it, always made it possible when we did it step by step.

I don't think her homework should take more than 15 minutes or at least it didn't in my daughter's case.

How much homework are we talking about here? For K she should get a worksheet or two.

Don't they allow time & help in aftercare?

Our rule was always homework as soon as you get home. Otherwise, the later in the evening--the 10 minutes turned to 40!

If all else fails, dinner, homework SHORT book and bed.

Cook ahead as much as you can so you're reheating mostly, not cooking, maybe.

Well my questions to you are: how much homework is you daughter getting? when is it sent home and when is it due back to school? Check your schools homework policy (it should be online at the school districts website) and make sure the homework is in compliance. When my oldest was in K it was not. She would get 45-60 minutes of homework per night (thanks to a new teacher who was out of compliance). Homework should only take 15 mins MAX per night at this age/grade.

My youngest daughter is now in K (different school but same district) and she gets a mini book to read and five new sight words a week. We can easily do that in 5 minutes time and because she isn't doing any writing, etc. we can even do the homework while she is taking a bath or we can go out to dinner once in a while and take the homework with us! The teacher gave them each a homework folder that contains the homework. The folder is plastic and velcros shut so it is easy to tote around. It comes home on Friday and is due back on Thursday. This has made things so easy for us. Once in a while she gets "projects" that are really easy and fun but the teacher is good about giving us 1-2 weeks to work on them. We usually do the projects on the weekend since I work FT as well. The daily homework we do nightly but sometimes we forget or it J. doesn't get done and it isn't a big deal because as long as she can read her book and memorize her sight words she is good to go. They get tested on them on Thursday.

I didn't know what the homework would be like and I thought she woudl have to do more writing, glueing, cutting, etc. so I made her a "homework kit" to keep at home. It is a plastic tote box that has sharpened pencils, a large eraser, pencil sharpener, box of markers, box of crayons, glue bottle, and a glue stick. This way everything is together and we don't waste time looking for anything. I keep it on the shelf in her closet out of her reach so nothing gets lost. She hasn't needed it this year much but I'm sure it will come in handy next year. It can also be taken with us if we have somewhere that we need to go in the evenings.

As far as the meals, I would find quick & easy things to make. Stir fry, quesadillas, tacos, spaghetti, etc. You can even cook a little bit on the weekends to help during the week. For example, I try and cook chicken and ground beef/ground turkey in batches and freeze then pull out and thaw and I can have dinner done in about 15 minutes. Or have you tried crockpot meals? That way dinner is done when you get home. Serve them on a paper plate and then you can J. throw away most of the mess.

Can the recommended computer games be played on the weekend vs. the evenings when you have more time to help her? Can she start the homework at her after school child care center? Also, the book should be counted as homework. I know in our school district they're required to read for about 10-15 minutes a day and they're required to have no more than 15 minutes of homework per day at this age/grade. So the reading counts as part of the homework and that's why we're able to get the other homework done in 5 minutes per day.

Does she need a bath every evening? I give my daughter a bath every-other night unless she needs one on the off nights. Can you give her a quick bath?

As far as helping cook, arts & crafts, fun educational games, etc. I would say save it for the weekends. She imay even be getting some of this in after school care anyway. Really, the only thing she wants is your time. So reading books, snuggling, doing what you currently are doing and spending your evenings with her is all she really needs.

It's hard...my daughter had Homework 4 nights a week in Kindergarten and it's now the same with 1st Grade. When do you get the assignment? In Kindergarten, we got it on Friday's. That was a HUGE help! I would knock out the majority of the work Friday-Sunday with her and use the time during the week to review or squeeze in extra practice on Speeling Words or Reading. Would the teacher be willing to send home the work on Friday's for you or MAYBE the whole class.
Now we get the assignments on Monday's. Makes things a little more difficult. But, I review what needs to be done and I try and space it out to fit our needs. Tuesday is a really light day and Wednesday is more difficult. So, I make her do 1/2 of Wednesday's work on Tuesday.
Couple Sugguestions...
Can you prep meals for dinner in the morning? I thawed our chicken this morning and cut up the veggies, so all I have to do is cook them when I get home (of course I stil have to make tomorrows lunches, do baths, and so on)
Can you crock pot a meal or 2 during the week? Set it on 10 hrs, you walk in the door and dinner is ready. Use a Crock Pot liner for easy clean up.
On the heaviest homework night, maybe grab a pizza or some other carryout...heck you could use the leftovers for lunch the next day.

While you are prepping dinner, try and set her up with the easiest parts of the homework, so your help is not needed as frequently. Once you eat and showers are done, spend another 15-20 mins (she should have no more than 30 mins a night and if it's taking longer, speak to her teacher...maybe the work is too much for her at her age) to finish up the rest.

Good luck! I feel your pain and I am sure it's only going to get worse. Next year I wil have 2 with homework!

CaN you see if they will help her of kindercare? I know at my kids preschool the kids that meet their siblings there after school sit at the tables and do their Homework and one of the teachers helps them if they have any questions

I hear 'ya! I had the same problem when mine was in kindergarten and I hate to tell you, but it was the same in first grade. By second grade she could do it mostly by herself with only a little help. I really don't have an answer for you because I never really figured it out. Fortunately, I had my husband to help. It took M. some time to convince him that I truly needed him to actually get up and help M. during the evenings, but eventually it got to where he would either help cook or help with homework so they could both get done. The only real suggestion I have is to try to cook things over the weekend that can J. be reheated and/or do as much prep work for dinner the night before or in the mornings. It is extremely difficult and I was floored at the amount of homework they assigned in kindergarten. I truly don't remember having homework when I was in kindergarten!

You can do homework in the morning too! Consider getting up 15-20 minutes earlier and doing it then.

Well, our afterschool program does do some homework so we have to J. check it when we get home. But, we try to do extra work with our son. It has to be really h*** o* you being a single parent. I would suggest simplifying your menu. Nothing wrong with putting some chicken breasts in the oven to bake and adding steamed vegtables and rice with it. You can sit down with homework when the food is baking....

Maybe you need to get a little more organize. Make a menu a week advance, so know what's for dinner, maybe freeze a couple of them on the weekend to eat during the week. I'm not sure how much homework she has in K, mine didn't have much other than reading 20 minutes a night, which could also be done at bedtime. I would also ask you after school care to have her do some of her homework there.

The other thing I can think of, is shorting bath time.

My older two are in high school, so much more homework, however, they seem to get most of it done at school. My youngest is still in Pre-K so he only has reading, us reading to him.