It seems these days children are not allowed to be children for long. Even at nursery they are taught phonics and numbers. I’m sure when I was young we did not start learning until we started school and even then I only really remember the playing!
When Little Mr A started school in September I knew he would bring home reading books when he was ready but I wasn’t expecting homework too! At 4 I thought he would be too young and assumed that being at school 5 days a week would be enough. I was not sure I agreed with very young children having to do extra work at home. It’s not that I am not prepared to help him, I enjoy seeing how far he is coming on and how well he is doing it is just I know how tired he is when he gets home from school most days and I did not think he would be up for doing more work when he got home.
Since starting back after the Christmas holidays not only has Little Mr A started bringing reading books home but he is also getting homework. OK so it is not hours and hours of work, just a few spellings/phonics to learn but it is still homework. Little Mr A has completely surprised me with his enthusiasm for the homework. As soon as he gets home, no matter how tired and grumpy he has seemed on the way home, the first thing he does is sit down to do his homework and read me his book.
He is doing really well. All the spellings he brings home he does perfectly without me having to prompt him too much and he is doing so well with his reading. He really enjoys showing us how much he is learning and how much he knows and is really proud when we praise him.
I do feel myself turning into my Dad a bit though! He was always really good helping with our homework but quite strict and I need to remind myself he is only 4 and I need to chill out, he is doing really well and doesn’t need me to push him!!
Since he has started bringing work home I have changed my opinion – maybe homework for 4 year olds is OK after all!
He is now bringing home two books at a time, a phonics book (which are gradually getting longer and harder) and now an Oxford Reading Tree book with more difficult words. He loves reading and can’t wait to read the books to us when we get home. When we are out and about he is forever reading signs, sides of lorries, wherever there are letters really!
Mummy of two 