Are Homework Necessary for Preschoolers

Should preschoolers do homework or not? That is the question. This topic is greatly debated by experts in the field. While many teachers are in support of it, many parents and administrators are against it.

Some schools include it because they think it will establish a reference for achievement. Some others do it because they think parents “expect it” and others “are” doing it only because they’ve always done it.

From studies, different kinds of homework benefit different demographics. The program you run determines what kind of homework you should send home if you even should.

Parents and Homework

Parents understand the implications of misspent time. This takes an emotional toll on the families. At preschool age, children can’t do their homework themselves, they need help, intense supervision. The real question is, do parents have the skill and time it takes? What if the child resists or is too distracted or stressed? The child’s abilities in the early hours of the day aren’t the same as after school.

The second issue is that children work outside a lesson plan at home. Kids this age need a lot of guidance in doing their work. With no teacher available to interpret the questions and expected answers consistent with the lesson, it becomes even dicier for parents as they work based on assumptions.

It is pretty clear that homework comes with a cost: when things come with a cost, it’s important we begin to ask ourselves if the benefit outweighs the cost.

What does research say?

Surprisingly, research tells us little. In fact, if you look closer, research does not justify the relevance homework for young kids. Homework completion may correlate with superior academic achievement but it doesn’t correlate with a higher level of knowledge or skills in young kids.

Our suggestion?

We understand that children learn better by play. They do better when they’re immersed voluntarily and enthusiastically in their own hobbies. So what if we design homework that is age-appropriate, fun and tailored to their pretty-short attention span?

This is more than likely to improve their abilities, keep them engaged and help parents ease the stress of having to get them to do their homework. This approach is a win-win for all parties.