Do Our Children Do Too Much Homework?
Controversy over the amount of homework our children have to do is still a topical issue. The debate is open, duties yes or duties no. There are many positions on this issue. There are those who see appropriate for children to have homework. But also those who see the excessive amount of exercises that children have.
Children have their daily routine of going to school and the extracurricular activities they are enrolled in. But to this are added the duties that are sent to them at school, which according to many parents and experts is an excessive workload. On the other hand, teachers defend the position that they are important to improve school performance. They consider them necessary for them to assimilate knowledge properly.
Faced with this situation we parents, we do not know if homework is really effective or all they do is saturate our children with more burden than they should. So the question arises, are homework good or not ? It is clear that this is not a matter of black and white, but rather it has nuances.
Why is it good for our children to do homework?
In the schools the classes are overcrowded. Therefore, homework can be an opportunity to have an individualized treatment with the children, which from the affection and deep knowledge can only have a father.
Homework time is also a good time for parents and children to interact positively. Despite being tired, dedicating a bit of our attention to our children is great.
Homework helps our children to establish and consolidate the knowledge they learn in class. Both writing and reading are improved by practicing, and you cannot spend all your school time doing this practice.
Doing homework from a young age teaches positive values such as effort, discipline, and responsibility. It also allows them to create a work habit.
Cons of excess homework
Homework prevents the development of creativity and imagination in elementary school children who are still in a very important phase of development. They need to play in order to develop their abilities and take advantage of their fantasy.
The educational system is established with generalized standards and the particular characteristics of each student are not taken into account. The same thing happens with homework, which is usually the same for everyone. This is not good, as each student has different levels of knowledge.
With so much homework, what is achieved is boring children and creating a negative attitude towards studying and reading. We force them to do things they are not ready for yet.
The excess of homework leaves parents who help their children with them frustrated after endless sessions. This significantly deteriorates the affective bond that exists between the two.
Not only is it the fact of helping them do their homework, but there is also the need for them to stand out from their peers. For this reason, some parents go from helping to carry out their children’s homework so that they get better marks than their peers.
Homework gets children to spend hours locked in their room instead of spending that time going out to the park, playing, running or playing sports with other children. These activities are very beneficial for their development at these early ages.
Conclusions
The debate is served and the two positions have their part of reason. On the one hand, the exercises strengthen the bond between children and the parents who help them. All this despite the extra effort it takes after all day working. In addition, it fosters a habit of work and study, as well as a necessary discipline in the next formative stages of the child and perhaps throughout his life.
On the other hand, an excess of tasks in these times in which by pressing a button you have all the necessary information and calculations at your disposal, supposes a considerable reduction in the personal development of the child.
So each parent will have to draw their own conclusion. This is a very personal decision as long as our educational system does not act firmly.
