Kindergarten Homework Assignments: Are They Necessary?

Extensive amounts of homework seem to always be considered a sign of higher learning standards. Yet, are there any real reasons to think that take-home assignments are a good idea when it comes to early childhood education? In reality, none of the studies conducted on this topic has shown homework to be effective with kids under the age of eight. Most importantly though, there are common sense reasons why take-home tasks hinder learning in young children. There’s no need to conduct research, just think about a few of the arguments.

Kindergarten should prepare children for succeeding in grade school.

All graduating students learned a lesson about responsibility in grade school by completing assignments on their own time. This skill is vital to graduates because it prepares them for college, where they will need to be almost entirely independent in their studies. Similarly, to be prepared for grade school, it is essential for kindergartners to become enthusiastic about their education by the time they are done with early childhood education. Making five-year-old children spend their free time filling out a worksheet every day won't make them eager about their future education. Most are bound to associate studying with boredom, while others might start treating learning as a mundane chore.

The stress of homework is harmful to a child’s learning abilities.

Children tend to overreact when they make mistakes. The most talented preschooler in the world would break down crying because he or she didn’t get one answer correct on their math handout. Of course, most five-year-olds are not geniuses. They make mistakes and get frustrated very often. The main reason for so much stress is that everyone in a group is given the same tasks. Kids see this as a competition and kindergartners are just not very gracious losers.

Not all parents have enough time to help their kids with homework.

Since practically all kindergarteners need their parent’s help to do the assigned tasks, the results are not even dependent on the effort each child puts in. Some parents have to work late, others are separated and many are just not qualified to help their kids with math, even at this level.

The worst part of the situation is that everyone is aware that the academic level of the material isn’t realistic and that children aren't the ones solving it. Maybe parents don't realize this, but the hours of trying to do their kids' homework could be hours of quality family time. Change is way over-due to this ridiculous policy!