How Much Time Should Homework Take?

Homework is suppose to be review and practice of skills taught already by the teacher. In my opinion homework should take for k-2 no more than 15-30 minutes. For 3-6 grades homework should be no more than 30-60 minutes. It may take less time or more time depending on the work habits of the child or understanding of the assignment.

According to "The Mom Book Goes To School", at the beginning of the year, find out whether your child will receive homework each night, how much time the teacher thinks is appropriate for the average assignment, and the rough schedule for big projects. If your child is spending countless hours on homework:

1. Observe your child's work habits.


2. Is your child daydreaming, wasting time, dawdling, taking frequent breaks, or being overly perfectionist? If you observe any or several of these things then the amount of homework may not be the problem.


3. Keep track of how much time your child spends on homework.


4. Give your child a timer to complete certain task.


5. The amount of time a child spends on homework should gradually increase as the grade increases.


6. If your child is spending more time on homework than the teacher has stated it should take, send a note or make contact with the teacher and get her/his opinion on what should be done.


7. Talk to other parents in your child's class to determine whether their children are also dealing with large amount of time completing homework.


8. If homework proves an ongoing struggle and your child's grades do not reflect the time and effort put in, ask to meet with the teacher to resolve the problem.