Love and Logic - Children's Homework

Here is something I received from our local school. It was written by the founder of Love & Logic.

If I were king, I'd insist that we take a new look at the role of homework for elementary-aged children.

There are many different ways to learn. Pencil and paper activities are good ways to learn, but only one of many different ways.

If I were king, paper and pencil worksheets would cease at the end of the school day for kids in elementary school. Other forms of learning would take over, except in cases where a child does them on a voluntary basis.

As king, I would encourage parents to ask teachers for ideas about how kids can learn in different fun ways with their parents. I bet the teachers would suggest all kinds of learning activities that support the work done at school. Homework might include activities such as:

Reading to each other.

Games that require math skills.

Exploring the neighborhood for examples of nature and science.

Card games and board games.

Electronic games.

Researching on the Internet.

Measuring and weighing while cooking.

Finding the best bargain in the grocery store.

Spelling games.

Calculating gas mileage, win/loss averages for favorite sports, time and distance, etc.

This list could go on and on.

All of you have favorite learning games and activities. I invite you to share these ideas. We will compile a list to distribute at a later date. Email your contributions to maggiey@loveandlogic.com.

Why do I ask for you to contribute to this list? Research, including Dr. Harris Cooper's study of 700 young students, indicates that the more written assignments students did, the more negative their attitudes became about school.

Let's put the joy back into learning.

Thanks for reading,
Jim Fay