According to a new study, most elementary students have much more homework than the recommended amount. In some cases, students have three times as much homework as the recommended amount.
The National Education Association and the National Parent-Teacher Association have established a 10-minute rule based on a child’s age. According to this standard, a child should have about 10 minutes of homework per grade level. For example, a third grader can have up to 30 minutes of homework a day. In high school, two hours of homework a night is acceptable. The associations chose these homework limits based on studies that show how homework affects children at different ages.
Too much homework can have a detrimental effect. Stephanie Donaldson-Pressman, clinical director of the New England Center for Pediatric Psychology and the author of the study, said in a statement about the results, “The data shows that homework over this level is not only not beneficial to children’s grades or GPA, but there’s really a plethora of evidence that it’s detrimental to their attitude about school, their grades, their self-confidence, their social skills and their quality of life.”Â
However, the study found that children in the first grade often received over 30 minutes of homework a night, three times more than the recommended 10 minutes. Even children in kindergarten often have half an hour of homework, which the NEA does not recommend or endorse.
“It is absolutely shocking to me to find out that particularly kindergarten students [who] are not supposed to have any homework at all… are getting as much homework as a third-grader is supposed to get,” Donaldson-Pressman said.
The study also found that families were more stressed when children had more homework. Families were 200 percent more likely to fight over homework if children received more than the recommended amount.
A 2014 study published in the Journal of Experimental Education found that children in high school who received over two hours of homework a night had high stress levels, physical health problems, weight loss, and sleep deprivation.Â
Healthy ways for caregivers to help with homework stressÂ
If you think your child may be receiving too much homework, talk with your child’s teacher or your local school board. Show the staff the studies indicating that too much homework is detrimental to children’s health. Until the policies change, however, use the following tips to help your kids deal with homework stress:
- Remove distractions: Some children may take longer to do homework because of TV, smartphones and other distractions. Make sure your child has a distraction-free zone to do homework.
- Discuss with your children’s teachers ways to reduce the time it takes to complete homework. Teachers often have study tricks and homework shortcuts that can help students complete homework faster.
- Set a relaxing atmosphere by avoiding conflict related to homework. Allow older children to pick when and how they complete their homework as long as it gets done in time to turn into the teacher the next day. Calming essential oils, such as lavender and chamomile, or stimulating oils like peppermint can help easily distracted children to focus.
- Give your child healthy foods to eat on a regular basis. A nutrient-starved brain will have a harder time focusing on academics.
- Allow your children to complete homework on their own. This will show the teacher the child’s true progress and skill level.
Implementing these simple tips will help make the homework and back-to-school experience easier for both students and parents.
 — The Alternative Daily
Sources:
http://www.cnn.com/2015/08/12/health/homework-elementary-school-study/index.html
http://www.pta.org/content.cfm?ItemNumber=1730
http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/uaft20/current#.VcoTzfmK_jh
