I have to say, I was a little unsure about this preschool homework business when I first heard about it. I could see the many advantages, but a small part of me wondered if it was too much for her age. There would be plenty of time for homework when she began school for real…no need to load her down now.
Now that we’ve been into it for about a month and a half, I can say that I think it’s truly a good thing with no drawbacks. So far each bit of weekly homework has three worksheets: practicing writing the letter of the week, some sort of simple number activity, and a page where they color objects that are the color of the week. It helps reinforce the lessons they are learning at preschool — and helps keep us in the loop regarding what they are learning. It takes maybe 10 or 15 minutes tops, so there’s not a huge time commitment involved.
But best of all? Baby B has begun to look forward to when it’s homework day. When she was home sick with me yesterday, she was actually disappointed that it was only Monday and not yet homework day (Wednesday). So I printed out a worksheet to help her practice writing one of the letters in her first name that she has a little bit of trouble with. This morning at breakfast, she asked The Husband if she could do homework. Recently she has started to ask to pretend-play school, not with her as the teacher as you might suspect but with her as the student because she wants to do worksheets.
I know none of this is a predictor of a future love of learning and school, but I’m glad to see it’s a step in the right direction. Baby B has always loved to learn (like most kids), but learning in a more structured way, like in school, is a different beast — one that some children thrive under (me) and other children outright reject (my sister). I hope she can find a way to enjoy the kind of learning that school has to offer all throughout her academic career.
And Baby B Makes Three! 