Happy Kids, Inc: Homework.....Groan!

Well, we are in week 2 of school....and the kids have been sent home with no homework, no reading expectations, nothing yet. To be honest, this bothers me. They went back to school September 3rd (the day after Labor Day) and I honestly thought homework folders would be in their backpacks on that Friday. No such luck.

So, they have been subjected to "mommy homework". I've got workbooks, plenty of books to read, even a few educational apps to work through. But this hasn't come easy. The minute I announced there would be work to do since they didn't receive homework, I was greeted with the quintessential groans.

I'm just not sure where this comes from. My kids actually like to do homework! They like to read, color, do school-type activities. So why the disdain? Is it because other kids complain about homework? Are they just tired at that precise moment? Could be.

I'm a big proponent of extended learning at home for a number of reasons. For one, it reduces the need to rely on television, video games, or other mindless activities to fill their time. Furthermore, it's a time to focus on skills they might need a little more practice on or to push them to the next level. I also love that we can cover topics that aren't being taught in school (at least not yet). I do a lot of geography with my kids at home. We have a workbook devoted to our home state. They are beginning to read some historical and biographical books, in addition to the fun stories they read.

I think I might be in the minority when it comes to this kind of structure. But I truly believe it provides a good balance between play time, chilling out, their favorite shows, some Wii, and the other extracurricular activities they are involved in.

Yes, I sometimes worry whether I might be pushing them too much. But I've discovered a few very important things as I have taught my kids at home. First, I know exactly what they are strong at and what they need to work on. With that knowledge, I can focus what they practice on accordingly. Second, I also find out what they really like about learning and studying. With that knowledge, you can gear learning resources to what they are drawn to so they get even more enjoyment out of it. For example, my son started baseball last Spring and is loving everything baseball. So, I made it a point to get a few books to read about famous baseball players, as well as use that as an example if I need to explain something in his terms.

So, the assigned homework will inevitably come. But I take pride in the fact that with these additional educational resources at our home, I am reinforcing the importance of education and balancing that with other activities in their lives.