Happy Kids, Inc: Homework During Christmas Vacation?

By Meg Hodson

My kids' Christmas vacation is winding down. They are officially back to school next Monday. They've been on break for 2 1/2 weeks. We've had a great "staycation". I really enjoy having them around so much, although it can get a little crazy at times!

One thing I like to do during extended breaks is extra learning and teaching at home. I make sure they keep up on their reading. We do workbooks. We practice fun things like state capitals. I try to focus on subjects that are at their grade level (or a little above). I try to make it fun. Sometimes an art project is involved in the work.

I was a little surprised when both my 4th grader and 2nd grader were sent home with a significant amount of homework for the break. Although it's not due until a few days after they are back at school, it was still an amount that would require them to work during the break.

I welcome extra work for my kids. I like homework. But this just seemed like a slightly painful reminder of the state of our classrooms today. My children attend public school in Oregon and we seem to get hit with more and more budget cuts as each school year passes. I am not sure if this is what specifically contributes to extra homework over the holidays. But I do know classrooms sizes are large and teachers' resources are getting stretched thinner and thinner.

Did they feel the students would fall too far behind without homework over the long break? Maybe. We are very involved parents with our children, but for other students, this might be a good thing for them.

But I also understand the need for "kids to be kids". They need that break to play more, do new activities they don't get a chance to do with school commitments, and, quite honestly, to give their brains a rest! It's important to remember that learning is occurring, even if they aren't writing or crunching numbers.