"Oh, that homework again," the kids sigh, and you're not quite sure if you're right or wrong.
Homework can take up an entire afternoon for some students. Thus, many parents expressed concerns about the effectiveness of performing school tasks outside of class. These are often linked to the fact that students are given too much homework, which can have a significant impact on quality leisure time with the family and physical activity.
Online platform Psychology Today published an interesting summary of the benefits of homework and when it is simply too much. In doing so, they cited a study, the results of which showed that, for example, students are given, on average, three times more tasks than the recommended number.
According to the research carried out in Romanian schools, homework should have many functions academic benefits for high school students, but not elementary school students either. The experimental study they conducted showed that there are some benefits for elementary school students, however not in the case of math homework. It is interesting that the positive effect appeared only if the students got a moderate amount homework (about 20 minutes on average).
Is homework good for children?
Of course, the non-academic benefits of homework should also be taken into account, which may be even more essential. They belong here responsibility, time management and persistence and work habits. But an excessive amount of homework can have a negative effect on these components as well. On the other hand, it shortens the time for free play, which is essential for the development of language, cognitive, self-regulation and social-emotional skills. With an excessive amount of homework, children have less time for physical activity, which is another concern expressed by the mentioned research.
Homework according to research for high school students should not require more than 1 hour. Much less for elementary school students. They should mainly be a technique for achieving self-regulation and independent work skills. According to this data, it would elementary school students only needed 10 minutes of homework a day. And parents can help with homework by encouraging a growth mindset and supporting a child's autonomy.
