

Do a little bit of vocabulary each night, repeating the same words night after night. Well, research shows that the brain is better at remembering when we repeat with consistency, not when we study in long, isolated chunks of time. The next week, it’s a new worksheet with different words and so on. Say a child has to do a vocabulary worksheet. Which kind of homework is the most effective?Ĭory Turner has a suggestion on this: “Let’s start with something called the spacing effect.

Too much homework can interfere with necessary social activities that also are valuable.

The reason for this is that children need a break to enjoy family and friends. Many experts do not agree with weekend homework for students. That means, for example, that 3rd-grade students should not have more than 30 minutes of homework per night. The most widely accepted “rule of thumb” for homework is simple: A total of 10 minutes of homework per night per grade. High school students seem to benefit the most. Studies have found that the value of homework increases with age. In 2012, students in three different age groups - 9, 13 and 17 - were asked, “How much time did you spend on homework yesterday?” The vast majority of 9-year-olds (79 percent) and 13-year-olds (65 percent) and still a majority of 17-year-olds (53 percent) all reported doing an hour or less of homework the day before.Īnother study from the National Center for Education Statistics found that high school students who reported doing homework outside of school did, on average, about seven hours a week.” How Much Minutes of Homework Per Night is Acceptable? student get?Īccording to the National Public Radio: “The best answer comes from something called the National Assessment of Educational Progress or NAEP.

While it is as a tool for learning and developing responsibility, it may not be beneficial for young children. However, there are some facts that offer clarification.įirst, it is important to know that research has not determined if homework is useful with very young children. The issue of how much homework is enough or too much is difficult to answer with precision. How Much Homework is Too Much for a Child? That doesn’t mean that we don’t sometimes have questions… as the parent, the student or the teacher. Students whose parents offer support of education and teachers generally perform better than in schools that lack such support. One question on the minds of many parents and students is “How many minutes of homework should my child have?” Parents generally support the schools their children attend, and that support is vital.
