My 4 Year Old Gets Homework....

Schools cannot win. You chose an academic preschool and are now upset because it is being academic...

Often homework is even sent as an opportunity to involve parents and open a door for communicating what the kids are doing in school.

I remember subbing in a kindergarten room on a day that a parent was volunteering. At the end of the day she looked at me and said, "Wow! I have to be honest. I thought that they mostly just played all day!" Now, they did "play", it wasn't some crazy teacher treating them like they weren't 4 and 5 years old, but they learned so much through their "play". Often parents complain when their kids come home and say they played all day. Through communication and "homework" it may ease some parents minds...

When my daughter was in pre-k she was given homework. Easy things like coloring, but homework nonetheless. It was prep for kindergarten.

There is no evidence supporting homework. In fact, there is more evidence supporting how it destroys the love of learning.Kids are naturally curious.

i'd pull my kid from that preschool so quickly it isn't even funny. kids need to explore and play at 4, not do boring worksheets. Learning happens, and it happens everywhere and all the time. There is no need for "academic' preschools. Kids learn, their natural curiosity in an enriching environment is all they need.

I think when you choose an academic preschool you should not be surprised when the focus is on...academics.
Is it NAEYC accredited? That's more important than assigning homework in my opinion. If you don't know what I'm talking about then Google it.
If they are not accredited then it tells me they are not a "serious" preschool and they're just giving out homework to look good for the parents and community who (naively) thinks it's important at this age.

What you are describing as homework isn't really what I would consider homework. Surely she isn't turning it in and being graded on it? To me, sending home a coloring worksheet is merely a way for the school to encourage parents to reinforce what is being taught at school to their children at home.

Unfortunately a lot of parents do not do any kind of teaching with their children. They view it as the school's job. In my school district there are some children who start kindergarten without knowing their colors or how to count to 10 simply because mom and dad didn't think to say this is blue...let's see how many blue things we can see in this room or look, there is a bird...let's count how many birds are sitting on that wire.

My 3 year old daughter attends preschool. They do send home fun little activities for the children. Again, I don't view that as homework.

She's going to an academic pre-school - so I would expect homework - even if it was one page a week.

If this isn't what you want, then you might need to change schools.

I see their point - you are sending your child there - not just for day care but for learning...so you expect them to ready your child for Kindergarten...they are doing that...

I do not see the need for homework before middle school.

Academic preschool? That's kind of sad because I think even today's kindergarten kids should simply be PLAYING. They are 5 and 6.
We didn't get pushed to read that young. All it does is burn them out. And, the vital, creative curiosity that's in all young kids needs to burn brightly. Academics at a young age do more harm than good...

Parents today too often get very tense at the mere mention of the word "homework." But what your child is being asked to do -- coloring letters, only once a week -- is truly no big deal, and I'm not sure why it bothers you other than the fact that other people you know say their kids have no homework in preschool. I bet if you really inquire, you will find some of these parents say, "Oh, when you asked if my kid has homework I thought you meant real academic homework -- of course she brings home stuff to color (or cut out, or she's told to gather 100 pennies for the 100 days of school event, or whatever)."

So there might be more of this level of homework going on out there than you really realize. And...don't let what other people's kids, in schools that aren't your child's school, affect your opinion.

She is not being asked to do anything onerous. It is just a little reinforcement disguised as fun; they're asking that you have her do a little coloring, once a week, not number and letter memorization nightly. Even a play-based preschool might ask this.

If she does a "pre-K" program at age 5 in preschool, you might find she is doing more with letters, numbers, words, and bringing home some assignments. If that is not something you want, that's fine, but it is pretty standard in any pre-K around here that is trying to get kids ready for kindergarten. I have a friend who taught preschool and she is a true believer in play-based preschool that focuses on socialization first and foremost (which it should!), but even she had kids color at home sometimes.

Kindergarten now is much more like first grade used to be; the expectations from teachers and school systems are far higher, so preschool is expected to do a lot of the early socialization -- and the early letter and number skills -- that K used to handle. And first grade moves faster than it did for any of us and kids have to enter first grade ready to roll, including being ready for the idea of homework. So don't be surprised at some minimal homework in K, and maybe even in your child's last year of preschool. IF the preschool is doing a lot of worksheets, requiring kids to complete certain numbers of worksheets, sending home stuff daily-- that is way too much and too dull for preschoolers, but small things like coloring once a week is not too much and can still be fun.

Our daughter liked workbooks at this age, but some children are just not into this.

Our daughter also knew how to read at this age, and we did not even realize it!

We had a neighborhood full of children all around the same age. Here is the interesting thing. almost all of our children were National Merit Scholars, and yet, some of these kids, could not read until Kindergarten. Some of them HATED any kind of work book type work. But in the end, they were all excellent students.

I think that it is fun to sit with a young child and be with them as they discover they CAN read. They can write, they can draw.. But I also love to be around the super active kids that are moving at every moment. They can jump, they are fearless, agile and no interest in sitting down.

I would allow your child to have the option of seeing the worksheets and having fun with him giving you some work sheets. The 2 of you could work on your "homework" together. But if he is just not into it, I do not in any way see a problem with this,.

I think you answered your own question - 'she goes to a pretty academic preschool' where they 'really want the class to be prepared for kindergarten'.

My kids went to a preschool where they did learn some things but it was a lot of play, exploration, crafting. No homework, ever. My kids did great in kindergarten and beyond.

I wouldn't stress about her coloring busy-work. If she enjoys it, fine. Let her do it. If she doesn't like it, don't force the issue. It is preschool, they can't flunk out. There are better ways to teach color and letter recognition, IMO.

I mean this in a nice way - if you don't like it, don't do it.

Are they going to "fail" her if she doesn't do the homework?

Just tell the teachers thanks but no thanks, you'll handle your DD's out-of-school learning as you see fit.

Here in GA, preschool (not daycare actual preschool) starts as young as 18 months. We started getting simple homework in their 3 year old class - tracing, coloring, writing their first name ect. At 4 years old we were given weekly assignments. Halfway through their preK (4 year class), we were given 5 words a week and they had a spelling test on the 5 words every week. I have talked to people at different preschools and this seems pretty typical for my area.

My daughter did when she was 3.5 - 4.5 because she was in the 4 yr old room. there wasn't any consequences if it wasn't done (that I know of). The homework was more fun tasks than anything but it was about experiencing things. One specific activity was to walk around outdoors to see what you would find (had a check off list) and another was to do rubbings (different surfaces to show the difference in how they look and feel).

In our case, that was never an issue for our daughter because we did lots of things with her but there are some that if they aren't specifically told to "have your child explore things" with specific instructions it doesn't happen.

By the end of Pre-K my DD had sight words & basic addition. We choose a private school that focused on academics and a kindergarten that focused on academics & behaviors. Don’t worry your not alone, times are changing

My 3.5 yo gets "homework" once or twice a week in her speech therapy preschool. It is usually a color sheet, along with an activity she does after it's colored; like gluing them in a certain order, or cutting and gluing pieces while saying that weeks's sound focus.

However, it is completely optional. They send it so that if the parents want to work on it, they can. It only has to be turned in if the kid wants to show it off to the teacher. They DO ask that we practice the sounds at least once a day, but that's only because it's a therapy situation, not academic.

Preschools, vary in approach and style.
Some are more rigid, some are more play oriented, some are more academic, some are not.
So, at least for me, I chose Preschools for my kids, which *I* thought I wanted my kids to be in. Per, how each of my kids are and what would click with them etc. Hence they both went to 2 different preschools. And they both loved theirs.
I went with each of my kids, to tour various Preschools, before I chose which one I wanted my kids to be in, and per their own, liking. And I knew what their approaches were, as a Preschool.

And no, not all preschools give "homework." It is not the norm here, at least, in my area.

Being prepped for Kindergarten, does not mean, giving "homework."
But well, that preschool your child attends, feels it needs to be that way.
But that is not the way, all Preschools, are.
But that is the way your child's Preschool is.

My 4-year old daughter comes home with homework two days a week. Her homework is practicing writing her name and her letters.

Completely ridiculous. I would just tell the teacher that she won't be doing it.

Please clarify on what you mean by homework. People get all crazy when they hear the word homework, but ultimately, I feel like it's not homework that is the issue so much as it is busywork.

My son is in kindergarten. Yes, he brings home homework. He does this on at least 2 or 3 nights a week. As parents, we are expected to check and sign his folder every day and send it back to school. We are expected to read to our child for 20 minutes a day, and our son colors in the square on the calendar to indicate that he has been read to. His homework has consisted of him reading a short story to us (as in 4 pages of something really short like, "I see the apple," "I see the alligator," etc. while practicing his sight words and using the pictures of the apple, alligator, etc. to finish out the sentence). One evening he was asked to draw a picture of the important people in his life.

Yes, when our son was in 3 yr old preschool and 4 yr old preschool we were expected to do similar things. We signed his folder every night. On occasion, he would have activities to do.

As adults, many people hear homework, and they think of a page of 50 math problems or writing long sentences or whatever, but ultimately, that's not the type of homework that a preschooler or even kindergartener is typically assigned. My son actually gets excited when he has homework, because it doesn't take much time, and it is really almost always something fun.

As a teacher, I must go on a personal rant here and say that many people in society expect teachers to do everything...but ultimately, the learning needs to start at home and be supported by the parents. YES, I believe that parents should be reading to their children. YES, I believe that parents should at least have a general idea of what their child(ren) are doing in school. YES, I know that it is tough and things get busy. I chose to have children for a reason, and I knew it wouldn't be easy.

Think about the homework activities that your child is getting and then determine whether the activities are age appropriate and whether or not this preschool is the best fit for you.

Most homework involves worksheets in my experience. Kids don't need practice doing worksheets. Kids need to be encourage to explore, develop a love of books, and to ask lots and lots of questions. So unless the homework is something open ended, I would just let the teacher know that your child is not going to be doing them at this age. Tell her you will use the time to read to her or do mini science experiments or something like that.

I specifically chose a nonacademic preschool for my son when he was 4. They never did letter of the day or forced the kids to write. They had open ended exploration throughout the day and spent 1/2 the time outside in a 300 acre nature preserve and demonstration farm. My kid is in 5th grade now and since the beginning of 1st grade was reading 3 grade levels ahead of his age.

When I chose a preschool for the kids, I went and visited, I read about their philosophies, and I asked about their practices. Did you not do that? Some were clearly academic based and others were play based. And yes, some sent home homework. I would have thought that people who choose the one with homework are doing so to prepare the kid for school, which is why they give it. And I would have thought those whose kids don't get homework chose programs based on that understanding. Our preschool did similar things, which is why I chose it for the pre-K program. But it wasn't necessary because we used workbooks at home from a very early age, so what they did there wasn't much different. By the time they got it at school, it never seemed like "work" - it was just one of the ways we played at home.

ETA: In some of the responses people are outraged by the idea of "boring worksheets" and kids should just explore. I totally agree, and one way my kids loved exploring was workbooks! They would ask for them! They loved the puzzles and match ups, the cute pictures they got to color, searching for all the things that start with S, etc. The activities were also a way of exploring their knowledge - I never pushed them. I just made them available and we would sit together and work on them together. There are many valid ways of learning.

I guess it depends on what kind of homework it is? My daughter (3) had to bring in a poster that was all about her and her likes. Of course I did it but I had her kind of help me pick what went on it and stuff. Or we had to bring in pictures of community helpers, we had visited a fire house a couple months back so I brought in some of those pics. Is it like that kind of homework, or is it worksheets? Because I think worksheets would be pretty strange at this age for sure.

I give my preschooler homework in the form of work/activity books. He does them at his leisure and loves them. Helps with letter and number recognition and writing. None of my children ever had homework sent from preschool though.

My daughters are in college and high school. They went to different pre-schools and both of them had homework. It was for 2 main reasons, to reinforce the concepts they were learning in the classroom and to develop a life long skill. Our district puts a huge emphasis on reading, and requests that the parents read to their child every night as part of homework. Other homework included looking for pictures in magazines or flyers of items starting with a specific letter, practice writing their name, and cutting out shapes. It may not seem like it's important, but by first grade it's obvious which students are doing reading and homework. Taking 10 minutes each evening really does make a difference.

Added: my BFF's granddaughter who is in school has homework to practice writing her name each day, and to work on learning her letters.

Our preschool is play-based. Homework for a 4yo is ridiculous. "Academics" for a 4yo is ridiculous. Learning the alphabet, numbers, science, etc. is great, if done in a fun play-focused way.

When my now 9 year old was in preschool he had homework as well. It was preschool through the school district where he now goes to school. He received a packet every week which included practicing his name, colors, and letters. I remember every week looking through magazines with him for pictures that started with a particular letter. But my now 4 year old goes to full day preschool that is not through the school district, and she does not have homework.

no.. my kids did not do homework in 4 yr preschool.. and homework in kindergarten was very little. and kinder homework is fun..

even first grade homework takes 10 minutes maybe 2 nights a week. these poor kids are in school 5 days a week 7 hours a day. unless the child is struggling.. I see no need for homework. let them have an hour or two to play and be kids...

It is the preschool you have her in. Some preschools enforce it and some don't.

My daughter's school had very little homework, so I purchased the workbooks from the book store and gave her more to do.

It won't hurt them and they will be well prepared for school. Kindergarten is no longer about singing, coloring, gluing, and nap time, like it was when I went to school.

We chose a pre school that was play based. For me the point is not the "work" itself but the fact that such a young child is being taught that learning is work she has to do.

Doesn't matter that it's just coloring. At her age kids should think of reading, coloring and learning as fun. She will get more than enough "work" in elementary school. The trick is to keep it all fun as long as possible. I have raised two avid readers and excellent students who still love to learn and go to school, most of the time;).

My kid didn't even bring home homework until first grade, and even now her homework is just spelling words.

Neither of my children went to preschool, so I don't know if that's the norm. When my son was in daycare they tried to send home some of the things they worked on during the day to finish at home. I told them no. If he didn't finish while there, he can do it the next day.

Now, an official preschool program is different. In my state, preschool is like the new kindergarten and Kindergarten is the new first grade, so they probably do have homework. I think it's a little soon for that, but once a week isn't bad. How long does it take for her to complete it? 5 minutes or so? That's not bad and I wouldn't complain. You say it has a rigorous program, so I think that would be expected.

When my son was in K, he didn't always do the homework. I wanted to focus on his weak areas at home, so he wouldn't fall behind or feel inferior in school. His teacher was fine with that, since I was working with him on things at home. In a given week, he did about half of the papers he brought home. He was 4 for part of the year in Kindergarten.

My advice, just do it. If it takes her an hour or so to complete it, talk to her teacher, that would mean it is either too hard for her or she is giving too much.

Good Luck!

This seems strange to me and just weird that they are 'preparing' four year olds for homework. Developmentally, things don't always play out like this idea of "get used to it early so they'll be 'fine' later"-- really, the 'real' homework they will get in K or grade 1 will likely be more challenging and a host of other issues can come with this.

When I had my preschool, the kiddos were only occasionally given 'fun' homework like "bring a beautiful fall leaf to share or some nuts from a tree in your neighborhood"... sort of 'take a walk with mom or dad and find a nature treasure' thing. It was no big deal if it didn't happen, but was meant to just be a fun thing to do with, not a chore and nothing for families to sweat over. I should clarify that I taught a very play-based preschool, so we used activities and games to introduce letters and numbers; for the kids who wanted to write, I most certainly gave support, but the main reason for them to be in preschool was to get used to the social aspects of being in a group with other children, following the teacher and the group throughout the day, to practice self-care tasks with support (wiping own noses, using zippers/buttons, dressing oneself, etc) and to learn how to 'be' in the group with an adult besides mom and dad. THAT was my primary focus...so many kids can walk into an environment knowing their ABCs but have no idea how to manage/regulate themselves in the larger groups. THIS is really what they need to be focusing on at three and four, IMO.

Funny, too, my son knew just a handful of letters and numbers going into K and was absolutely at grade level in reading/writing/math when he left K.

Is this a preschool that you chose or was she assigned to it? Are they making her enthusiastic about learning? or the opposite?

When my 12 year old son was in preschool there was no homework. Yes, it was NAEYC accreditted; they learned their colors, numbers and alpabet and how write their name...and it was OK if some of the letters were backwards and the capital E's had a few extra lines...it eventually worked itself out...they did alot of creative projects and ,weather permitting, alot of outdoor playtime. They also took a few field trips. The only project he had was to make a poster about himself when he was in pre-K2....Other than that I'd never heard of preschoolers getting any kind of homework

I was shocked when my 4 year old came home with homework too. I brought it back to school and asked if they could have her complete it in Study Hall
:)
The kids will have homework for the next 17+ years of school. I say give it a break for the first 4 years!

At age 4 in pre-k, my kids had to do a letter of the week page. They (we) would cut out images that start with that letter and they would do a little collage and write the letter a few times. Easy and fun. Once a week homework didn't seem like an issue for us. Of course, we weren't in the habit of doing homework when they were that little, so we'd often be doing it the night before it was due. Maybe they are training the parents to gear up for more in the coming years! haha.

When my older kids were in pre-k at a Catholic school (the only one that had a full day program), they had homework 2 times a week. My now kindergartner had homework once a week when she was in a program at the park district. I also know a lot of people with little ones that get homework. Unless it is a lot of paperwork to complete, it should not be a problem. My kids actually liked having homework. It made them feel grown up. Of course, they did not want to stop playing to finish it.

Our second one went to a private preschool and she did bring home coloring pages, circle the right object, match the pairs and that kind of simple visual worksheets.

I believe it's fine as long as these activities encourage and introduce the child to the idea of working on simple tasks, completing them and feeling proud of accomplishing something worthwhile and not bore them and scare them away from learning.

We did not have homework with DD, but her school was also play based, so her letter practice, etc. was in class. There were a few times where the teachers would suggest that the parents do x and y at home, like allow the child to practice scissors skills. Which is not to say I didn't buy her workbooks for fun and education at home (and we are big fans of magazines like High 5) But we did not get HW til Kindergarten. I do find it kind of odd that they are having her do homework as prep for K.

You can also look at what your school district will require of an incoming K student and kind of judge if the skills meet up as the year goes on. I don't think it's "bad", just unusual to have actual HW. Is she graded, too?

What prep I wanted from preschool was more along the lines of take directions, work with a group, share, sit quietly at circle time, manage your emotions...stuff like that.

My son got family projects as homework during PreK, but not daily or weekly worksheets.