Homework in Kindergarten?

I was recently reading an article about whether students should have homework (http://www.windsorstar.com/Students+homework+excessive/2346291/story.html). It was an interesting read with many considerations. Having homework teaches children responsibility for completing work and returning it to school, gives them an incentive for working more diligently during school hours so they don’t have work to take home, provides them with extra language and math practice, and encourages families to become active in and aware of what is happening at school. Those against homework argue that often it is parents and not children who complete it, it is often consuming and performed in place of other activities, it often takes hours after school, it monopolizes family time, and often involved projects are sent home just before major holidays.

The article discussed children in kindergarten being assigned ten minutes of homework each night. It made me reflect on whether this was an appropriate practice for young children. I have heard it argued before that kindergarten children should have homework so that they become accustomed to it as preparation for older grades. I couldn’t disagree more with this.

As a kindergarten teacher I have sent home ‘book in a bag’ programs that encourage families to read a book together and engage in a small activity such as playing a corresponding game or drawing a picture in a communal class book. But these take home bags are only sent home periodically. These activities are not meant to be homework, but rather starting points for encouraging families to engage in literacy-related activities together.

I think that teachers must carefully consider the needs and interests of their students before assigning homework simply because families ask for it, or because it is what they have done in past practice.