Should Kids Get Summer Homework?
Summers are a time when busy
school and college students get to relax and unwind. The first few days of
vacations are spent getting up late and making plans for road trips and summer
camps. But after a few weeks in, the warm summer season starts to lose its
charm as kids remember about the piles of homework they've been assigned.
Seeking homework help, whether it's from their
friends, parents, or professional services, becomes widespread. A simple logic
behind giving homework is that children tend to forget important concepts
taught during the academic session when they are away from school for a
prolonged time.
On a close examination, it
becomes clear that homework is a medium through which kids get to revise everything
they are taught independently or with a little bit of help. Summer vacations,
characterized by a lot of unstructured time, can be easily spent by children in
leisure activities. Homework can indeed avoid the brain drain that can happen
when children are doing everything but studying.
That being said, if you want to
prevent kids from slogging through piles of reports and assignments, feeling
burned out and stressful at a time they should be playing under the sun, you
need to become creative with it. Provide them with tasks that they enjoy while
stimulating their thinking and problem-solving abilities. When children reach
out for homework assignment help, they should not be doing so
under extreme pressure. Instead, they should be enthusiastic about getting to
know something that will boost their learning.
What the studies say about
homework?
Studies have already shown that
there is a little correlation between homework and test scores or long-term
achievement in elementary and middle school. In such a case, there is no reason
to load young minds with excessive work. What children need is a mix of work
and vacation time. It should be such that it enhances the kid's social,
emotional, and communication skills.
In
simple words, homework should not feel like homework to them.
For example, to make a child
learn the theoretical concepts of math and science, they should be instructed
to visit a planetarium or a science museum and write about everything that they
observed there. Such kind of homework is a great way to let children connect
with the discipline much closely. For subjects like English and social
sciences, instead of giving them thick novels to read, ask them to watch a
historical movie and write down its summary. A majority of kids are visual
learners and prefer watching movies on computers and smartphones. Why not
leverage it to your advantage for developing their learning and
knowledge?
The ultimate aim of any educational institution is to enable children to start the new academic session with a refreshed mind and spirit. They should be ready to absorb and assimilate the new information. It can never happen by burdening them with monotonous tasks. Give them activities that engage them both physically and mentally. They will grow up with a great memory of summer vacations etched in their minds.
Comments