Will my Child Have Homework in Kindergarten?

In general, students are not expected to complete formal homework in Kindergarten other than reading. What they will be asked to do is read their ‘home readers’, which are levelled/decodable books provided by the class teacher that will suit their current reading ability.

They may also be given a spelling list of words that relate to their ‘sound of the week’ and some sight words. Sight words are high frequency words that are often difficult to sound out. These are the words we want the children to remember automatically by sight to help them with their reading fluency.

It is important to keep homework fun and light at this age. You can stick their sight words on the back of your car seats and get them to read them out as you drive, or you might laminate them and throw them in the bath each night. Some children learn their words quite quickly, others need quite a lot of repetition. Don’t compare your child’s progress to others- just give them the time they need.

Your school may also provide logins for apps such as Mathletics or Reading Eggs. These are educational game-based programs that support what they are learning in class.

Homework is an opportunity for talking, sharing, and listening. Teachers give homework to extend the learning of the classroom. It is a chance for you to find out what your child is studying and how well they are grasping the skills and concepts being taught at school.

Talk with your child about their homework. It shows them that you care and value what they do at school.

You may want to experiment with different times of day to do these tasks with your child. Many children can be too exhausted at the end of the day and prefer to do them in the morning.

For more handy school information grab a copy of our ebook.