As your kids grow older, you’ll find that your household changes in various ways. Taking care of a two-year-old, after all, is vastly different from taking care of a 16-year-old.
However, one thing you may not have considered is how homework will change for your children throughout the years. That’ll have an impact on the household as a whole, especially if you take an active approach toward your children’s learning.
Whether you’re a stay-at-home mum or you end up going back to work, you need to think about how homework may impact your kids. Here’s how to do that.
Prepare for More Homework Through Different Grades
It may seem obvious, but many people don’t actively think about how much homework different grades have on average. Do you know how long most kids work on homework every day? The answer varies significantly depending on the child’s grade.
- In elementary and middle school, kids work an average of 42.4 minutes on homework every day.
- In high school, that number goes up to an hour and 18 minutes per day.
- In college, it goes up even further to an hour and 56 minutes per day.
This amount tends to affect high school students the most. College students tend to spend less time actively in class, which offsets the increase in homework, and elementary and middle schoolers’ homework tends to be less labor-intensive. Remember that your high schoolers are handling a lot, from academic changes to social changes and personal changes, and adjust your expectations accordingly.
Understand the Difference in Homework Between States
Although this national difference offers some interesting information, it’s even more important that you look into differences between states. This difference can be pretty substantial, which means looking at your state’s differences may have an impact on how you prepare for these changes.
- The average daily homework for elementary and middle school students varies from 56 minutes in California to 30 minutes in Rhode Island, Kansas, and Nevada.
- The average daily homework for high school students varies from 110 minutes in Vermont to 60 minutes in Utah, Rhode Island, and Kansas.
- The average daily homework for college students ranges from 141.3 minutes in Idaho to 85 minutes in Delaware.
It’s important to note that again, these numbers tend to disproportionately affect high schoolers. On the high end of the spectrum, high school kids in Vermont are working on homework for longer than college averages in 17 states.
Be on Your Child’s Team
It’s easy to get caught up in the idea of homework; after all, you probably did a decent amount of homework in school, and it’s easy to extend your childhood frustrations onto your children. However, be careful and remember to pay attention to the actual facts.
At the end of the day, there’s no evidence that additional homework has any impact on either SAT scores or GPA, both things that tend to factor into your child’s future prospects. If your child is struggling because of the impact of homework, sit down and talk about it together. Your child may need tutoring, which has a measurable positive impact on grades, or online resources, which can positively impact grades even further.
Conclusion
As your children get older, it’s a good bet that their homework burdens will increase. However, that doesn’t have to completely derail their mental health and lower their grades. If you’re able to prepare and help your child adjust to mounting homework requirements, you’ll find that it’s easier to get your whole household through these challenging times.
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