Homework
Believe it or not, homework is
an essential part of kindergarten. It gives the students a great
opportunity to begin organizing the use of their time and to set up
successful habits that will last for years to come. Homework should not
take long or be frustrating. I believe 10-20 minutes is appropriate
for this age, depending on their mood and your family schedule.
For
homework, your child should do two things each and every day:
1. Read
I will be sending home books for your child to read to you in their messengers. Most books are to be returned the next day, but books with their name on them are theirs to keep and read over and over again for fluency. If a book does not come home, please have other books around that your child can read to you. Each child is different, but it is okay if they have books memorized! Just let them know to look and point to the words for real reading. As they grow in reading skills, I would continue your routine of reading to them each day as well. This models fluency and love of reading.
2. Do an activity
The
activities you choose should reinforce and practice skills they need to
master. Sometimes I will send home specific activities to do, but
usually you will pick your own. This way, you can personalize it to
your child's needs.
Where do I start?
When choosing an activity each night, be sure not to run before you walk. Work on what is needed first for your child. I would recommend, for example, letter names, phonemic awareness, and sounds before sight words. :)
When choosing an activity each night, be sure not to run before you walk. Work on what is needed first for your child. I would recommend, for example, letter names, phonemic awareness, and sounds before sight words. :)
- The Alphabet Chant: To begin, start with the Alphabet Chant. They need to know that inside and out. Print an extra one, cut it up and have them pick a letter from a bag and say the chant for that letter. Find creative ways to review the letters they don't know each night. Pick a handful of letters to master each week and keep adding to them. *Link to Alphabet Chant Document
- Phonemic Awareness: Rhyming and Identifying Beginning Sounds. This is the next step. These are activities done orally. The child listens and responds. Read the directions on the homework sheets the get ideas.
- Letter names and Sounds: Learn the letter names and the correlating sounds.
- Phonemic Awareness: Blending and Segmenting. Blending is putting sounds together to make words and segmenting is listening to a word and breaking it down to the sounds they hear. Both are oral activities.
- Sight Words: These words can be learned throughout the year. I sometimes call them SNAP words because they have to know them in a snap to gain reading fluency.
- Numbers: Number names, writing numbers, ordering numbers, counting, etc. are activities you should include each week.
- Handwriting: Practice sheets can be printed and are an easy way to work at home on letters or sight words.
*Other
activity ideas will come home as the year continues and their needs
advance, but hopefully this gives you an idea of where to start. Set
aside a time and spot for daily homework routines and you will
definitely see increased progress over time. Remember that the
attention span of your child is short and homework shouldn't be
frustrating. Five or ten minutes may be enough on some days and other
days your child may be motivated and want to work longer. Make it fun
and mix it up and always remember to read each night.
