Brendan is in the second grade this year, each night he has a book to read and a math paper. To do both of these things it takes anywhere from 30-45 minutes each night.

My question is what works better for you all, doing homework as soon as you have a snack and get off the bus or does waiting until after dinner and settled down some?

I see good points to both but so far I haven't decided on which we are going to do (today was only his 5th day of homework). Today we waited until after dinner because I had a migraine and he did okay but wondered what works for you all... Part of my thinking is to just get it over with so we have it out of the way, then another part says to give him a break becuase he's already been at school from 8:00 - 3:20.

What works for you all?

By Tarable on Tuesday, September 9, 2008 - 09:08 pm:

Mine always do their homework as soon as they get home but that is because both have ADHD and meds tend to wear off after dinner then homework can be horrible. I think whatever works best for you and him is what you should do. I would ask him which he prefers because my nephew has to do his as soon as he gets home because if not he gets anxious about it.

By Debbie on Tuesday, September 9, 2008 - 10:26 pm:

We do both. On the days they have an activity, like a baseball game, or practice, etc, they do it right when they get home. On days that they don't have anything, I give them the option of doing it when they get home, or waiting an hour, and doing it while I cook dinner. Or, if they want to go to a friends, or have a friend over, I will even let them do it right after dinner.

I try and give them the option because it seems(for my kids) to make them more willing to do it.

By Tink on Tuesday, September 9, 2008 - 11:03 pm:

My kids eat a snack and have about half an hour of unwinding time after school before they start homework. This way, my oldest (whose homework is time-consuming) doesn't stay up too late completing it and it's not hanging over their heads all evening. Most of our afterschool activities are in the evenings so homework being done early every day works well for our family.

By Dawnk777 on Tuesday, September 9, 2008 - 11:40 pm:

My kids always preferred to do homework, after supper. Since Emily started knitting, though, and we like to go to the knitting group on Thursday nights, on Thursdays, she does it right away. When the kids had Wednesday night confirmation classes, then sometimes they just did it right away, but if there were no evening plans, it got done after supper.

By Vicki on Wednesday, September 10, 2008 - 09:39 am:

Doing homework right after school has always worked best for dd. If she doesn't do it right away, she totally gets out of the school mode and it is so much harder for her to buckle down and do it later in the evening. If something comes up and she doesn't get it done right away, what would have taken her 30 minu8tes to do can take a hour and a half!

By Jackie on Wednesday, September 10, 2008 - 09:43 am:

I find right after a snack is the best time for my kids. This works expecially well for my 9 yr old. She is a smart girl in school, and is very good about details on her homework. BUT...if she doesn't do it within a half hour it is a fight to get her to finish it in a timely manner.Now that she is in 4th grade, she has much more homework then before, and it is easier to get it done with.
I have always told my kids, get it done with first, then you have the rest of the evening to do what you want, computer, or tv, or whatever.I don't allow tv time or computer time(unless school related)until homework is done.

By Bellajoe on Wednesday, September 10, 2008 - 10:11 am:

they get off the bus and have a snack. My dd (4th grade) doe homework right away. Ds (2nd grade) plays for a bit and does homework after dinner. I guess it really depends on your son and what works better for him.

By Annie2 on Thursday, September 11, 2008 - 11:05 am:

I do the same as Debbie. Now that my kids are older they pretty much do their homework themselves without being prompted. Some mornings they wake up early to finish. As long as they get it done I don't care when they do it.
When they were in elem school I had them do it while I made dinner. I was in the kitchen so if help was needed I was right there. I allowed them to read after dinner and they could finish reading at bedtime.

By Momofmax on Thursday, September 11, 2008 - 06:26 pm:

Ds does written homework about 45 min. to an hour after he gets home. We study together after dinner & bath. I like to let him have some free time right after school to relax and play outside with friends. If we have an activity that evening then I TRY to get the studying done after written homework is done. I find that doing written homework after dinner and then trying to study is way too much.