How much homework is too much?

How long should homework actually take? Should your 2nd grader have 3 hours of homework? Does your high school student have to stay up all night doing homework to be on honor roll?

These are questions I get asked a lot. As a starting point, it’s helpful to review the general guidelines for homework for each grade level that many schools follow. The expectation is that students will receive, on average, about 10 minutes of homework per grade level. So a 2nd grader would have 20 minutes of homework and a 6th grader could be expected to have 60 minutes of homework. This is of course on average, and some nights this might be slightly more or less.

Some schools have also made a conscious effort to dramatically reduce homework, particularly in the lower elementary grades, so don't be concerned if your child has far less homework than these guidelines suggest. In fact, the research shows that at the elementary level, homework is not beneficial (but that’s a topic for another day!)

So if your child is spending far more time on his or her assignments than the 10 minute per grade level guideline would suggest, then we need to take a look at the possible causes and plan our approach accordingly.

1. Too much homework is being assigned. This is a conversation to be had with the teacher and perhaps even the administrators at your child’s school. It could be that the teacher is not aware of just how long homework assignments take. Teachers might also not be aware of assignments students are receiving from other teachers. Many schools encourage teachers to work together to schedule projects and tests so that they do not all fall on the same day. Finally, it can also be a part of a child’s IEP or 504 plan to have reduced or modified homework assignments.

2. Your child is struggling with the content. If an assignment is difficult for your child, it is not surprising that it might take him or her longer than the teacher might have expected. This is another time when a conversation with the teacher is warranted. Let the teacher know just how long the assignment is taking, since that is important feedback for the teacher to have in order to support your child. The teacher might suggest your child attends extra help sessions or works with a tutor to fill in any gaps in understanding.

3. Your child is distracted and not actually working on the assignment the whole time. Children and teens often aren’t even aware of just how much time they might be spending not actually working. It can help to limit distractions by placing phones and other electronic devices out of reach. Fidget toys can be helpful for some students to improve focus. Finally, try asking your child to estimate how long an assignment should take then set a timer and challenge her to get it done before the timer goes off.

4. Assignments take a long time because your child keeps redoing them to make them perfect. This is another case where a timer can be useful. Ask your child to estimate how long an assignment should take (and use your judgment to see if that seems reasonable), then set a timer and when it goes off, the assignment gets put away. Some children let assignments take however long they have, so by limiting that time, we can help them work more efficiently.