Why Kids Should Not Have Homework

Elementary aged kids should not have the burden of doing homework like high school or middle school aged kids. Three reasons for this include the fact that homework gets done by the parents, it causes mental and physical health issues and it causes lack of social ability skills. These three things are just a few possibilities of what can happen when an elementary kid has homework.

A problem with elementary students having homework is that their parents end up doing it just to get it over with. According to today.com there was a rule established by the National Education Association that limits the amount of homework any age kid, especially elementary should have to do. This is called “the 10 minute rule.” Kindergarten students should not get homework but first graders gets 10 minutes, second graders gets 20 and so on. This rule has been broken by teachers giving kindergarten students almost as much homework as a third grader should have. Because this rule is so often broken, parents are forced to step in and help their kids so they don’t look back on their life as all I did was homework.

Elementary kids having homework can cause stress and both mental and physical problems.

Healthline.com has said that “Students in high achieving neighborhoods who spend too much time on homework have more health problems, stress, and alienation from society.” Being sick of school is one thing, but when school is making you sick because of the homework you have now is bad. Elementary kids having physical problems just from homework can eventually lead to other possible problems down the road. These problems include substance abuse, becoming a high school dropout, and possibly death by suicide. So why risk a student’s life for a few homework

problems?
When elementary kids have homework it can take away from them developing social skills. This happens when they are forced to sit down and do 30 problems which are due the next day. Whenever they have to do homework they are being left out of sports or extracurricular activities they could do. Whenever a young kid is stuck doing homework instead of playing with their friends, it can transform them into something they shouldn’t be and cause social delays; whereas a kid who does do sports or hang out with friends can progress into society as a well-rounded person.
In a recent article produced by cnn.com it says that some parents are saying their kids are not getting enough homework, and that they have actually started to create their own homework just for their child! Parents or teachers might like homework because it keeps kids out of the parent’s hair or that it allows extra practice time for the students. The school district might like homework because it can help the school get a better grade which results in the district getting more money. All of these reasons are flat out wrong. When an elementary kid has four plus hours of homework it is unacceptable. Whenever a kid is stressing about whether or not it’s done correctly or that if they understand it is wrong. Kids should be worried about their friends or what they are doing with the family this weekend, not stress and getting physically ill over homework.
Elementary students should not have homework. Homework at that age can stress the student beyond recovery and can also alienate them from society. Kids should be worried about their favorite sports team or the kickball game at recess, not homework. Elementary kids should be excused from homework and focus on family and friends after school. Instead of stress and anxiety let the kids have a peaceful and relaxing childhood.