Question of the Month: Should Kids Have Homework During the Summer?

When I was young(er),  summer vacation meant unstructured sunny days of roaming the neighbourhood in search of adventure, family vacations, summer camp and lots and lots of down time. Today, some schools have started assigning summer homework to help students stay on top of their skills during the out-of-school months. Even for kids who are in the younger grades, time spent doing worksheets and math problems have been incorporated into their summer routine.

There is some research to suggest that reinforcing those math and writing skills learned throughout the school year can help a child jump right back into the academic mindset quickly during the first weeks of school. Others believe that summer should be filled with curiosity, imagination, and quiet time, which is incredibly important for  rejuvenating for the mind and spirit of our kids.

These days, during the school year, kids are pulled in all sorts of directions by parents, teachers, coaches, friends, and social media. They are over-committed, over-programmed and over-stimulated most of the time (my kids included). Shouldn’t summer still be a time to kick back, relax and just being a kid? Shouldn’t summer be that much-needed break from school work?

Do you think your kids should have homework or practice academic skills during the summer or should they just be able to kick back and relax, without worrying about reading, writing and arithmetic? Let us know what you think!