Homework in summer, yes or no? experts speak

There are mothers and fathers who think no, that their children should have time to have fun and be bored. Others, on the other hand, think so, that summer is a good opportunity to recover what was lost or consolidate what has been learned.

Each course that ends repeats the same debate: homework for the summer, yes or no?

If we asked different mothers/fathers, there would be disparity of opinions. Some would say yes, that two and a half months of vacation is a lot. Others, on the other hand, will think not, that summer is a period to disconnect and rest.

The truth is that the article 31 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child recognize “the right of the child to rest and recreation, to play and recreational activities appropriate to their age and to participate freely in cultural life and the arts”.

This article 31 is often not respected during the school year. The reality is that our children’s agendas are increasingly loaded with directed activities and, consequently, they have less and less free time to play or choose what to spend it on.

“We live in a consumer society, of doing and not stopping, which leads us to feel bad if we are not doing things 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. And we transfer this stress to the children. Falling into the temptation to think that our children should not spend so much time doing nothing, but just because they don’t do homework doesn’t mean they don’t do anything,” psychologist Begoña Ibarrola tells us.

So, in summer: homework yes or no? What do the experts say?

What do the experts think of summer homework?

In order to answer the question asked each summer, we have spoken with three experts: the psychologists Rafa Guerrero and Silvia Álava and the teacher chosen as the Best Primary Teacher in Spain at the Abanca 2021 awards, Francesc Nogales.

And what do they think?

When asked: Homework in the summer, yes or no?, the psychologist Rafa Guerrero made it clear: “No, I am not a supporter. Children have every right in the world, after a very demanding academic year, to rest. But not only the right, but the need.”

Although all parents are very clear that our children deserve to rest, fears often arise: If you don’t open a book in two months, will you forget what you learned? Will you be wasting wonderful time when you could be learning things? Will they lose the study habit?

“In summer we also learn, but in a totally different way. We can work on all that series of processes that are learned at school (logical reasoning, attention, concentration, literacy…), but instead of doing it through notebooks or cards of homework, we can do it through play”, says Álava.

Nogales thinks something similar: “I am in favor of children continuing to learn, but with non-academic activities. More than duties, I would call these activities pleasures. Something like watching a sunset, going to a museum, the zoo, taking a route through the mountains, looking at the constellations at night, sending a letter to a friend…”.

“In summer we are going to look for curiosities, or investigate things that arouse interest because they are related to everyday life. For example, if we go to the beach and we have seen a seahorse, then we can investigate about it. Or with children younger, we can work on psychomotor skills by writing names in the sand on the beach,” says Guerrero.

Nogales also believes that, often, those of us who are most interested in children doing homework are parents: “The reason is that It is good for us that children continue to have established routines. But not because the child needs to reinforce knowledge, but because of our difficulty reconciling“.

Without homework will it cost them more to return to the routine?

Another reason why some parents want our children to do homework is that we think that if they don’t do it, they will disconnect so much from academic activity that in September it will be very difficult for them to return to the routine.

“Personally, I also have a harder time getting back into a routine after the holidays. I mean, this happens to all of us, not just kids. But it is necessary to break with the routine, to do things totally different from what we do during the year,” Guerrero tells us.

And Nogales makes us a comparison for us to reflect: “Can you imagine that our boss told us to take work with us on vacation because if we don’t do it when we return, we will have forgotten to do it or it will cost us more to return to the routine? Nobody would see this normal, because the same happens with children. They need to stop, disconnect, forget about obligations.”

There are exceptions?

Homework right? Nor with children who have failed or who need to reinforce because they have passed very fair?

“I am not in favor of children who are lazy learning things by imposition and outside the classroom, that is, If a student finishes the course caught with tweezers, I don’t think it’s right that they have to catch up by making booklets. Learning must take place within the classroom.

In addition, Guerrero points out: “Those who are “weak” in class because it costs them more, surely they have made a greater effort than those who have gotten very good grades. Everyone deserves to rest, whether they got A’s, B’s, or fair.”

Álava continues to insist on the game as an educational tool: “If you have specific difficulties in an area, for example, mathematical calculation, we can work on it, but in a different way from how it is done at school. The game has impressive learning potential. In summer it is a wonderful opportunity to use it. What if he accompanies us to the purchase and adds up the prices of what we put in the car? There are many more entertaining ways to do calculus than through a notebook.”

Amaya de Miguel, founder of ‘Relájate y educa’, throws us a challenge through her social networks: “If homework at your school is optional, be brave and let your kids skip it.” What do you think? Do you accept the challenge?