My first grader needs to improve grades to go onto second grade. Right now, she is an L/B, which in our generation is a C/D student. I work with her at home. I am just wondering how much extra work at home is too much. I want the work to be effective, not overload.
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Add it into everyday things. Like cooking, say I get one egg and and another egg to scrabble together how many eggs did I use? Or with spelling this is a blank let’s spell it together. You dont have to make it work you can make it fun.
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Not more than an hour a day in my opinion.
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Make learning into a game. She won’t even realize she’s learning. I don’t know any for 1st graders but my 4 year old is currently learning to spell 2-3 letter words with basketball and on our clock we have highlighted hourly activities so shes learning to tell time.
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Many issues with kids (myself included when I was in school ) is the work is boring or they don’t explain it properly so the kids get distracted or just don’t get it , see if you can make it more interesting for them or figure out a way to help them understand, when I was at school my teacher would let us watch the movie instead of reading the book . And then get us to asnwee questions because my class had never finishe a book in there lives and just couldn’t be bothered.
Truly, it’s best to break up lessons/skill practice to about 10 minutes at a time with 20 minutes of play or read alouds or screen time (learning games) etc between. If she has homework also, do it separately. Make it fun, together time!
I would get in touch with her teacher. And make a plan.
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Younger 1st graded or older 1st grader. I sent one of mine to school at 5 and the other two at 6. The two I sent at 6 are doing much bette than the other. Maybe she just isn’t their yet.
Instead of worrying about the quantity of work I would be more concerned about the quality of work. Doing meanIngful work in meaningful settings will not seem like work and she may even look forward to the time spent with you and the activities.
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Try learning games and apps. As a teacher, I would not bombard her with useless work. Make it fun.
And what has the school done to help No child left behind
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Make games out of it
Contact her teacher. Set up a meeting and see if she can help you her your daughter. She’s soooo young use a tutor as an absolute resort. Make it fun but make sure the teacher is on board with what she needs help in.
Check out Time4learning.com. We’re a homeschooling family and I loved T4L for the early grades. Another option is the little workbooks at Dollar Tree (they usually have several different subjects) or one of the thick curriculum type books you can find at Walmart or Target in the book section. One brand is Comprehensive Curriculum. Just do a few pages a day or go until your child gets bored.
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Keep it fun. Make games and jokes.
I use Pinterest and TeachersPayTeachers (tons of free items for all subjects) for extra work. Dollar Tree (a $1 store in our area) carry workbooks for all grades - shapes, colors. reading, spelling, math, etc. Have a set amount of time for a lesson/review then find ways to use it while playing, cooking, reading for fun. My daughter loved when she got to teach me. But after all is said and done, you’ve done all the extra work and talked to the teacher all you can talk, if repeating the 1st grade is necessary, it is not the end of the world. Better solidifying learning now than for her to be passed along.
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Learn those sight words. Will greatly improve reading. He can read to you
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Look into testing for learning disabilities. I struggled in school barely passing, at the age of 32 I learned I have severe dyslexia, not only does it make spelling difficult it makes pulling things from memory difficult. There are hundreds of learning disabilities, frankly more children should be checked for them. Also my daughter struggled, until she got eyeglasses.
During the week we do their required homework and then an extra math and reading comprehension lesson.
Our child gets Friday and Saturday off and then on Sunday they will do a couple of mini lessons.
Call her teacher and work out a game plan.
It saddens me today how much is being pushed on children… My child hated reading. She is now in third grade and loves to read. When the child is ready they will Excell. If you are worried about her failing I would talk to a psychologist or find out what type of learning style is best for her. Academics are not everything… We expect way too much from our children today…
We were foster parents for a 4 year old that had been horrendously abused. But we put him in, what is that, start for start, something like that. He did not know his colors, he didn’t know his letters he didn’t know his ABCs he didn’t know how to spell his name, he knew nothing. So we decorated his room in all of that. We put easy sight words on Doors and things that he would use or see, things he just saw them all the time. I would sing the ABCs with him at bedtime to introduce them to him, the song, we would eat stuff like ABC soup and try to pick out the A’s or the D’s. He would help me grocery shop using those sight words and they gave him a great deal of confidence because he was helping out and contributing. Now I understand your child’s older, maybe she can read to the dog, that way she’s not pressured or feeling insecure. Oh hey I need six of whatever, oh nevermind can you take half those away? I only need half that amount. Guess what, she just did math, fractions. Keep in mind she may just learn in a different way. Finding that way for her is the challenge
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My boy wakes early every morning. 5.30am. We walk for an hour. He does his homework after brekkie. And is ready for the day ahead. Not always fun. I’m not a morning person. But he’s ok with that routine. School may not agree but I’m sure an hour per day is excessive and reading books for pleasure is warranted, or drawing etc. Don’t be challenged as your role as an educator to your child based on others expectations. It’s meant to be be fun. Particularly at the age of 9.
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My daughter is going through the same struggles. Trying to get her to read what they want her to is beyond first grade. She cries so much because they make her feel stupid. And making her sound out there letter words with three syllables. I am trying not to go into the school. But it had to be done. My parent teacher conferences are now by phone only. Apparently I made the teachers feel belittled. My bad.
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They expect way too much too early on kids these days. My daughter is in 2nd grade and we struggled drastically last year. We even hired a private tutor and that just confused her more. We did not push her as it was becoming emotionally and mentally overwhelming for her and anxiety issues set in. I had to put mt foot down at the school. Her teacher and I let her do things at her own pace and we allowed her time to be a child. Over the summer we went to the dollar tree and i bought about 40 books and she read every night. She is still not at grade level even in 2nd grade but she is steady improving and we are taking things one day at a time.
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Talk to her teacher. Find out where her weak area’s are. For that age I really would try not to have her homework from school or home combined be more than an hour and focus work you give her on her weak spots. Hope this helps. I’m having the same issue with my 1st grader 
Do they have an after school program that helps with homework? I put my kids in ours when they were in elementary, best thing I’ve ever done. Homework was done when I picked them up and our lives at home were no longer full of stress. All we did was fight and both end up frustrated. They are taught differently now then when I was in school so we just confused one another. After school programs help them do homework, then do activities.
I literally just posted on my own page yesterday that my first grader was taking up to 2 hours to finish homework. I think it is an overload and it causes a lot of frustration and irritation for all of us at home and for her.
See if she needs to be put on the I.E.P program. All three of my girls are on it and they are 15 ( 8th) 13 (7th) an 6 ( kindergarten) there is different programs of IEP ok that’s how it is in Ohio.
Recommended at home study/homework is 10-15 min for K so I would thing 30 min or less for 1st grade absolutely no more.
Depends on what’s causing the issues. Poor vision, comprehension, something going on with a classmate…there can be many reasons why a child is having lower grades…
Talk to the school about getting her on an IEP program. And there is nothing wrong if she needs an extra year it will benefit her in the long run.
I found a Brainquest workbook for my daughter and had her do 1 page a day minimum. There are prizes and stickers in the book to make it fun
Don’t u think school work should b fun and not a burden. Who make the system so advanced.
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Until she catches up and improves drastically, do what needs to be done.
Let her do whatever homework she has. To make her do more will become whelming
Try abcmouse or adventure academy