Too Much Homework, Not Enough Free Time?
Cassidy Collins

Do you feel like you are doing hours of homework every night? You are not alone because many students kindergarten through college have the same issue. Homework has increased over the years and is causing arguments at home, at school and outside of school with kids. Studies from different sources show all the negative effects. On the other hand, teachers disagree and keep assignments coming. They feel it is productive and can provide extra practice for the students. Homework is causing an increasing amount of issues affecting families, causing stress and taking time away children outside of school with peers.

Homework has an impact on family life and what goes on in student’s households. For example, parents do not always know how to help children with their assignments. This causes a lot of arguments and fights between parents and the children, because the children want help and the parents cannot do that for them. Also, homework affects family routines. These routines manage time and help to ensure that a household runs smoothly. Examples of these routines are dinner time, bed time, and also reading time before bed. With the amounts of homework students get, they might have to stay up late hours in order to complete them. Also, they might have to skip dinner to finish that history essay that’s due the next morning. These routines are important for families because it makes sure the family members get to spend time together even with all of their other commitments, while it also helps kids socially and emotionally.  Reuters Health says “Preschoolers who sing, tell stories and eat dinner with their families tend  to be emotionally healthier and better adjusted socially than kids who don’t have such routines, a recent study has found”. Homework is affecting family routines and also causing arguments at home, along with a lot of stress.  

Studies from the Journal of Experimental Education prove how stress is mainly caused by homework in students. For example, studies show that two or more hours of homework is counterproductive. Also, 70% of students said they were often or always stressed over schoolwork, while less than 1% said homework wasn’t a stressor. 56% of students said homework is a prime stressor. These statistics show how homework is affecting kids and causing a lot of added pressure. 80% of students had a stress-related symptom and 44% said they had 3+ related symptoms of stress. Homework and the stress that comes with it also affects students sleep. Researchers in China have linked 2 or more hours of homework with sleep disruption. The large amount of homework given to students plays a large part of the stress they have and it also affects children’s lives outside of school.

For the younger kids, the increased amount of homework is affecting their lives outside of school. For example, homework is taking time away from being with friends. Kids feel they need to skip after school activities and family events to finish their homework. Social interaction with peers plays a critical role in brain development according to researchers at “Our Everyday Life”. Also, children gain valuable  social, conflict management and impulse control skills by spending time with other kids. Having more homework is causing kids to have less time playing with their peers, causing them to not develop these skills. Excessive amounts of homework is also decreasing opportunities for active learning. Being outside and seeing all types of things happen, kids will learn a lot more than they do sitting behind a paper and a pencil. Whether it is being out in the driveway, playing on the playground, playing kickball with the neighborhood friends or even taking a walk in the woods; kids learn learn a lot out with friends. This part of growing up is crucial and needs to happen because these young kids will have plenty of time in future years to be doing homework. The amount of homework younger students are assigned today has increased dramatically and it’s affecting a lot of young kids and their development.

The excessive amounts of homework that students of all ages are assigned, affects families, causes stress and affects children’s lives outside of school. Homework is affecting families by causing arguments and also disrupting daily routines. Also, homework causes stress and sleep deprivation, causing students to notice stress-related symptoms. Finally, homework is affecting young kids outside of school by decreasing their chance for active learning that they get by spending time with friends. The National Education Association supports a standard of ten minutes per grade level every night. This would make for ten minutes for 1st graders and two hours for high school seniors. This change needs to be made because the effects of homework are only getting worse, and we need them to get better.

Works Cited

"Kids with Family Routines More Emotionally, Socially Advanced." Reuters. Thomson Reuters, 12 Mar. 2014. Web. 17 Oct. 2016.

"What Negative Effects Does Homework Have on a Student's Social & Family Life?" Our Everyday Life. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Oct. 2016.

Written by Sandra Levy | Published on August 11, 2016. "Is Too Much Homework Bad for Kids' Health?" Healthlines RSS News. N.p., 11 Aug. 2016. Web. 17 Oct. 2016.

"Homework Could Have an Effect on Kids’ Health. Should Schools Ban It?"Washington Post. The Washington Post, n.d. Web. 17 Oct. 2016.

@NEAToday. "The Great Homework Debate: What's Getting Lost in the Hype - NEA Today." NEA Today. N.p., 14 Oct. 2015. Web. 17 Oct. 2016.

@thealtdaily. "The Negative Health Effects of Too Much Homework." The Alternative Daily. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Oct. 2016.