Elementary Kids Get 3 Times More Homework Than Recommended: Study

Elementary school students get three times more homework than is recommended for children their age, according to a new study published in The American Journal of Family Therapy.

The study, which surveyed nearly 1,200 parents on issues of homework and family stress, revealed that children in kindergarten, first grade and second grade, may be hitting the books too hard in their after-school hours, Today.com reported. It showed that kindergartners are spending an average of 25 minutes on homework, and the homework load for first and second-graders is just shy of 30 minutes.

Education leaders recommend a "10-minute rule" that increases gradually as students age: no homework for kindergartners, 10 minutes for first-graders, 20 minutes for second-graders, 30 minutes for third-graders and on up to the 12th grade, when students could handle about 120 minutes of homework a night.

Authors of the study pointed out that 25 minutes of homework for kindergartners "may be both taxing for the parents and overwhelming for the children."

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