Homework for Preschool: Why Parents and Kids Actually Love it

An Unpopular Opinion: Homework for Preschool

I’m about to share an unpopular opinion, but hear me out.  I send home weekly homework for my preschool students. It’s true!!  Are we still friends?  I sure hope so!

Don’t get me wrong.  I am ADAMANTLY opposed to meaningless and frivolous worksheets with, say, 25 addition problems.  When I taught first grade, I never made kids who already know how to spell the words write them 3 times each just to complete an assignment.  And I personally don’t like to work for 8 hours a day and then go home to do more work.  

So, no, I do NOT believe that any child–especially not a preschooler–should have to sit for grueling lengths of time to do busywork.  Especially after they’ve had a full day of learning already!

HOWEVER…I have found a way to introduce meaningful AND fun homework.  My Pre-K team and I realized that parents didn’t fully understand the skills we were working on and just weren’t sure how to help their children develop those skills. 

Preschool Homework Activities

Because of the struggles we noticed parents having with supplementing learning at home, I developed 36 weekly preschool homework pages that children complete over the course of the year.  

Each page has a quick, 3-5 minute assignment for Monday-Thursday.  On Friday, they turn in their paper.  Some teachers give them a sticker or prize for completing their work!

One benefit of this homework for preschool is that the children must write or trace their first name EVERY SINGLE NIGHT.  And parents are encouraged to sit with them and watch or assist to be sure they’re writing from left to right and top to bottom. 

This constant repetition has really increased the success rate of students who have mastered name writing by year-end!   I begin the year by writing each name with a yellow highlighter which children trace over.  By the end of the year, I leave the paper blank and they write their name independently.  

The Benefits of Introducing Homework in Preschool

Homework for preschoolers isn’t about doing meaningless work. It’s about offering a quick review of important skills and keeping parents up to date on students’ learning. 

Here are a few key benefits of introducing brief homework activities at this young age:

1. Keeps Parents Involved and Informed

• • Parents get a first-hand look at the skills their child is learning at school

• • Parents get a few minutes of one-on-on time with their child each evening

2. Reinforces What we Learn at School

• • Each night there is a quick task that we are learning in preschool (i.e. patterns, counting objects, matching capital and lowercase letters, etc.)

• • Students continually review previously taught concepts and skills

3. Prepares Preschoolers for Kindergarten:

• • The worksheets familiarize children with homework expectations they will encounter later.

• • Homework for Preschool ensures that my preschoolers develop important math and literacy skills they will need to be successful from day one in kindergarten

What My Students REALLY Think about Homework for Preschool

They LOVE it!  If I ever forget to put their paper in their folder on Monday, they are quick to remind me the next morning.  They are so proud to return their completed work on Fridays!

I think there are two reasons they love it so much:  They enjoy this one-on-one time with their parents to talk about their day and what they’re learning.  And, they are proud to show off all the academic and fine motor skills they have mastered.

Parents are often amazed at what their children are capable of learning and doing, and nightly homework for preschool is a great way for them to see just how smart their babies are!

Why Parents and Teachers Love This Preschool Homework Packet

Homework for preschool doesn’t need to be long to be effective. I’ve designed weekly worksheets that are copied front and back and require no more than 3-5 minutes of focused attention each night.  These preschool homework pages:

❤️ Are easy to print and send home on Monday

❤️ Include nightly name-writing practice to build name-writing fluency

❤️ Review all critical Pre-K and preschool skills to ensure a well-rounded foundation.

❤️ Include Spiral review to ensure that concepts are revisited and reinforced throughout the year

❤️ Increase in difficulty as the year progresses, keeping children challenged and engaged

Skills Practiced on These Homework Pages

This packet is designed to cover a wide range of foundational skills that preschool and Pre-K students need to master. Each homework sheet focuses on 4 different skills that students to need review and practice, as well as nightly name writing practice.

Each of the skills included in this set builds kindergarten readiness.  Here are just a few of the skills I’ve covered throughout the packet:

✅ Phonemic Awareness:

• • Rhyming: Encourages children to recognize and create rhymes, a fundamental reading skill.

• • Syllables: Clapping out syllables in words improves phonological awareness.

• • Beginning Sounds: Identifying initial sounds in words helps with letter-sound correspondence.

✅ Math Concepts:

• • Numbers 1-10: Recognizing numbers and counting objects with one-to-one correspondence.

• • Simple Addition: Early math readiness with basic addition problems.

• • More or Less?: Comparing quantities to understand number relationships.

• • Subitizing: Quickly recognizing the number of objects without counting.

✅ Shapes and Spatial Awareness:

• • 2D and 3D Shapes: Learning to identify and differentiate between shapes.

• • Positional Words: Understanding spatial concepts like “above,” “below,” and “next to.”

• • Ordinal Positions: Practicing first, second, third, and so on.

✅ Early Literacy:

• • Letters A-Z: Recognizing and naming all uppercase and lowercase letters.

• • Letter or Number?: Distinguishing between letters and numbers.

• • # Letters in a Word & # Words in a Sentence: Strengthening print awareness.

✅ Fine Motor Skills:

• • Pre-Writing Strokes: Practicing lines, curves, and shapes for handwriting readiness.

• • Name Writing: Daily name-writing practice improves fine motor skills.

•  

Why Short and Predictable Pre-K Homework Works

Preschoolers have short attention spans, and lengthy homework can lead to frustration and simply isn’t developmentally appropriate. By keeping homework to just 3-5 minutes per night, these practice pages provide consistent reinforcement without overwhelming young learners.

Plus, I always remind my families that homework is OPTIONAL.  If the child is too tired or has a busy night of practice or events, I don’t want them to create additional stress by trying to complete these quick homework assignments. 

In spite of me never REQUIRING that homework be completed, my students consistently complete it because they think it’s fun and it makes them feel big and independent!  (I know in a few short years, they won’t enjoy the concept of homework, so I’m trying to capitalize on this enthusiasm while I can!)

Benefits of short homework assignments:

• • Maintains engagement: Short periods of focused work keep children interested

• • Avoids burnout: Preschoolers don’t get tired or frustrated.

• • Fits into busy schedules: Families can easily incorporate five-minute tasks into daily routines.  

Why predictability matters:

• • Builds routine: Children AND parents know what to expect each night.

• • Strengthens parent involvement: Parents can actively participate and gain an understanding of the skills their children need to master  to be ready for kindergarten.

• • Increases confidence: Repeated practice leads to mastery of skills like name writing, counting, and more!

Tips for Parents when Using Homework for Preschool Children:

To ensure homework time is positive and effective, try these strategies:

1. 1. Set a Consistent Routine. Choose the same time each day to work on homework, such as right after dinner.
   2. Make It Fun.  Let your child use scented markers, stickers, or other fun materials to keep things fresh.  Turn learning activities into games whenever possible.
   3. Offer Praise and Encouragement. Don’t expect perfection.  Celebrate your child’s persistence and best efforts.
   4. Stay Flexible.  If you have soccer practice that runs late or your child is feeling grumpy or tired, skip the work that night!  Keep the homework atmosphere light and fun.  It should never be a source of stress!

Don’t Forget to Read Together at Night

While these five-minute homework sheets cover essential skills, nothing replaces the power of reading aloud with children each night. Sharing a bedtime story each night promotes:

• • Vocabulary growth: Children learn new words in context.

• • Listening skills: Storytime improves focus and comprehension.

• • Parent-child bonding: Reading together creates lasting memories.

Experts recommend at least 20 minutes of reading per day, but even 10 minutes can make a difference when done consistently. 

Consider taking children to the library to sign up for a library card,  and make Saturday morning trips to pick out new books a family event!  Check out enough books so you have a new one to read each night at bedtime.

Give Homework for Preschool a Try

The Preschool Weekly Homework Practice Pages and Worksheets I send home with my own preschool students offer the perfect balance of structure and flexibility. Teachers appreciate how easy it is to print and send home, while parents love that they get to play a role in their child’s education and stay informed about what they’re learning. 

Kids love showing their parents what they’ve learned and, at this age, think that homework is fun and makes them feel big!

Since these brief homework activities are focused on key skills like phonemic awareness, number recognition, and fine motor development, preschoolers build the foundation they need for kindergarten success.

If you’re looking for an engaging, low-pressure way to support each child’s learning, homework for preschool may just be the missing link in your Pre-K classroom!

Click on the picture below to check our my 36-week preschool homework packet and watch it transform your Pre-K learners as well!