How Much Homework Should Preschoolers Have 

It’s a question that divides parents across Sydney’s southern suburbs — from Sans Souci to Hurstville, Carlton to Connells Point. Some families feel that starting structured homework early gives children a head start. Others worry that desk work at age four robs children of the play they need most. The truth, as with most things in early childhood development, sits somewhere more nuanced than either camp tends to acknowledge. 

What the research actually says 

Early childhood researchers are broadly consistent on one point: formal, paper-based homework for preschool-aged children delivers little measurable academic benefit. Young children’s brains are not yet wired for the kind of abstract, decontextualised learning that traditional homework assumes. What they need is hands-on, meaningful, socially embedded experience — the kind that happens through play, conversation, cooking, movement, music and genuine exploration of the world around them. 

That doesn’t mean structured learning has no place before school. It means the structure needs to look different from what most adults picture when they hear the word “homework.” 

The right kind of home learning 

The most valuable preschool “homework” is woven invisibly into daily life. Reading together each evening, counting items at the supermarket, talking about the birds spotted at Carss Park, or trying a simple recipe together — these are profoundly educational experiences that build language, numeracy, curiosity and connection simultaneously. They don’t feel like study because they don’t need to. 

This is precisely the philosophy underpinning Bay of Wonders Early Education and Care at Kogarah Bay, which serves families across the surrounding southern Sydney suburbs. Our Wonder Life programme introduces a gentle homework component for preschool children — not to replicate a school environment, but to build familiarity with structured learning routines in preparation for the transition ahead. Paired with a reading programme for children ready for additional challenge, it’s an approach calibrated to developmental readiness rather than arbitrary expectation. 

Mindfulness, movement and the whole child 

What’s striking about Bay of Wonders’ curriculum is how deliberately it balances academic preparation with wellbeing. Daily yoga and positive affirmations through the Wonder Wellness mindfulness programme, physical activity and sport through Wonder Fit and music through Wonder Beats all reflect an understanding that school readiness isn’t purely cognitive. Children who arrive at kindergarten with emotional regulation, physical confidence and a genuinely positive relationship with learning are far better prepared than those who’ve simply completed more worksheets. 

The answer for parents 

So how much homework should your preschooler have? Enough to build comfortable routines and a love of stories — not enough to replace the play, movement and creative exploration that early childhood genuinely requires. Quality early learning centres understand this balance instinctively.