How long should a child study e.g. should a 9 year old study the same hours as a 13 yr old?

Question : Study Hours

How long should a child study e.g. should  a 9 year old study the same hours as a 13 year old?

HS:  2 daughters, 1  son /ages 15 to 11
That's the beauty of homeschooling, that it all depends upon the interest of the child. And at times upon the depth of the topic. Of course one cannot decide the number of hours in homeschooling.



Umm Raeyan: For homeschoolers learning takes place all the time but what about book work?



HS: Why to stick with book work. Yes at times books can be used to initiate . But not all the time. I think we should focus integrated model.



MZ; Kids' ages 6.5, 3.5, 8mos

Routine helps. Like a time set for studies. How long they should keep at it: depends upon the task at hand, keenness to follow thru and energy levels. Motivation and some discipline is good.

I'm speaking with my experience of having the girls sit down for Quran tilawat time. Sometimes they negotiate time. Other times they just know it has to be done so they follow through Alhamdulillah.

I haven't yet laid down a firm rule about how long they should study for.

Book time, or school work time is announced. I.e. enough with the playing , time for study. But haven't gone beyond that..as in how long to sit for.

Timers and countdowns act as motivators for finishing up work. But for kids this young- don't feel its necessary to set time for how long_to study.



SAA: 3 sons, 2 daughters/ ages 16 to 7

I have 4 rules for my child's learning

A child should be engaged with what he is learning

Their should be periodic reinforcement

Complete focus periods with rest intervals

Children thrive on structure if it supports the learning

A child should be engaged with the material he is learning
Foundation and connection on prior knowledge and engaging his interest on inspiration wonder and examples
E.g my son these days is working on the optical derivations of convex concave lense
First I had to inspire him with stories and videos of how scientist didn't take a single perspective for granted but
Their ability to make multiple association was vital for them to come to solutions
Then comes optic diagrams and geometry and trigonometry
And he did the rest
And was using both the algebraic and geometric terms with understanding
Video lectures and documentary are great resource but a great part of cognitive development comes from reading and reading with visualization
Both these activities children can do tirelessly

Complete focus periods with rest intervals
I apply the pomodoro system it's very efficient way to monitor progress
And it's self directed so helps both ways
If you see less focus then work on focus building exercise 
The rest periods should have things that relate or reinforce
It takes a lot of reading and research on my part before it can get to this level
If I look at a concept I must be sure that what the resources are if they are complete or not
Then start on that subject

Most of the times kids have their own pet projects
Lego digital designs
Mine craft
Knex
A particular subject they are perusing
Books
To do in free times
Time quadrant is a great way of reducing time wasting 

Periodic reinforcement is essential
After an hour
Half a day
Next day
A week later
Help the children to make notes
These could be mind maps flow charts and ask them to read and
Gage if the concept has taken hold if not ask them to make presentation or book report usually it ties any loose ends

Children thrive on structures if it support learning

Here id like to make clear that with structure should be based on the self discipline of the child
Their is some mental security in predictability
And it keeps boredom and time wasting at bay 

To have a constant productive attitude I think multiple projects are a great incentive
If the child is hooked to multiple interest his brain will keep bringing him back to his projects
Here is one we are doing porcelain workshop for 7-11 in our book club
And their was water powered trip hammers
In the documentary
I asked him to make a trip hammer in Knex and here are his models



SM: 2 sons, 1 daughter

I don't stick to specific hours but I go by how much a child can handle. That can vary day by day as well..

For the smaller ones I give more breaks and offer more variations. For the older one I let him choose what order he wants to do his work. I focus on the amount of work done and not necessarily the hours.


 Mrs. AH: 2 Sons,7 and 15

As far as I'm concerned  it doesn't come down to how much time they should spend studying according to their age but rather to the circumstances if their study progression. 

There can be two reasons for a child to spend more time on a specific topic:
#1Because he is truly interested in it and wants to explore the topic to exhaustion

#2 Because he doesn't have the confidence/command that he should have on it.

In the first case,I just let them immerse themselves for as long as they seem to enjoy it and I do best to interrupt them as little as possible while they're at it.

In the second case,I keep them working on the same skill/topic until  they become confident with it,given that they are mentally ready to grasp it.

So,for me it's not as simple as saying how much time they need but rather observe them in their work and cater to the love of it or the lack of confidence with it until it's time to move on.

My youngest keeps asking me for how long will he have to do creative writing (which he  hates) and I tell him,until he's good at it,as in has command over it and is not afraid of it.



Ummibaps: To conclude:

Study Hours vary for a child,  depending on :

- his ability;  how long it takes him to achieve a goal

- How soon fatigue may set in

- How much time he is wants to spend on it,  esp if he enjoys the subject of study

- another variable is the other activities or responsibilities the child has on a given day

Often, those teaching closely observe the above factors and schedule study time accordingly.



Sb:
My late addition to the study hours question.

I like to have 3-4 study hours a day.
Some of that is independent work, and some is assisted by me.

But like Ummibaps said, hours change depending on other activities that day. Currently we've got some distractions at home, so the time that I would teaching the kids has been replaced by more non-curricular activities. That includes reading assignments, doing independent experiments, building Lego (or other construction activities), typing practice, watching a documentary, etc.

Flexibility is the big benefit of homeschooling. As long as the children's time is being used beneficially, it's OK to step away from the routine when you need to.

(Note: The above is a copy of a Whatsapp conversation,   partly edited for clarity)