While children in colonial families often learned basic skills like reading, writing, and arithmetic at home, or in dame schools (run by women in their homes), this wasn't typically assigned as separate "homework" in the way we think of it. Learning was more integrated into daily life and chores.
In more formal schools (often only available to boys from wealthier families), instruction was primarily rote learning and recitation in the classroom. There might have been some tasks assigned to be completed at home, like memorizing verses or practicing penmanship, but this was much less structured and frequent than modern homework assignments. The focus was on mastering basic skills within the classroom setting.
So, while children in colonial times did sometimes have tasks to complete outside of formal schooling hours, it wasn't homework in the modern sense of planned, graded assignments designed to reinforce classroom learning. The focus was different, and the structure of education itself was fundamentally unlike the system we have today.