Have your children regressed over the holidays?

[Beechview]

I thought I'd better do a bit of work with ds1 (yr4) seeing as we've not done much except for reading and going out and about (despite my good intentions) and realised that he had forgotten how to do things that he was doing really well in June/July in maths.

We've got a week or so and I'm trying to think how to bring him back up to speed without doing too much. I'm not pushy, I just don't want him to struggle and be put off.

I looked at the Carol Vorderman Maths Factor site but I'm not too sure about that.

Anyone have any recommendations?

[MrsShrek3]

maybe play some word games and remember some times tables if it makes you feel better.
How about you look at what you have done - have you been on some visits to places in your area? met up with friends or family? been to a library or museum perhaps? a bit of cooking or baking, or gardening? recognise the educational value of all the experiences that a child gets in the holidays that they can't possibly get in school... they have a huge importance too. If you want to tune your ds back in to school stuff, maybe do a scrapbook or diary of the things you've done?

[Runningchick123]

Get him on some maths games on the bbc bitesize website. A lot of kids prefer the interactive computerised maths learning as it feels less structured than the workbooks that they use in school.

[Beechview]

Thanks for the replies.
I realise ds1 has had some great experiences over the holidays and spent quality time with cousins and family which, of course, formal education cant compete with but I also want to make sure that he enjoys school and learning. If he understands the work and isn't struggling, then I think he will.

I'll give the bbc bitesize a go.

[Dreamingofcakeallnight]

Thanks to the mumsnet suggestions, after joining reading chest my DSs reading has taken off amazingly. Joining reception next week comfortably into Blue book band so thanks for the tip!

[Talkinpeace]

BBC Bitesize is great because you can get them to do "just ten minutes" but as its addictive (the quizzes) they tend to do 30 mins (even stroppy teens like mine)

[blueberryupsidedown]

yes! summers are for fun, we just read/do colouring/write a journal during the holidays. We did our times tables a couple of times. And did the reading challenge at local library.

[ILoveDolly]

I like to think they need a break, although if mine ever stopped reading for 5 mins I wouldn't mind. Having said that we should have done more on time as I am slightly embarrassed at how bad she still is at that (yr 3)

[TSSDNCOP]

I think that the gift of this years weather has meant DC can do all the lovely outdoors things that summer holidays are meant for.

Some gentle revision over the next week to warm up their brains as well as sending them in Day 1 in "raring to go mode" will get them back on track super fast.

[China4Jazz]

That was big fear of my DS having a slow start in yr 5.
I set targets for the 6 weeks;
To learn his 13-19 times tables. It sounds a lot but all he had to do was write one table (1-12) each day 4 times. By the 4th day he knew it. At the end of the week he would be tested before the next set.
It only took 10 mins the most to write them out.
He would do that each morning.
After lunch he would do some English for 30 mins and at 5 pm some maths and reading at bedtime.
It was all spaced out so he had lots of time for himself, visits and trips and the dreaded TV!

[Beechview]

Bbc bitesize was brilliant. Ds1 really had fun with that and we did a good recap of fractions. He didn't want to get off so I'll just get him to do that every day til he starts school and along with the reading challenge, I think he'll be fine starting back.

[Farewelltoarms]

13-19 timestables???? Do they need to know them? Oh god what fresh hell...
Ds had one piece of work to do. Have we done it yet?
He has learned to surf and my dds can now swim though.

[Farewelltoarms]

Oh and I make sure they go to bed v early especially the week before school starts.

[FannyMcNally]

Your ds has obviously got a good work ethic and does as he's told China! If I had said to mine that we were going to do a tenth of what your ds does they wouldn't ever have got up!

[lljkk]

Don't know Don't care.

[UseHerName]

don't know, did no academic work over the summer - time will tell

[insanityscratching]

No idea tbh we haven't done any work over the holidays. Dd 10 has taught herself to touch type and is surprisingly fast and accurate and she has been learning how to play a keyboard. We bought a huge pile of Beano and Dandy annuals and comics at a car boot sale and she has read all those and a couple of other books. Any numeracy she has done would be on education city and mathletics when she chose to. We've been away and had fun and relaxed which for me is equally important. just need to get her back to earlier bedtimes and she'll be ready for school.

[China4Jazz]

It doesn't take that long for him to do that tables at all.
I just could not have my son not doing any kind of work during the 6 weeks. It's spaced really well.
Trust me; he doesn't do as he is told; it takes a lot of talking as he can be very challenging at times!
We went to lots of places and had days out with friends etc etc as we couldn't afford to go away.
His grades slipped last year and I'm not having that again!!

[forehead]

Well done China.
My dcs have done some maths and English over the past few days. I was amazed about how much they forgot.
I have decided to spend the next week revising some of the basics.
I wish that they had done more.

[JemimaMuddledUp]

No idea!

We started the holidays practicing times tables, but that petered off quite quickly. They have read loads of books (eight each with the Library Summer Reading Challenge, plus two each from school as homework and several from their own bookshelves). They have kept up their instrument practice most days, apart from when we were away on holiday.

It has been a fab summer though for experiences. Long sunny days are what memories are made of

[simpson]

Reading wise there has been no regression as they have read daily.

DS is very strong in numeracy so I reckon he won't have forgotten much in that but neither child has written much (DD - 5) has point blank refused to and I'm not going to push it as its her holiday, but as she is back next Thursday I might start easing her in gently

[my2bundles]

Probably, but I strongly belive school holidays are for recharging batteries, having fun and having a break. Teachers are well aware that regression can occur and take this into account during the the first few weeks back in school. Whats wrong with allowing children to be children and having a complete break?

[BarbarianMum]

Probably.

Having messed around with various models over the last couple of summers (a little every day, projects etc) I now go for consistent hard work in term time and a total break in the summer (other than reading but that's pleasure not work even for the 5 year old).

So we've done lots of outdoor stuff, day trips, arty stuff, lazing in the park stuff but nothing academic. To be honest they were so knackered by the end of last term I couldn't bear to. But next week it'll be business as usual.

[teafor1]

I had my son do a page a day from a math book. He wasn't quite getting it and I wanted him to be up to the "expected" standard when entering Year 1. He is way too tired during term time to do the extra work so 10-20 min a day during the summer worked out well for us. He has come on really well this summer with it all. I'm not a teacher but looking at the national curriculum I would say he is just about at the expected standard now for numbers. We also kept up with the daily reading.