To ask a nursery worker/someone in education for advice?

[HackAttack]

My HV has said my two and a half year old is likely to be very bored when he starts nursery this September and I'm a little worried.

Speech wise he is brilliant, I can talk to him about most topics and he understands and responds like a school age child. He speaks in normal sentences, can describe what he wants, relate memories, etc.

His memory is far better than mine, he can direct someone driving to any location he has been to a few times, he knows all shapes (including complex ones like parallelogram/dodecahedron). He's mastered numbers up to twenty, memorised some planet names and impressed the GP naming stuff like opthalmascope/stethoscope.

Recently he's memorised all letters and is practising drawing them with a kit, I don't think reading is far away as he is trying already!!

He also does something kind of odd that I find fascinating. He seems to see the world in parts and shapes. For example I dropped a multi pack of tissues on the coffee table (they split) and he looked at them and assembled them into the shape of a robot with no hesitation. Stuff like that is pretty common.

This is not from me, I'm quite clever but nothing way above the national average, same for my husband really. We say something once and he remembers it permanently, it's mad!!

The HV and a few people at playgroups have said he is going to have nothing to do at nursery and I am a bit concerned. He is very shy with other children (especially if they can't talk) and I want nursery to be fun. Any nursery workers come across a toddler like mine? Reassure me please :/

[vanillalavender]

Well, you don't have to send him! But if he enjoys playing and new things and toys, he'll be fine, I imagine.

[vanillalavender]

If he enjoys playing and toys and children, he'll be fine, but you don't have to send him.

[vanillalavender]

Sorry

[Blue14]

there will be plenty of others like yours there, don't worry. And he will learn to mix fine with the others who are not yet so verbal. Its a strange thing to say, that he will be bored!? There is no reason to think that.

[outputgap]

Not in education, but your child will learn incredibly important social and emotional things at nursery, as well as self care stuff. Playing with other children, building relationships, learning to take turns, do activities together, negotiate difficult situations - a good nursery will give him loads of stimulation.

[TheChimpParadox]

Nursery / preschool is much more about their social skills and play rather than formal learning.

I would still send him and see how it works out. I am surprisingly send that your HV isn't focussing on the other aspects of nursery / preschool that would benefit him.

[witsender]

That's a very odd thing for them to say, what context was it in? Most nurseries are very used to different strengths and there will be a range of activities if they are any good. He will only be there for 15 hours odd? Bear in mind that these things level out at various ages, so he won't find himself unusual. But don't send him if you are worried, it isn't essential.

[HackAttack]

I'm glad, he does love toys, I don't know why she's said that (he's my firstborn hence the asking).

Vanilla, I've been on maternity with his younger brother but as I'm going back it would be good for him to have some extra routine. My mother in law is providing childcare but he will need more time with other children. Did you not send yours to nursery? Why not if you don't mind me asking?

[HackAttack]

Wit, it was actually while doing a normal milestone check for my youngest. We were chatting afterwards and she knows my eldest from previous visits. Just general conversation about what he has being doing and what nurseries I'd put his name down for.

Social skills would be great for him because he is very normal in that respect. He is just about learning to play near his peers but not much beyond that (normal I think). That side of nursery will be brilliant for him.

[HackAttack]

Wit, it was actually while doing a normal milestone check for my youngest. We were chatting afterwards and she knows my eldest from previous visits. Just general conversation about what he has being doing and what nurseries I'd put his name down for.

Social skills would be great for him because he is very normal in that respect. He is just about learning to play near his peers but not much beyond that (normal I think). That side of nursery will be brilliant for him.

[HackAttack]

Wit, it was actually while doing a normal milestone check for my youngest. We were chatting afterwards and she knows my eldest from previous visits. Just general conversation about what he has being doing and what nurseries I'd put his name down for.

Social skills would be great for him because he is very normal in that respect. He is just about learning to play near his peers but not much beyond that (normal I think). That side of nursery will be brilliant for him.

[Groovee]

I've worked in nursery for a long time and a good staffing in nursery will give a range of activities for the children to do or play with and take from the childrens lead. I find when a parent says their child is bored, it's often due to poor concentration. It sounds like your DC will soak up nursery and love it. The social aspect will be a huge change for him but the majority of children love nursery and what they are doing that day X

[DatsunCherry]

I don't think there will plenty of others like him there, but neither do I think he'll be bored.
He'll learn how to interact with people he doesn't already know, he'll learn how to share, and all sorts of other social skills.

And it doesn't matter how bright you are, painting and building with blocks and role play and looking at books in the book corner is fun when you're little.

If it's a decent nursery he won't be bored, as they should provide a challenging and stimulating environment for all children.

[HackAttack]

Sorry for the double post there, not sure what happened!

Groovee thank you, I really hope he will, I loved school and I want education to be a good experience for him :)

I'm not fussed about pushing him or anything I just want him to enjoy being a toddler.

[Sourpickledqueen]

The nursery my dd goes to swaps her between her age group room and the older room depending in what activities each room is doing. For eg, she goes to the older room for phonics/numbers and certain crafts/games. She is quite happy with this and not at all bored.

Maybe you could ask the nursery if they could look at doing something like that?

[HackAttack]

Datsun, thanks that's very reassuring he will happily play with pretty much any play materials and his concentration is pretty good on any of the things you mentioned.

Sour that sounds good, depends which one he gets into I guess :)

[CultureSucksDownWords]

I think it depends on the nursery and how much effort they put into activities. The nursery my DS goes to does so many amazing activities - they have a large outdoor space, they have animals that the children help care for (e.g. chickens where the children collect the eggs), they grow plants and vegetables, the outdoor play areas are fab. They can build things with all sorts of recycled bits and pieces to create castles, ships, fire engines etc. They do art activities that are really interesting, eg using the digital suite to project images to draw onto. They've done Forest school, go to the beach for day trips and so much more.

It's much more about social learning than academic stuff, and that's what I'd rather have. If your child is bright then they'll pick up academic things when the time comes (or on their own if they're inclined to) but I think the social interactions are really important.

[rumbleinthrjungle]

The nursery will have children there who will be four going on five, and their toys and activities will be there to interest and stretch children at all ability levels. Whichever early years setting you choose your son's keyworker will fill out the Foundation Stage curriculum tracker for your son as he or she will for every child in their key group and that shows the next steps he is ready for, and they will then make sure they put what he needs in their planning.

Most nurseries would be very indignant to think they'd just leave any child they were looking after to be bored!

[GloGirl]

There is so much more to life and education and interaction than conversations and playing with what you already know.

Think of all the new things at nursery to make shapes with, whilst the staff might not be in constant teaching with him all day they might ask questions or give him a viewpoint that you'd never of thought of.

I think the more input into a child's life from a variety of people the better. Nursery will be good for him.

[HackAttack]

I don't know a lot about nursery (probably shows lol) this has been so helpful, quite excited for him now :)

[NannyNim]

I nanny for a boy who is much like you describe (although his passion is cars!)
He went to a nursery and didn't really settle there. I don't think he was bored as such but they were a particularly extroverted bunch and he's very much an introvert. They were also, from what I could tell, quite focused on whole group activities with an academic focus (although made fun!)

He left there and started Pre-School in September which is more like a nursery class (although not attached to a school) rather than a day-care. He is thriving there. He's not bored in the slightest even though I have seen no evidence of overt academic learning and he simply plays all day! His social skills have come on in leaps and bounds and he has made true, solid friendships. He's been introduced to things I would not necessarily have thought to cover with him such as traditional fairy tales (he would, given the choice, choose an encyclopaedia about cars and have fun guessing the make of car!)

These things are obviously down to multiple factors but my point is simply that just because he may be "left to play all day" does not by any means he will be bored! An academic environment is not necessarily suited to every academic!

[WorraLiberty]

My friend's toddler was like this and she was worried about him starting nursery.

She needn't have worried though, as he spent most of his time babbling away happily at the sand and water table with everyone else.

In fact she went from worrying that he was 'too forward', to worrying that he'd 'slipped backward' as he quickly became a bit more like an average toddler.

I think secretly she was hoping he'd master reading War and Peace by the end of the first term

In reality, he mastered removing his trousers and strutting around wearing nothing but wellington boots

Let him find his own way, I'm sure he'll be fine.

[HackAttack]

Oh Worra I'd be far happy if he comes home muddy and cheerful rather than anything else! I've never never done any structured learning with him unless you count story time!

[HackAttack]

*happier - really doesn't get the intellect from me clearly!

[Karoleann]

Nursery is more about social interaction, learning to tolerate and listen to your peers and teachers as well as developing turn based play, emotions and listening skills.

I'm not sure my children actually learnt much academically in any of their pre-school settings. But if he is interested in reading and letters, I would do as much as you can at home as most settings are not geared up for pre-school readers.

Your DS sounds very like my nephew, he was very precocious as a toddler, spoke very early and seemed to grasp complex conversation easily. You would kick a ball at him and he would discuss the properties of this "sphere" that I was kicking towards him! DN started school last academic year and is still very bright, although the differences between him and his peers have reduced over time.