What can your 6 year old boy actually do?

[makawaka8]

Can anybody out there share what their 6 year old boy can actually currently do in terms of reading and writing? I'm not a pushy parent or into hot-housing my child. If anything I think I might have been a bit too relaxed about school, thinking my DS is still very young and will just get there with it all. I have spoken to his teacher today and basically he is not making a lot of progress in terms of his reading and writing. She doesn't seem that concerned because he is clearly learning in a general sense but he is below expected levels. He is in year 1 and has just turned 6. He is honestly a very bright child with a great vocabulary and he can talk about lots of complicated things. He is very poor still at writing and while he loves being read to, he is just not bothered with reading. He is progressing but slowly. His teacher today did seem to imply that this can by a "boy" thing at his age, where they are not as interested in sitting down and applying themselves? Now I'm wondering if I have been too laid back about it and should I be concerned here. Would anybody be willing to share what their 6 year old DS is actually able to do?

[Artandco]

Ds1 has just turned 6. He's doing pretty well at school I think

Reading - fairly fluent. He reads lots. He's currently reading the worst witch series and Enid blyton type stuff. So detailed but not too overly complicated

Maths - can add, subtract and divide most things within 100. Multiplication knows x2, x3, x5 , x10. That's roughly what they are doing at school.

Is interested and looks up lots of science and history related stuff. But he's interested in everything like that in general

He has 30 mins written homework, 15 mins school reading, and spelling or timetable learning every evening from school

[Moving15]

My DS is now 8. When he was six he could hardly read and I thought there was something wrong. My mother in law who is a primary school teacher diagnosed him with 'he is a boy don't worry about it'. Two years later (three school years) and he is reading well and writing over the expected level. His spelling is quite inconsistent still.
dS 2 is 5.5 and can't blend his phonics. All words end with t for him even though he sounds them out beautifully. Cat bat mat bit fut kippet chit sat.
He loves being read to and is happy to give things a go. Most important thing at this age is being interested in learning and experimenting and sociable in my opinion.

[makawaka8]

Wow artandco that has me worried! My DS is nowhere near that level yet and I could not get him to focus for that amount of homework.

[Moving15]

Just to add that our school has a no homework policy. 30 mins + of homework after school would fill me with horror.

[guerre]

maka- a year ago, my DS was same age as yours now, and he could barely write. He would do the shortest sentences possible, completely illegible.
A year later, he's doing proper joined-up writing, his sentences are a good length, he sometimes remembers punctuation

[shouldwestayorshouldwego]

At that age dd1 was similar now predicted 5a (equivalent) at end of yr 6. It took her a while to get going but now she is doing really well. They all mature at their own pace. Keep reading with him, get him writing shopping lists. An Easter egg hunt is a great opportunity to sneak some reading in (typed rather than handwritten clues though). A postcard written to Granny from a day trip. Let him see the point and value in reading something other than Biff, Chip and Kipper stories and writing. DS is 6 and his reading and writing are amazing but he hasn't learnt to persevere in the same way dd1 has.

Dd1 also is a child who needs to see the point of doing something- she is a why child. Until she saw the point of independent reading (she could read the end of the chapter because I was 'too tired' to finish), it was easier to be read to 'why should I read when you can read better and faster than me?'. She was also concerned that when she could read we would stop reading to her.

[RueDeWakening]

DS1 turned 6 last month. He has just (last week) been made a free reader as he's got to the end of the school scheme books. He can read fluently, but doesn't enjoy it so it's a struggle tbh. He reads things like the Frankie's Magic Football series as he's mad on football.

Maths wise he's doing OK too - he can add & subtract, knows his number bonds to 20, working on them to 100. Can multiply by 2, 5 and 10 with a bit of effort.

He doesn't enjoy writing, can be neat if he takes his time (once in a blue moon). Fortunately he only gets 2 worksheet type homeworks a week, one literacy and one maths, and usually completes them inside 10 minutes. This week for eg he had to put some words into alphabetical order, and measure himself and write down the results (head circ, arm length, foot length etc). So not much in the way of writing!

[makawaka8]

Thats interesting Moving about homework and how much schools vary in that regard. I could not deal with the homework either never mind DS! guerre that is very reassuring to hear thank you :-)

[Artandco]

Ds2 has the same amount of homework also. He is in reception and 5. They are very hot on reading at school. So each day they do roughly 20 mins reading homework, 10 mins with a TA at school 1-1, 10 mins group reading at school, plus Dh and I read to them at bedtime. Our 4 year old is at cat in the hat type reading. Both could read before starting school though

[makawaka8]

I feel as if I haven't done enough with him now. We read to him absolutely every day but I had this worry about putting him under pressure and wanted him to just do things in his own time. I guess the educational system isn't structured like that and I'm starting to feel like he's on a different schedule.

[guerre]

sorry, make, meant to add that it was a maturity thing for him, definitely. He still moans about not being able to play at school.

[HanYOLO]

My DS2 is similar, OP - he's 6 in May, and my approach is similar.

He is passionate about drawing, quite likes writing (though his cursive hand is not up to the teachers aspirations), not interested in reading to himself, though he can, a bit, wonderful expressive vocabulary, often used to humorous effect very good spoken english and use of grammar, inquisitive, lively and happy.

If he can't read by the time he leaves the infants, then I will start to be concerned.

[makawaka8]

Thanks HanYOLO your son sounds exactly the same as mine from your description. I might just have to try to be encouraging and wait and see if a bit of maturity kicks in to help the sitting at a table reading and writing part. I have been trying to trick him into writing by making lists and writing letters but its a bit harder with reading weirdly.

[Caravanoflove]

Artandco's ds is NOT representative of a normal six year old!!
My son just managed to read we are going on a bear hunt tonight and probably only because he knows it by heart. He can count on multiples of 2 and add and subtract up to 20. He's pretty normal, he's 6 and they all get there in the end.
He is a technological wizard though!

[Artandco]

Caravan - he's average for his class, certainly not miles ahead.

[makawaka8]

Artandco I might need to find out where your DS goes to school and put in for a transfer at this rate!

[Ambiorixa]

DS is just teaching himself to read and he is starting to write in capital letters. He is one of the most advanced in his class.
We live on the continent and here children only start to read and write arond the age of 6. They are so little still and only get 1 childhood.

[PatsysPyjamas]

Artandco, in that case your school must be way ahead of mine. It is interesting (and a bit worrying) to see how they differ. My DS's class has 21 boys and 9 girls. Half have English as an additional language. DS is on the top table and is one of the better readers, but there is no way he would be reading Enid Blyton. He reads early readers or picture books. He loves writing, but isn't good at spelling. He does have an aptitude for maths, I think, but even that is worrying me in that you say yours knows the 2, 3, 5 and 10 tables, when ours have only just begun the 2s. He can add 3-digit numbers. He likes playing cards, chess etc and can beat his 9 yr old sister. She was reading a long time before him and found that a much easier process. I was concerned about his reading, but the teacher reassured me... now I am worrying that perhaps the expected standard for that class is low.

[Heebiejeebie]

he sounds totally fine. There is one free reader in my sons year 1 class, everyone else is struggling through 8 page biff and chips.

[DancingDinosaur]

Oh you're fine op. My ds is similar. I have no doubt that it will all come together at some point. My ds can read early readers. His handwriting is appalling, he's quite good at maths in his head but never really seems to get that down on paper very neatly. But he's bright and very articulate with his language. In our school the expectation is that the children will have mastered those times tables that Antandco mentioned by the end of year 2.

[DancingDinosaur]

he sounds totally fine. There is one free reader in my sons year 1 class, everyone else is struggling through 8 page biff and chips.

Same here. One free reader and the rest doing biff and chip.

[makawaka8]

Phew thank you all this is definitely reassuring me. I think I need to be a bit more on it with him but hopefully I don't need to panic too much and he will get there. I guess a lot could develop over the next year.

[DancingDinosaur]

Oh it will do. I saw huge changes in my dd as she moved up the school years. The difference between year 2 and 3 was huge, so i'm not worried about ds as I've already seen how they can change. Don't stress yourself.

[user789653241]

My ds was miles ahead in terms of reading in reception. Now in yr3, a lot of children caught up. He is still ahead, but not miles ahead, and there are children at same level as well. So, don't worry, some child click early, some do a little later, but by YR3, they are all similar levels.

[ChalkHearts]

Is he in Y1 or Y2?

Y2 I'd be worried. Y1 I'd be a little bit worried.

It's totally not true that all kids pick it up in their own time. About 20% leave primary not reading or writing properly.

However, equally, lots do catch up.

Teacher not being worried is no indication as to how bad the problem is. What does she care if your child doesn't catch up?

Certainly don't leave it if he is in Y2.