Stupid question about reception (school)

[trunumber]

DS starts school this year. I don't know any children already at school and can't remember when I was there

What do they actually do all day at that age (4-5) Do they most learn through play or is it more structured teaching (like teacher at the front of class) ?

At DS' school it is mostly playing, interspersed with a few short carpet time sessions every day where the teacher teaches a concept directly. They also do small group activities, individual reading and PE.

Thank you, that's really helpful, I appreciate the reply

Sounds about right.

I think my reception aged child is introduced to concepts at carpet tiles and then there's free flow play which is often based around the concepts and the other skills they're learning - they have activity tables they move between. So for example if they're learning about the 'oo' sound they might have a table where they need to find things with that sound in its name, or do some writing on a wipe clean board, or finger painting for fine motor skills, etc. It's very relaxed and in the afternoon they have a story together on the carpet.

Ah thank you, it sounds brilliant.

I currently work in reception. The days structure is basically:
Registration
English (carpet time which increases as the year progresses)
Choosing time ( different themed stations which change week)
Phonics
Lunch
Maths (as with english)
Choosing time
Story
Home

Choosing time has guided activities such as arts and crafts making soup/pancakes etc..
Mostly the emphasis is learning through play so for example in the shop we will learn about money and we will do reward challenges for completing Choosing tasks that are maths/phonics based. There is an outside classroom where we have planting areas and construction with tyres, crates and planks etc...it is a varied day with lots of support with a gradual increase in formal learning.

Thank you, I'm really impressed - it's so clever how play becomes actual learning.

My sons in reception now, it’s carpet based learning through songs and actions and videos etc, and then structured activities to reinforce what their learning. It’s often a theme, ie superhero week or spring/Easter week. They get one to one sessions with the teacher to assess how their picking things up but my son doesn’t realise that I don’t think. It’s wonderful and they come on so fast it’s astonishing

Thanks for the info @flyingGoose - I have a child in reception now and I'm still no wiser about what they do!

My DS mainly comes home with glitter in his hair, drawn on knees & fruit yoyo cards. These are my only clues.

@LBOCS2

Sounds about right.

I think my reception aged child is introduced to concepts at carpet tiles and then there's free flow play which is often based around the concepts and the other skills they're learning - they have activity tables they move between. So for example if they're learning about the 'oo' sound they might have a table where they need to find things with that sound in its name, or do some writing on a wipe clean board, or finger painting for fine motor skills, etc. It's very relaxed and in the afternoon they have a story together on the carpet.

This is a pretty accurate summing up on Reception

Thanks everyone, do I need to be teaching any phonics or letters etc now or just wait til school?

@trunumber

Thanks everyone, do I need to be teaching any phonics or letters etc now or just wait til school?

It can’t hurt to start now. Just incorporate it into play.

You don’t need to start teaching phonics or anything like that just now (I work in reception).

Make sure your child can manage their own belongings, so make sure they can recognise their name on their clothes or lunchboxes, get them to practice putting things in their book bag, dressing and undressing themselves, can turn jumpers the right way round from being inside out, can recognise which foot to put shoes on, can wash their hands properly without help. All those sorts of skills are much more useful than children knowing their phonics before they start school.

By incorporating it into play, I meant sing the alphabet and talk about the sounds when they come up. I’m doing letters with DD2 and she’s 6mo. We babble the letter together (mostly me) and find things that start with that sound. This week’s sound was ‘p’ so we are playing a lot of ‘p p p peekaboo!!’. Read books together and point out words that start with the sound you talked about. It doesn’t need to be formal teaching with flash cards.

But @NailsNeedDoing is right. Those skills are so important for going into reception.

Have a look at Five Minute Mum on Instagram for ideas on how to build phonics/number recognition into play. Simple games that help them recognise their name, and general getting ready activities so they can put coats/shoes on by themselves are helpful.

No need to teach them phonics but helpful to get them in best place to learn - so following instructions, get selves sorted semi independently (frees up teacher time to teach). They will experience it as play but will be learning lots. It’s amazing to see the progression they make

@trunumber this is something you need to speak to your chosen school about. At my school there are carpet times which are led by the teacher teaching then, during play we get out and scaffold the children’s learning wherever they are. They have access to continuous provision and don’t have to go around tables completing activities. Reception is one that varies everywhere and some schools idea of play is to move children around various pre planned adult activities. Depending on your child, will depend how you feel about that. If you have a boy who loves being outside and building you may not want that!

I used to listen to readers in Reception.

1. If teaching ahead, make sure you teach phonics not names
2. If teaching ahead use lower case and make sure letter formation is correct It is easier for school to teach from fresh than have to unlearn bad habits. As others have said, teaching independence skills is more helpful than reading/maths.

They sneaked in maths without the children knowing it. e.g. Counting how many children had packed lunches v school dinners (before they were all free) and seeing which was more, what the difference was etc.

It can’t hurt to start now. Just incorporate it into play.
It can hurt. If you are going to do it you need to make sure you are doing the pure synthetic sounds. No 'uh' at the end of them.

Learning to recognise their own name written down is the most useful educational thing you can teach them. Some counting and shapes. Nursery rhymes. Days of the week etc. Many dc come into reception knowing far less than they did ten years ago. ipad generation.

Other things are
Putting on coat
Fastening coat
Hanging up coat by loop
Putting on and off own shoes

@KingsRoad

Doing it correctly is a given obviously.

Most parents will do phonics with their child before they go to school without even realising it.

Check with the school about letter formation, even if you are not expecting your child to write or copy letters it’s a good idea for you to use the script the school is using if for example you want the child to recognise their name.

The really vital one is not teaching them to write their name in capital letters.

Thank you everyone, is it the norm for parents to contact school before they start to ask about phonics etc - I'm keen not to teach the wrong thing

Their phonics curriculum should be on their website

I don’t think they will mind,I would wait until after Easter then email and ask if they have any information guidance for September parents that they could send you . Usually you would be invited for a visit in the summer term at which they pass on useful information, but it’s likely that won’t happen this year.

Some schools have information like this on their website so worth checking.

I would focus on social skills and self help skills (dressing, independent toileting etc) over teaching them phonics before they start. My DS is in reception and went to a nursery where they did quite a lot of formal learning. He started school able to read and do reception level maths and quite honestly is bored stupid.

Did/does your child go to nursery or pre-school?
Reception year curriculum is under the 'Early Years' Framework, same as pre-school.
Year 1 is when they move to 'Key Stage 1' and is a bit more 'formal learning'. Agree with those saying to focus on practical and social skills!

It's amazing when they go into Reception maybe only knowing some letters and then come out being able to read!