"Bright children get bored in Reception"

[EvilTwins]

I have two daughters in Yr R. They are bright, inquisitive and imaginative children, and they absolutely love school. It's something different every day, and their teacher is absolutely fantastic. I sometimes wish I could be in their class, they do that many exciting things...

We spent some time recently with a friend whose daughter is in the same year - we've known each other since the girls were born - but no longer live near each other. My friend insists that her DD is "bored" at school, and that it's because she's bright, and that Reception year is boring for bright children.

AIBU to think that a) this is simply not true, and b) to resent my friend's implication, therefore, that since my children do enjoy being in Reception, they're obviously not bright?

Oops - fucked up the bold. You get the idea.

reception isn't boring for bright children at all.

maybe your friend's children are "Difficult to engage in meaningful activity and discussion" (a bit thick) and therefore aren't able to participate in the full range of activity and amusement that reception offers.

Either that or your friend's child is being a little shit at shcool.

Children are different. Schools are different. Lots of children do find reception boring or tiring or challenging. It is possible her children are bored. It is possible they bored because they are bright, or because the school isn't that great, or because they are mardy, high maintenance little fuckers

I know my DS (who is bright, but also has Asperger's) found reception intensely boring. He didn't want to play, he wanted to sit down and read a science book

Why get into a pissing match about whose kid is bright and whose isn't (and what does that even mean for 4 year olds?)

Smile, nod, disagree. Why would you do anything else?

It is possible they bored because they are bright, or because the school isn't that great, or because they are mardy, high maintenance little fuckers

Never a truer word spoken

Or it could be that your friend's daughter is bored because she has the attention span of an amoeba.

maybe her dd isn't that bright, and is lying because she doesn't understand what's going on around her - not bored, just confused.

In my very limited experience, bright children don't get bored at reception. They are presented with a wide range of interesting and stimulating activity and it's, well, up to them to get involved. What does she want them to be doing? Sitting in rows and reciting times tables?

Do you really think she thinks your two are dim? They sound super.

Reception CAN be boring for children if they are ahead of their peers. It could also be because the teacher isnt giving the child enough stimulation too. I would imagine it varies from class to class, and school to school.

It is possible that her child is both bright and bored, but they're not linked in any causative way - she might also be tall and nervous, or short and wriggly, or average and whiny.

I'm glad your DCs are getting a lot out of reception.

She's a super-achiever herself, with an Oxford Doctorate husand, and a line of in-laws who attended the same Oxford college. She has assumed since the moment her DD was born that she would be a genius, and takes every oportunity to prove that this is so. She has been into school and complained about the fact that her DD doesn't get enough attention at school and that she is bored. She should be doing Yr 1 maths, apparently, and she wants to be sitting filling in worksheets - "proper work"

TBH, I do think that she thinks my DDs are a bit dim - in comparison to hers, that is. Thing is, my two are so bloody imaginative, that they're never bored.

Reception is 70% play and 30% work IIRC. It may be that her DD was all excited about being at Big School and learning how to read, write and do sums, but they are not doing as much of that as she expected.

With older children I am always sceptical when I hear parents saying that little Johnny is "bored" at school because they are so bright. In some cases of course it IS because the child is gifted and not being challenged enough. But most of the time, the child is average, or below, is playing up or not working, and has worked out that if they say they are bored their parents blame the school for their bad behaviour / lack of effort.

I have a degree in English and since gaining that have helped in Year 7 English lessons - without being bored. Yet I was bored and irritated watching Brian Cox on the telly banging on about black holes and entropy the other night - because it was too hard for me to understand and I couldn't be bothered to try.

Some children find it easier to learn if they are in a classroom with less group activity and more structure than reception classes generally offer.

In my experience the brighter ones enjoy it more as they are more confident and enjoy being top of the class.

In a good school all DCs will be catered for and not be bored.

This isn't about anything other than her trying to suggest her DD is brighter than yours. That is her problem not yours.Just ignore.

Well all the better for her not living near you anymore! I imagine it will only get worse .

I am surprised she didnt home-ed, because its obvious no teacher is going to be able to keep her (or her daughter) happy....

why are you all so obsessed with whether children are "bright"? It's really quite bizarre and rather unpleasant.

Well I remember being in Reception and being bored to tears at being told to play all day, with the highlight being unstructured sand play interrupted by people wetting their pants. I didn't get the whole playing with plastic stuff thing, I wanted to be doing what grown ups do in microcosm, cooking, writing, telling people off, reading big books, inventing stuff. So I grew up and did it for a living instead. I think I was born about 40.

What a load of old crap! MY dd was assessed as being at 2b SATS level in reception (for reading comprehension as well as maths). She was never bored.

Her child is rpobably bored because she isn't quite as socially forward as her peers and doesn't know how to interact with them.

Miniboff 1 on life in Reception:

"It's rubbish here. They spend the whole time seeing how good you are at things, but they are hopeless at Lego compared to us so how can they know?"

I agree MillyR.

My dd1 didn't love reception, although I wouldn't say she was bored. She's now in Year 1 and loves school - so much more enthusiastic everyday. The structure just seems to suit her better.

Dd2 however will go into reception in Sept and the amount of free play will suit her down to the ground.

Different things suit different children.

Buzz - actually, I'm more concerned with whether my DTDs are happy, sociable, confident and engaged whilst at school. It's my friend who uses the "b" word all the time.