Me or nursery?

[Saz12]

My perfectly-intelligent-but-definitely-not-exceptional PFB DD started nursery about 8 months ago; she goes 2 days a week. She'll start school until Aug 2016.
DD likes to try and draw latters, which nursery has encouraged. IMO she is nowhere near ready (she can barely draw a face / house/ triangle/ whatever). She has learned to draw shapes which to her represent letters - eg a lollipop for "e", 3 dots for a "w", etc. Nursery has a jotter for her to copy letters out into, with her writing the same letter again and again down the page, just like my 1970's primary school did. She is 3 years old.

I've told nursery that I think she's way too young to be doing this at all, and am really unhappy that she has learned to do things wrongly. Nursery assure me they are experts at early years education and should leave them to it.

Your verdict?

She probably won't be doing it till Aug 2016 and will forget most of it, I wouldn't worry.

You're right, in that of course I don't KNOW that they encourage it above all else; I'm going on what she says (her perspective, likely to be unreliable for facts, but still how she sees it). Stuff like "Key Worker likes it when I do writing but not drawing"., etc. In all other ways I like the nursery, but they are very into Marketing Speak and it does make me cynical of the learning value of the "parent-pleasing" product.

I don't like the idea that she is doing something uninspiring (copying out letters) when she "should" be learning to play with her peers.

I do think you have a point about play - but if you don't like that element strongly enough, can you place her somewhere else?

Yanbu, I think I would ask them to stop, it's one thing giving her a book to write/mark make/doodle, but to be copying the same letter over and over strikes me as very old fashioned.

I would also be concerned that they are teaching her the correct way,
It's hard for a child to have to re learn things the right way and forget the wrong way, an example of this is I taught my child print writing but in reception he uses cursive and he was starting the letters in the wrong place because that is what I had taught him.

Ps I'm a nursery person, and quite well trained and we are by no means experts. Children should be encourage to make marks through lots of fun ways not sitting down and copying. Challenge them and see what they say

I highly doubt her key worker has told her she doesn't like her drawing and prefers her to do letters. You have to take what 3yos say with a pinch of salt sometimes, otherwise I would be quite concerned when DD claims to have done "nothing" at preschool!

I expect your DD is doing the letters because she likes being able to do them. My DD can get quite frustrated at not being able to draw properly yet, but she has learnt how to do letters and numbers - I'm guessing it's actually easier for them than drawing a house or whatever - and so she comes home with pages full of them rather than drawings. I know the preschool aren't pushing her to do them though. I honestly can't fathom why you would be bothered by it.

My three year old can write most of her letters and write out her name, mum and dad without help. She isn't 'exceptionally gifted' either. Her nursery do a range of activities but also do 'mark marking' activities, including copying dotty letters. I think this is normal and completely average. I think you are worrying over nothing. Letter learning is part of the early years curriculum.

It is very young to be starting that, at that age. If your not happy, tell them. EYF should be about playing and learning through play, not practising school skills at 2.