If you are a primary school teacher can you please tell me what you taught your child before they started school?

[ferriswheel]

Just that really.

Well titty, she may be a pleasure now, but you can't guarantee that she still will be a pleasure once she hits teenage years.

I think it depends on the child, my child (DD 3yo) loves to learn and will ask me to sit with her and do small amount of 'school' type, so a family member bought her some preschool workbooks for her 3rd birthday and we play with them from time to time, putting 'meaning to marks' etc. She likes the numbers ones and with support and encouragement can write numbers from 1-10 :) very proud of her but not all kids are interested at this age. While I don't push her to complete anything like this and let her go and do her own thing when she gets bored of it, I also enjoy the one on one time it gives us and it helps increase her volcabulary, and will gradually introduce the idea of learning before she starts school so will not come as such a shock when she can't just play all day, but that's just my opinion and like I said we only do these things when she asks to, I wouldn't force her. But MANNERS are one of my pet hates, it's costs nothing to teach children manners. Some accents drive me mad too but that's me BU

I'm really surprised by some comments of "that's what teachers are for"

As parents you are the original teacher! They love you and want to copy you, you have so much influence!

I taught my dc to read, but only because we're not in the UK, and I wanted them to learn to read English before they started learning in school, as it's very different and English is harder.

If I were in UK, I would have just tried to ensure correct pencil grip and use of scissors. Maybe get used to picking up after themselves. But eldest is now 17 and still not mastered it

Sorry if you don't believe me volunteer, but it's absolutely true. I've always been very good at English and reading, and I'm bright enough, but in no way any sort of genius. Plus my maths and any sort of common sense are lacking entirely!

A PP is absolutely correct when she said it led to boredom though; I spent a lot of infant school sitting in the library by myself. I also got teacher after teacher refusing to believe I could read that quickly and was frequently accused of making it up and questioned on the story. To this day (pre baby anyway!), I read v fast and I can read a book in a day on holiday. As I won't have a kindle, that makes for some expensive suitcase weights!

From a teaching perspective, it drove DM mad because I just didn't learn like most children. She would tell me the word and I memorised it, but I could not work out another word. So if she said CAT, I knew cat, but I simply would not be able to work out that B-A-T meant BAT. Once she'd told me, I remembered it. I went on to pass all my exams by memorising vast swathes of things off by heart; it's just always been how I learn.

One of my friends' children was reading by 2, and unlike me he IS phenomenally bright across every subject. She said it was exactly the same; he just memorised the words.

Also DD is nearly 2 and there is no chance of her being able to do it. I blame her father

DD starts in September, she:

-recognises single sounds/ some consonant digraphs and is learning to blend.

-Can form the letters from her name correctly and some others/ hold a pencil/ use scissors correctly

-Simple addition/ subtraction

-Can match numerals to quantity

-Can speak in clearly and in sentences

-Can concentrate on a task (of her choosing) for a period of time

-Dress/ toilet herself mostly unaided

-Knows to 'wait for the gap' when joining in a conversation. (Not that she always does this )

The reading came very easily and she is so excited that she is able to read words. I've taught Reception for years and do not expect children to be able to read when they start.

But...children who can read/write/work with numbers do have a certain confidence of 'I can do this!' Same as children who have good communication skills. DD has both, I'm proud of that. I hope she flys and feels she can reach for the moon!

I work in a school that teaches through continuous provision until yr2, so I'm very passionate about play-based learning and following children's interests. No 'hot housing' here.