Summer born DC in reception 'not concentrating enough'

[duckeggbluenotblue]

Just been told this by their teacher.

Apparently they 'haven't had a good week and don't concentrate enough when asked to do things during short maths/reading activities' and are silly and at times causing them to be disruptive and 'all they want to do is play'

I'm unsure what I can do at home to improve things, DC is really struggling with tiredness at home so don't feel like forcing school work on them at home would work/be the answer.

New to all this school stuff and feeling like total shit on hearing this 😕 i don't want to hide behind the summer born thing but my DC has only been in reception for 7 weeks and turned 4 on 29th August. AIBU to think this is a bit harsh?

Difficult to say, really. Is the teacher new? Most reception teachers would have an understanding of age appropriate behaviour, and have experience of teaching ‘just 4’ year olds. Or maybe the teacher was trying to kindly say there was an issue that’s not really due to child’s young age? I’d probably go back and ask for more specifics of what the teacher means by silly and disruptive. I’d expect a child of that age to have a short attention span, to want to play, to still be learning about sitting still and general classroom etiquette.

Doesn't concentrate enough compared to other summer born reception children, or compared to the five year olds?

Hmm not sure but they are good things to query at an upcoming parents evening. This was just an informal chat after school. Yes she is new to the school

So she’s four and a couple of months?

I think the best you can do is make sure she’s had plenty of sleep, as little sugar as possible, and has had a decent breakfast.

Could you hold her back a year? Sounds like she's not really ready for school, and there's a wealth of research showing that summer borns struggle more academically throughout their education.

My August-born DS started Reception this year too. At the beginning he just did not get it at all. I kept being hauled into the classroom and told that he was hitting other children, that he didn't even seem to know what he'd done wrong, that he wouldn't sit quietly on his spot, that he didn't even know where to begin with a pen etc. I'd had a winter girl go through the year before and be star pupil so I just did not know what to do. I got very upset about it. But now, a few weeks later, it's just all clicked into place for him. He's concentrating more, he's writing his name and using an excellent tripod grip, he's been moved up a reading stage. The main thing we worked on was sleep. He had got into a habit of going to bed very late and this was a killer for his concentration. So we bought him a darker nightlight and we just got very strict about his bedtimes. But also, he just got used to school a bit more. I would say don't worry yourself too much, and don't let the teacher grind you down about it. Just smile and nod and say you'll work on sleep and boundaries at home. We have a good Reception teacher and she as much as admitted that our DS was probably just too young to be there at the start. But they catch up. And those doing well in Reception and Year 1 often plateau by Year 2. It's not a linear progression for all children. Behaviour is probably the baseline thing you should try to work on at home, and the rest will all follow from that and the passage of time.....

'all they want to do is play'

GOOD! That's what the national curriculum says they should be doing:

Your child will mostly be taught through games and play.
www.gov.uk/early-years-foundation-stage

'cos that's the age appropriate way to learn.

You don't need to do anything at home, it is the teachers job to guide your child's play, even the eldest in the year is unlikely to be mature enough to deal well with explanations/motivations/punishment techniques delivered many hours after the events, feedback needs to be immediate.

If she says it again, "So, what are you doing about it?" is the thing to say.

Summer-born DS was just like that. He still is and he's 14. He is doing well at a school though.

What I'd do..

1. Talk to DC ..why are they not engaging? Is it boring? Too hard? They just don't want to do it? Different approaches needed for each one.
2. If they struggle at home too to stay focused and pay attention I'd play games to help with that. Puzzles,turn taking,games that don't finish in a second.
3. Talk to the teacher at length to find out exactly what the situation is.
4. Practice gross and fine motor skills(especially) . Lots of colouring,painting,play doh etc.

She is great at bedtime, we have a good routine and always have she's always asleep by 7.30 or 8 at latest, the teacher said she's clearly bright and that's why it is frustrating, i don't think holding her back would be the right thing, we did consider it. Thanks for your advice everyone xx

I would just nod politely. Get dc in bed at 6; feed them well; lots of exercise. It’ll come. Don’t stress, just do what you would normally do with good behaviour, don’t interrupt, sit at dinner table.