To do zero home learning with DS?

[usercheeselover]

This is def a MN stealth type post so don't all pile on to tell me.... but I am genuinely torn over what to do.

DS Y5. His primary have put loads of generic Twinkl worksheets on their website. He is refusing to do them.

In contrast, DD Y8 is pretty much following a full timetable of work set in a google classroom and all work to be photographed & sent in.

So she is the one moaning that life is unreasonable!

So to make it more fair, I've been making DS sit to work alongside me. And he chooses the Y6 worksheets and is getting 100% on them. It's basic stuff, arithmetic and reasoning, comprehensions.

He has to sit the 11 plus in Sept... he is a clever kid and should pass... we haven't yet started looking at the tougher parts of the test such as algebra and mean... but because he's so bored with the work school have set, I thought I would look at Y6 mean worksheets on twinkl.

He has just got the whole of the hardest worksheet correct, including decimals IN HIS HEAD. (DD and I are no longer talking to him).

AIBU to let him do whatever he wants in quarantine (mostly talk and play Roblox with his bestie) because I don't want him to be completely bored in Y6 ?

including decimals IN HIS HEAD

Seriously not something to ‘brag about’ bad practice.

That bit isn't a brag. How do people do that? Never something I have been able to do

A very lot of IABU

Is that for the perceived bragging part because I really don't see the benefit of him looking through Y6 work now...

He might as well see it with fresh eyes than bored ones.

I get what you're saying. DD is bright and we have in the past been advised by teachers to encourage but not necessarily push her at home. She isn't a child prodigy so she's not going to be doing her GCSEs aged 8 or anything. She will remain in her year group. So it's important not to push her to race ahead and become bored and disengaged. Doing things a bit quicker than her peers right now is not an indicator that she will always be ahead, and me pushing her won't necessarily have any benefit for her down the line.
If I were you I would insist on some work from him. Mostly because it will provide a bit of routine and keep him in the habit of learning. But I wouldn't race ahead with work that's aimed at older kids.

Focus on reading to develop his vocabulary. It doesn't particularly matter what he reads as long as it stretches him.

Write a book, comic book.

Choose a project to research, science investigations etc.

Plenty of other areas to stretch him that aren't just twinkl sheets.

You could look at year 7 twinkl, they have power points giving instructions for full investigations, many of which could safely be completed at home with household items.

Thank you Iwantto and HP
Love the experiment idea !

He already reads for pleasure everyday.... making him do more feels wrong as well.

Yesterday he was trying to code a game and rightly he found it hard. I can't help at all with that at all! He is way cleverer than me.

Pretend your Internet is down and relax!

I would be as relaxed as you can with him, encourage him if he wants to do it, but don't force him.

A word of warning on the doing maths in his head though, my autistic son has always done this, just looks at the questions and tells you the answer, he is doing A levels and can still do it, but he gets poor marks because most of the marks are for the working out. Unfortunately your son needs to learn to do the working out on paper.

You could push his maths further with some interesting problem solving. Look on the UKMT website for junior maths challenge papers and try him with one of those. www.ukmt.org.uk/competitions/solo/junior-mathematical-challenge/archive
The n-rich website has got lots of lovely problems nrich.maths.org/primary

Or he could stagnate over the next 6 months and let his maths skills get rusty through lack of use....

Teach him some life skills lessons. Cooking, cleaning etc. Get him to phone a younger kid every day and read them a story. Plant seeds, write a song, design a website. Loads of stuff he could learn that’s not purely academic. Too many academic people have poor life skills so this is a great opportunity.

Why are you asking MN this? He's your kid, do what you want!

Oh, thought of another one. Kids from my church have been writing to older folk who are at retirement homes with no visitors. That’s a great skill to learn.

Could he do some research into a topic of his choice and do a project, powerpoint, poster or essay about that topic? My year 2 is supposed to be doing a project, but he isn't. He is shouting, throwing things and getting very upset.

Let him get o with it. It sounds ds like he will be fine picking out his own work.

For what it's worth ds (7) in year 3 can do decimal sums in his head. Some people are just made like that. ( His English is a different matter!!)

I think he needs to do something.

What about reading, or researching a subject that interests him and doing a project on it? Or he could get on duoligo and learn a language?

could he try learning a language? dinolingo might be worth a try, its formulated for kids so may hold his interest for longer and has worksheets he could print out and do

I have one of those (Y5) who just knows the answers. When asked how he works it out he can’t articulate it and that’s where he falls down. He cannot describe the calculation process in his head, he just knows the answer.

He also doesn’t see the point in editing his written work because, “I wrote it, I know what it says”. (Very genuine and matter of fact, not as cheeky as it sounds) and when asked to choose a different synonym, doesn’t see the point as he feels he considered alternatives and chose the most appropriate one!

I know you said you aren’t looking at algebra yet but why not give it a go. It’s a perfect tool for helping them understand they are following a process and writing down each step of the calculation... It’s had mixed results here but definitely more on the positive side.

Oh you guys are GREAT

Clariana - he has been moaned at by teachers since Y2 for not showing working out. He isn't autistic, he's stubborn! I think it's his own personal challenge to not do it but he also has poor handwriting so he avoids putting pen to paper. I guess it allowed a different part of his brain to develop.

noblegiraffe that link is top of my list tomorrow... thank you and adding in Kinkybutkind re the algebra I am not good at maths in the slightest.... I can't particularly teach him beyond Y6 and I don't want to rush the 11+ prep - hey it might even get cancelled... wouldn't that be a great thing. I would love the summer without having to sit the dumb test.

adaline & sleepismysuperpower1 that is pure genius! He already knows a little Spanish from school so I am absolutely doing that! Thank you

And typing but he already does that...
He isn't good at handwriting so anything drawing/creative/project based needs to be web based learning.

peajotter I really love the phone call read a book idea - nephews will benefit this.

He is one of life's winners lucky boy. He is smart, polite, good looking, loves food and cooking, always tries new food and loves to sip whatever alcohol is at the table. He talks too much mind.

If he’s sitting the 11+ has he practised verbal and non-verbal reasoning?

Tenthousandspoons yes he can manipulate VR with ease, less so NVR in the time frame but should get a good enough score to pass.

NVR is def his weakest subject. It was strangely his sister's strongest but she can draw so I think her brain just sees what it needs to.

He is a maths kid... I only want him to pass so he access maths at higher level and have peers alongside him. Otherwise I wouldn't be bothered about him going to grammar.

My DD just got a distinction in her Grade 5 clarinet exam, just saying...

Nrich is good for more open ended activities. You can search by maths area. I use some of the 11-14year old stuff with my top year 6 maths.

He plays Guitar (and harmonica and kazoo ) but you need disposable income for music lessons so they have always been out of my reach sadly.

Thank you DrMadeline - I will give it a go - maybe his Y8 sister could help when I get stuck!

@usercheeselover - honestly, duo lingo is fab. I'm using it to teach myself Spanish! It's really use to use and definitely kid friendly. There are loads of languages to pick from too.