To worry about late August DS starting school..

[RubiksCubey]

My son is born in late august and he is starting school this September.

I am really worried about his "school readiness".

He is very hyper and chatty, which is fine. But I am wondering if I should be focussing more on activities to get him ready and prepare him.

For example:
I haven't forced any formal phonics and numbers learning on to him, when it comes up in play we have a little practice.

At the moment he is still only 3, and he doesn't enjoy too much "sit down and focus" activities.
I try to do some of this to encourage his focus like the Orchard Games or craft activities.

I don't really want to, I want to leave him to free play and explore, as I know children, particularly boys, are not "school ready" for another couple of years, but that doesn't change the expectation in the UK 

I worry he will start school and be upset or be told off for not doing as is expected, or not being able to do as expected.

YABU - He should be school ready

YANBU - He should be encouraged his free play and the rest he will pick up

I don’t think doing phonics etc is at all necessary, but if you really think he’s not ready, can’t you postpone his school start?

My late august DS started school nursery 2.5 hours a days in Sept 19 and then reception last Sept. he took to it really well. We didn’t do any prep. With hindsight, it would have been useful to practice things like getting his coat on and off independently. Teachers are used to dealing with children with differing levels of maturity, don’t stress about it.

We held our DS back a year. He will now be just 5 starting in September. It was definitely the right choice for him, he's had a wonderful year in nursery and we can see that he will now go to school completely ready.

Op most 3 year olds are not into formal learning, what you do with him sounds normal. Around 1/3 of the class will be born in the summer term - in ds1 class it's more than that, including him. Focus on things like can he use the toilet, can he put his coat on can he get changed for pe or put wellies on and off, does he play nicely with others. Reception should be a pretty gentle introduction to learning, through play.

Things like being able to get his coat on and off are more important than phonics when they start.

He sounds exactly like my son who’s starting school in sept, who’s has an Oct bday!

My friends a primary reception teacher and said it’s almost better when they come not knowing phonics and stuff as it’s harder to unteach wrong things... that stuck with me!!

I’m trying to get mine used to, getting himself changed, wiping his own bum, being polite, cutting his food etc

I have similar worries about my DS. He was due mid October but arrived quite early in late August. I'm planning to send him to the nursery school attached to the primary for 5 mornings a week once he turns 3 so we can get a feel for how ready (or not) he is.

I taught reception for several years. Having children, summer-born or not, who aren't ready for school is part and parcel. Any decent teacher will allow them their excitement and natural curiosity, while at the same time helping them learn their phonics and numbers and how to sit on the carpet without being too wriggly!

The most important things you can do to prepare him for school are things like making sure he has as few toilet accidents as possible, that he’s able to go to the toilet totally independently etc. Then it’s things like getting dressed (socks and buttons are big ones but don’t worry if he can’t do buttons as his fine motor skills might just not be there yet).

Knife and fork is also good.

Phonics etc - don’t bother in my opinion!

They are all different, summer born doesn't mean they are any less capable especially in the long run, some kids are not ready at 5, others at 3. Teachers are far more concerned with independence skills like using the toilet alone including wiping, coats, pe kit changes, using a knife and fork, and more general school skills like holding a pencil and colouring between the lines. If you want to do any specific prep, work on the alphabet sounds, numbers to 10 and work books where letters can be traced are good, don't worry about phonics, school do that.

I had one early reader (3) and one very late (6) same parents, same home life, same nursery school.

The whole purpose of Reception is to get them “school ready”. I wouldn’t worry OP, sounds like you have the right idea – there is no point forcing formal learning on him now and completely turning him off it

I’d focus on toileting and dressing ahead of phonics. Maybe some counting games, maybe sitting still for a couple of minutes but the reception curriculum takes kids on a journey so that they are ready for sitting down and learning in a more traditional sense by year one. Some of the older children will have up to 25% more life than the youngest at the start, don’t expect too much.

You don't have to start him at four, you know. Go on Facebook send look for the, 'Flexible School Admissions for Summer Borns' group.

*and look for, not send look for

Yanbu but I'm sure he'll be fine.

My ds is August born and the teachers were lovely. They were very good at judging the abilities of very young children.

Don't worry about phonics etc but be ready for your dc to be very tired in the first few weeks.

I have an august born baby starting school in September too. The academic side is irrelevant, some kids will start knowing more than others, it’s more important to be practically ready.
Can he dress and undress himself, use the loo and wipe independently, etc...we’re working on these things (zippers, buttons, etc)
Also our nursery does reception ready classes in the day for the older kids.

My birthday is 27th August and my best friend at school had a 1st September birthday. Almost one year in age between but no difference in what we achieved and how we got on in school. I have never felt disadvantaged because I was the youngest in my year.

Does your child attend nursery? If not, maybe enrol him for the 15 hours so he has an understanding of school.

I personally don't think it makes difference in my own experience of late term babies. It all evens out by the end of reception.

Hi all!

Thanks for the responses so far and helping to put my mind at ease.

Deep down I know I shouldn't worry, but sometimes you just can't help it can you.

He is fine with toileting, and feeding himself.
We are working on getting dressed, we've mastered getting it all off, now we need to work on getting it all back on again

@RubiksCubey

Hi all!

Thanks for the responses so far and helping to put my mind at ease.

Deep down I know I shouldn't worry, but sometimes you just can't help it can you.

He is fine with toileting, and feeding himself.
We are working on getting dressed, we've mastered getting it all off, now we need to work on getting it all back on again

Well, there is a reason to worry actually. Many summer borns are fine, but they are at increased risk of depression/mental health problems as teens and adults and are more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD and other SEND.

Some cope, many don't. I wouldn't brush it off as, 'I shouldn't worry.' I don't mean to add to your worry and wouldn't mention it if it was unavoidable, but there is a choice here and I think knowing the facts will help you make that choice.

<a class="break-all" href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=www.cambridgeassessment.org.uk/images/109784-birthdate-effects-a-review-of-the-literature-from-1990-on.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwjv69z1p6_vAhWVSxUIHdleDJcQFjAKegQICBAC&usg=AOvVaw26Qv24xtMk8ik3foLqkviH" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=www.cambridgeassessment.org.uk/images/109784-birthdate-effects-a-review-of-the-literature-from-1990-on.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwjv69z1p6_vAhWVSxUIHdleDJcQFjAKegQICBAC&usg=AOvVaw26Qv24xtMk8ik3foLqkviH

Read the executive summary, pages 3-4

DS1 is technically summer born (April baby so a bit older).

Anyway, last year's mothers day card was a scribble, this year's (He is in Reception) was a full sentence with a nice picture. If he's sociable and confident I wouldn't worry about the academic stuff, they change so much between 3 and 4.

Like others I focused on toileting, dressing, table manners, and looking after his stuff (eg, remember to put your gloves in your pocket/jumper in your bag etc).

He's been absolutely fine in reception, the main thing he's stuggled with is buttons (has a proper shirt) after PE, but according to DS only one of the boys is good at buttons.

I thought of another thing, it might be too early to tell but if he shows signs of being sporty - it might be good to keep him in his year group so he can play in the same under 8s/under 12s matches etc. as his class mates.

My Ds struggled massively with pre school and them reception. So much so we hone educated for four years.

He's got an October birthday.

You just can't tell sometimes. My baby is an late August birthday I'll cross that bridge in a few years.

Why not defer? He won’t be disadvantaged as he will start in reception and he’ll have the advantage of an extra year just playing and exploring

I have a Feb baby and I still worry about the big jump to School. A very good friend of mine is a Reception Teacher and she reassured me, as others have said, it would be better for them to be able to toilet/wipe themselves, get PE kit off and on without too much help, put coat and shoes on etc, feed themselves.

He goes to nursey 3x a week and they do number/letter/name recognition there. I don’t do anything set with him apart from incorporating those things in to our day ‘ohh how many x are there?’ ‘What colour is that y’. I’ve tried but he doesn’t have the interest, but interestingly at nursery, around his peers, he’s much more engaged.

I know someone who is CONSTANTLY doing some form of structured learning with her pre school kids and documents it all on Instagram. I don’t know when these poor children have time for free play.

Children are a long time adults is my opinion.