Ahhhh you cannot help your kids with anything school related

[wherestheegg]

I am wondering if this is just me and my kids. Main issue the 6 year old. They will happily play with me, but anything even fun like writing a holiday postcard is t o u r t u r e. I'm so sad I wanted to be this helpful engaged parent but it doesn't work.

Same same. I’m actually a teacher but I CANNOT persuade my 5/6 year old to do anything school related. Even in lockdown we did the bare minimum of reception work because she just wouldn’t engage the minute she sensed my “teacher” voice was on! So long as you do reading (nearly) every day the rest doesn’t matter. At least that’s what I’m telling myself!

I hear you

What I would say is 6 is actually quite young to be writing postcards, so maybe dial it down a notch? Get them to help you work out what to write the postcard and then just ask them to write their name at the bottom, or ask them if they can go and fetch the address book and read it out to you.

I got a long way being a bit sneaky and be careful never to make it sound like a big deal.

Get them to help you spell a word and you are teaching them how to spell it. Get them to help you compose a sentence and they are learning how to do it.

The physical task of writing IS a big ask at 6, but by 9 they will be happier to do it.

Is the same with reading at this age - a lot of pressure to get them to read turns them off, you reading extensively to them makes them happy and teaches them how to read by osmosis/modelling.

They are very nervous and shy about permanent mark marking at this age. It is natural.

When my kids were little my full time job was a swimming teacher.
Guess who paid to have their kids learn to swim!!🤣🤣🤣

Same. I just don’t force them to do anything. It’s just not worth it. My son was dreadful at 5/6 and wouldn’t read or write at home at all. He’s 7 now and it’s not a problem.

My DCs are 5 and 8yo. They won't do anything for me, but if I say their teacher has set it, they'll moan but get on with it. They are also both keen to do any work towards Beavers/Cubs badges. I used to try and persuade them to keep a diary in the school holidays to keep up their writing skills, but we now just do the badge work as it is pain-free for me and still writing (plus fun activities). Computer time is heavily limited at home, so I find I can get them to do maths if it is on the computer (their school provide Sumdog and TT Rockstars logins).

Always been like that for me. He is 14 now and won't talk about school work with me

',but anything even fun like writing a holiday postcard is t o u r t u r e. '
Maybe you shouldn't be trying to teach them English!!😂

@Elpheba that makes me feel better. I just feel so terrible for not trying to help him.

Writing a holiday postcard isn’t fun. Just because it’s linked to a holiday which is fun, doesn’t make it fun 🤣

During first lockdown, I did a piece of work with my primary child. I devised the activity, tailored it to her interests, etc. Biggest meltdown of the entire lockdown on it. Actually tore some of it up. Come Friday she had an online tutor session, brought out the not torn up piece, and quite enjoyed basking in all the attention of what a lovely job it was, and excitedly answering questions in a fully engaged way about the topic. Dogs, her passion. Except the day before she was screaming that she hated dogs anyway and I was stupid not to know that… 🤣

Never teach your own kids!

I have an academically capable 8 yo who is refusing to do homework, so each tiny task set is fought over and hard won. I feel bad because when my older children were his age I was able to chivvy them along to get it done with ease and we'd do extra because, I don't even know why now - some weird tiger mother instinct I have since exhausted, I suppose.

I blame covid, after months and months of schooling at home, isolated from others and withered by the sheer misery of it all, I think we both hit the wall with home work. I'm thinking of giving up on it entirely at this point it, bar insisting on reading before bed. More and more, it just seems like an exercise in busy-ness with little achieved for the effort.

Maybe this is why people get tutors 😬

My 10 yr old ..omg..she will refuse to do any homework or the 4 xs reading she has to do every week. I gave in a while ago and she reads her own books for an hour at bedtime and i lie and fill in the school books saying she has read them, I am terrible I know but its not worth the hassle,she can read beautifully so thats that, Projects she will do willingly ,she has just made an anderson shelter and a book in a box etc but trying to get her to do spellings and punctuation is a nightmare. We have battled and bribed we have reasoned and shouted nothing...She has no enthusiasm for school anymore but on the plus side she is very excited and dare I say ready for high school so she is looking forward to that and I know she will get on board with all that that offers. I kind of think she has grown out of primary school and is bored stiff. I can;t say I blame her to be honest.Its all very basic and she needs stretching.I will be glad when year 5 is over and she can whack off year six and leave it all behind and go be chalenged in high school.

be chalenged in high school they can be just as frustrated in secondary as there is still a lot of empty time!