To feel I’m not doing enough to help my reception child?

[stickmanbewareofthesnow]

I worry about this a lot. I know I should be practicing phonics with her and I do think there might be other gaps in her knowledge (numbers for instance) but finding the time is hard.

It shouldn’t be; I work but part time and I do have another child but it’s only one child. But he is quite demanding (2.) I feel likeDDs left to her own devices more than she should be as I’m sorting the other.

We do read a lot and I’m trying to introduce this mornings as well as evenings but worried she’s going to fall behind.

Please don’t worry. Reading is the only thing you need to do, and once a day is fine. If you are really concerned about it, there is an excellent app called “Teach Your Monster to Read” which does phonics and your child can do it alone if you are busy with your other child. Better than mindless screen time anyway! But honestly, your little one is only 4/5. They will be fine.

There's someone called five minute mum who's on Facebook and has a few books of games that help with learning that are quick to set up. Highly recommend.

Thanks so much, I do really fret about it! I try to limit screen time and she’s good at independent play, likes being outside and is quite an active happy soul. Just conscious literacy is so important.

If you don’t know what you’re doing with phonics, and don’t know the way they’re doing it at school then definitely avoid. You could just add confusion.

Read to her and with her if she gets books from school, give her lots of opportunities to practice her fine motor skills with games like beading, weaving, etc. building up strength in her fingers for writing later on.

Try to get into a routine where you read to both of them everyday. When you’re out or in the kitchen etc talk about letters, words, numbers, simple sums (we’re using three of these eggs, how many do we have left? Etc). That’s all I did with my daughter (also had a 2 year old) and she’s exceeding expectations fine.

Have a read through here. Some posters will give you comfort.

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/primary/5418199-if-your-child-has-done-well-with-learning-their-phonics-and-reading?page=2&reply=147517869

I don't have much time, I work 4 days a week, DH is full time and also have a toddler, we juggle the school and nursery runs, wrap around care and DDs activities. She started reception last year. The things I do to fit in school practice for her is listening to her read at breakfast time on the days she doesn’t go to breakfast club, incorporating phonics and maths into play and games for example in the car (I spy with letters, asking how she would spell something, playing teachers and school for example), and doing phonics flashcards with her before bed, and she enjoys doing workbooks so have a couple of those to do for when she asks for them. I also buy her a stretch reading book every couple of weeks at the next level up to the one she gets from school. All this only take an around 10 minutes a day plus whatever else she requests like the games and workbooks (I never make her do them it’s only when she asks).

I recently had a meeting with the SENCO and head about eldest DC and happened to mention some concerns I had about youngest (reception age) mixing up her sounds (she has a slight speech difficulty and I’m starting to think it might be hearing related). They were incredibly relaxed. Reassured me that this term is for playing, to keep doing what I’m doing in terms of reading stories, and that we’d revisit later in the year if she was struggling.

I don’t think teachers are expecting us to be drilling phonics into four year olds tbh…

@Lostthetastefordahlias they are both read to every day and have been more or less since birth. But I’m talking specifically about phonics and actually learning to read independently, supporting what they do in school which I don’t feel I’m doing a very good job with.

@Overthebow i guess when she gets to a certain point I can do that but right now she can’t do that independently, she’s only just recognising letters and their sounds.

I just don’t want her to fall behind; it feels quite fast paced in some ways. I don’t think they want us drilling phonics into them, just supporting with a bit of home learning.

what reading scheme is the school doing? I’d really recommend the flashcards, the first ones will be the letters and it will similar to what they’re doing in phonics lessons in school so should help her learn them.

Little Wandle. I’ve got the flashcards but again don’t feel I’m using them as much as I should be or even correctly to be honest!

That’s the same as ours. Get the pink and the blue flashcards if you haven’t got both already as they’re what they cover in reception. What I do is go through the pack of cards with her and if she gets the sound right she wins that card. If she doesn’t I get the card and then we go through those ones at the end together. She gets really excited when she realizes she’s won most of the pack and can see her progress.

I’d also say that Little Wandle starts off quite slowly in reception as they go through each letter sound first in sets of letters, but it progresses quickly in the secind half. My dd went from the wordless books at the start of reception to phase 4 books at the end of reception, and she’s a young summer born. So I really wouldn’t worry too much at this stage as they will all be going through the letter sounds together.

I work in reception. Reading is one of the best things you can do, both the school reading book and plenty of reading for fun. We need children to know that books are great because then they are much more likely to engage.

There are so many learning opportunities in day to day life so don’t worry about doing specific activities just try to get those little moments in when you can. Sounding out words together you see when shopping, conversations like “we need three eggs can you help?”

Take you children to places (just a local walk doesn’t need to be anything fancy!) and talk to them about what you see the colours, the sizes, the animals. It’s all learning and it will all help.

A good school will tell you what you should be doing. You do not need to be doing/buying loads of extra stuff.

DS's school did Little Wandle. We got a worksheet every week with the sound/s to practice and a reading book. 5 minutes every/most days is plenty. We also stuck up "tricky words" round the house and I would point to them randomly to practice. Could you put them in the bathroom and do them at bath time/teeth cleaning?

The best thing to do is to talk about reading/language in your every day life. Read labels in shops. Look for letters on signs. Play silly rhyming games. Get her to identify sounds in words as you do stuff. You don't need to do formal teaching with her to reinforce the classroom stuff at this age.

Are you a single parent? Can the DC help with either of them.

School will ask that you read together for 10 mins every night. Do this after school today. You point, she sounds out the words. Then at bedtime you read a story to get a love of books.

Flash cards I made into a garden and would place them around the room, some insight and some slight hidden and say go and find C-A-T etc. the leaning my play was easier for my eldest as my youngest would collect the answers and join in with praise.

I didn't do loads of phonics with mine. All but one of them were reading before starting reception but it wasn't a huge time suck, just reading together at bedtime, using subtitles on TV. Post it's with names of things like table, chair, cupboard. I get them to read things when out and look for words they know.

Thanks @Overthebow - that’s helpful. She does know a few sounds but makes mistakes with some and when you show her the picture she often doesn’t seem to understand what you mean when you say ‘what sound does this start with?’ So eg mouse she’ll say ‘t’ if she doesn’t know.

We have the wordless books as well but if I’m totally honest I think we both find it a bit dull and I’m not sure what the real purpose is.

@Sirzy shes five next month; I’d be worried if she hadn’t had a range of experiences out of the house by now! It really is just the academic side of things I’m worried about. I’m confident she can swim, ride a bike, been immersed in nature and so on, but I really don’t want her falling behind in basic literacy I guess.

@BusMumsHoliday communication has been limited. I’m not really sure how they teach the tricky words, is it on a look and say basis? She likes pointing out the letters she’s learned in books we read but fixates a bit on p and a for some reason.

@Balloonhearts we’ve done that; DD is nowhere near being able to read.

@BlueMum16 she can’t sound out the words. It’s Saturday today, but thanks. As he said we do read, but I mean her journey in learning to read.

We just did reading at home - left teaching them phonics to the teachers. They quickly got the hang of it and became fluent readers. DC’s have English as a third language so didn’t have the greatest English language skills to start with.

You would be amazed how many children don’t get that range of experiences. Don’t forget those experiences all contribute to the overall development they aren’t stand alone things. School will do the academics and while supporting things is important don’t stress about it, what you’re doing is fine and will help create a well rounded individual.

Sounds like you are doing all the right things OP. Regular reading is the best thing and if you can sit down with the phonics cards (we also have Wandle) at home for brief sessions that also helps. We just go over the sounds and sometimes practice making simple words with them and reading and writing them, but only using the sounds they have learnt at school so far.

For context my daughter is also in Reception but learnt all the phonics in the school nursery. We read to her pretty regularly, but not as often as we should due to busy jobs and lots of after school activities. She can't read, apart from very very simple words. It's very early days in Reception; it will start to click as the year goes on. Her elder sister is Y3 and reads fluently (no longer needs any phonics book, whereas some Y3 children still have them) and had the same experience except for due to a different nursery, she had learnt a different phonics system so took longer to get up to speed in reception.

Honestly as a TA in Year 1, as long as you are doing some reading with her, she can put her own coat on, go to the toilet independently and recognise her own name then you are doing better than 99% of parents in my class. Please please don’t worry.

I know @Sirzy , I teach myself albeit in secondary. But I am just asking about how to support reading and numeracy.

I don’t think she can recognise her own name yet. She’s very much in the embryonic stage of reading, her name begins with a B and has an e and t in it which she recognises but not the B.

Thanks @TheLette , that’s reassuring. I don’t really know what the expectations at this stage are at all.

Poor little kids really. I am sure you are doing your absolute best.

Why poor little kids? I don’t mean to sound argumentative, just a bit confused?