Do Children really get bored in nursery?

[Receptionprep]

I have seen it said on here that kids will get bored at reception if they already know stuff?

Is this really true?

I have a nearly 4yo and he’s going to be young in the year (end of April birthday).

I have been trying to get him ready for school and he really enjoys it. But now worried have we taught too much - bearing in mind we still have 6 months to go? If we continue at this current pace he will be streets ahead.

What do teachers and parents think? Is it really a thing?

Depends on your child’s personality. What do you think he’ll do if asked to read/write/calculate something very easy? Some kids wouldn’t dare be rude to their teacher and do as asked politely, where as on the opposite end of the spectrum they might eye roll or sigh being asked to add 3 and1 when they know their times tables.

Well currently he would love that. He loves doing the questions and answers even the ones he knows. Part of why he enjoys it.

But wondering if that will still be the case in 2 years time.

What level of stuff do they teach reception and yr 1?

For example he knows all his numbers to 100. Not times tables yet but we have started counting 10s and doing basic addition, subtraction, division and multiplication.

Reception is still all about playing so unless he is bored of playing he’ll be fine.

It's nonsense. People just think their kids are geniuses.

.u friend thinks her 4 year old knows "more maths than they can teach" in reception.... 😂 Lol, they can definitely teach him stuff he doesn't know.

And there's more to school than reading, writing and maths.

Does he know his numbers
Or can he just recite them?

They will ensure he has actual number knowledge and deep understanding of numbers in reception. They use things like rekenreks or numicons to get that deep understanding. They'll work on subitising etc

So do you mean don’t worry and just crack on?

Is there a national curriculum somewhere where these things are set out.

When I was looking at the learning goals for eyf these were all behind paywalls.

The phonics and maths sessions are just a small part of their learning- they do sport, art, science, positional language, more than, less than, double and half- I'm sue some things will be new enough to keep it interesting. I don't think you need to worry.

He can recite and does know also. He plays with number blocks, can count them out, assemble them, do scenarios with them (ie. If we have 10 apples (green number blocks) how many do we have each if we have equal amounts.

Self care skills like wiping his bum after a poo, putting on gloves, doing up the zip on his coat and knowing which shoe goes on which foot (after they change for PE) are also important. I’d thought I’d mention this because kids ahead in some areas are sometimes behind in others.

No I think he’ll be fine. He’ll probably just feel quite secure if it all feels familiar.

As others have said, they learn through play mostly in reception. So he’ll still enjoy the playing either way.

Yes. Just crack on and just make sure he isn't pushed too hard... It will be completely new environment and he'll be learning about so much more than numbers. He'll be learning his soft skills. Learning to negotiate. Listen. Follow instructions. Sit in a group, going to whole school assemblies. Eating new foods in a new environment.

He'll play with new children in all sorts of different ways. He'll do art and science and "show and tell" and explore environments.
He'll be learning to read and write and draw and express himself.

Don't worry about his maths ability. The school will differentiate and deepen his knowledge.

Thats good, thats reassuring thankyou

Your school will tell you the topics and schemes etc and the expectations. Don't go looking for it all and trying to teach him yourself. Like I said before, school is more than just maths.

Thats great, thank you. That was the initial aim as didnt want him to feel behind being young in the year.

Dd was bored she went to pre-school at 2.5 years ( the manager said she could start if toliet trained) and was ft for most of that so by the time she entered reception she had been at pre-school for over 2 years. She was devastated not to go to school the year before she could count and read. She is now 19 and says she didn't really learn anything at school until yr8 ( she did get full marks on the yr1 phonics test at the end of yr R and her yr 6 SATS so I am inclined to believe her)

Reception is a lot about social and independence skills, getting on in a group and sharing and caring for others. Playing games where they don't always win. It is quite different from doing things 1:1 with a parent. Being independent getting changed for P.E , putting coats on, going to the toilet unaided. You say he knows his numbers up to 100 but can he count groups accurately and add them together. Can he order numbers. What are his writing skills and phonics, reading skills etc. Sometimes children particularly boys enjoy playing with numbers but maybe not so keen on other areas. This might not be true for your little boy, but try to make him rounded in all areas. All children will be assessed after a few weeks in Reception and any decent teacher will differentiate activities and work out next steps for each pupil. I very much doubt he will be bored as everything will be new to him in school.

Is this a child led thing or what started you out in covering these things outside of day to day counting, talking about time, looking at numbers on doors of houses etc?
I'm a teacher and didn't do any formal work with my dc pre-school or pre preschool. I woukd have if they'd asked but I knew this woukd be done at school and knew the benefit of all the other more important things at the preschool age. I chose a preschool that also didn't cover anything formally, no worksheets, phonics etc. School life is long enough and play is so important. Of course I read to them all the time, we did jigsaws and painting etc etc. I can promise you it never held them back and they were absolutely flying once formal learning started and they were hungry for it.
I will also say, (Ireland) not all preschools or parents will be 'teaching' these things correctly and schools then have to undo bad habits (capital letters and phonics especially!!)

Can he play with others?

Can he go to the toilet independently (including wiping)?

Can he get changed independently?

Can he put his own coat/shoes on?

Reception is about more than maths and english. He'll be playing in pairs and small and large groups, socialising, sharing, listening, taking turns, waiting, speaking up, helping others, learning from peers, sports, learning about the world. He won't be bored even if he's learned some things already. There's not a lot of benefits of racing ahead at that age.

If you want to teach him stuff look at real world learning as well as maths and spelling - counting, money, geography, wildlife, animals, using public transport, tying laces, cleaning and tidying, local history etc.

My dd was young in her year but very precocious. She was already a fluent reader by the start of reception, could do lots of basic maths and had quite a wide ranging general knowledge due to an exceptional memory. She wasn't in the slightest bit bored in reception - quite the contrary, she loved it!

He'll be fine plus he's not that young in the year. Think of all the summer birthdays.

My mum taught me loads before I started school and when I went I was bored, but I wasn't a kid who liked playing. Once they figured that out, they encouraged me in different ways. When DD started, I'd also done lots with her, but she was fine because she loved the social side and wanted to play all day. I'm a teacher and we rarely have children who genuinely 'know it all', there's always something they need to practice and they are extended as appropriate to their needs.

They’re on the gov.uk website.

early learning goals go to the end of reception then ks1 is y1 and 2. My sons there and is learning to read, number bonds and foundations of knowledge but way way beyond all
of that too. He had a good time at nursery but he’s flourishing at school.

I don't think they should be bored but also if they are advanced in one area they should be given advanced curriculum in that area. The teachers should spot it. My ds2 had advanced reading, DS1 had advanced sums. DD went with the flow.

I run a pre school room (not in UK so curriculum may differ a little). As the year comes to a close we observe where work is needed. Independence skills is our main priority. Can they open and close a lunchbox, zip their bags open and closed, put on coats, gloves, hats and scarves without assistance, get a tissue, blow their nose and put in it the bin. Also can they listen without interrupting, sit still for short periods, stand in queue, follow a two or three part instruction specific to them, follow a group instruction, stay on task without a reminder. Can they choose a toy without adult support, approach other children, assert themselves by saying no when needed, resolve conflict without seeking an adult, initiate conversation, take turns back and forth and maintaining eye contact, tidy up properly, take responsibility for their own things, approach an adult when necessary, answer a direct question, answer an open ended question, share thoughts and ideas, speak in a small group, speak in a large group. There are many more but this is just a few examples. These skill are much more important and fundamental than numbers or letters. Chances are a child advanced in an academic area may be a bit behind on others.

April born really isn’t that young in the school year.

It would be very rare for a 4YO to be at the early learning goals in all areas consistently before even starting reception. I would also say to be mindful about what you teach and how, as schools may teach in certain forms, which could confuse him needing to unlearn and relearn in different ways, often actually setting him back.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/68c024cb8c6d992f23edd79c/Early_years_foundation_stage_statutory_framework_-_for_group_and_school-based_providers.pdf.pdf
pages 12-16 set out what children will need to learn by end of Reception.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/64e6002a20ae890014f26cbc/DfE_Development_Matters_Report_Sep2023.pdf
this is some guidance to break the early years goals down. It is important for children to develop through each stage and not jump to the end goal so gain the foundation knowledge and skills to achieve the ELG successfully and the knowledge to be embedded.