My 4.5 year old dosn't understand her very simple homework at all.

[mummyloveslucy]

Hi, my daughter has just started reception. She is four and a half.
She has a reading book home every day, which just has pictures and big words saying things like "Look in here" on each page.
She memorises these words and she "Reads" the book to me.
I have been trying to get her to write her name since she was about three. I do dot to dots and she traces over it. It is usually very messy even now.
She had some home work last week, it was simply practicing writing the letter U.
The teacher wrote it on 4 different lines and she had to coppy. This sounds so easy, but she just couldn't do it.
I explained and showed her with my pen, but she kept doing it upside down. Then she did an m shape. She could do it if I did dot to dots, but not on her own at all.
She is the sort of child that is eager to please and was getting very frustrated by the fact that she couldn't do it.
On friday she got another piece of homework. She had a picture of 5 socks, she had to cut out a picture of 6 socks and a picture of 4 socks and put them in order and say which is one more and one less.
She didn't get this at all. I tried explaining it in several different ways but she just started talking about butterflies.
Can most other four and a half year olds do these things? I am a bit worried that she appears to be behind her class mates. I have a parents evening comming up soon so I'll ask her teacher. I just wondered if there was anything I could do to help her or if it's normal for her age.

Thanks everyone. Thanks for the tips heated, I will definatly try those with Lucy. They sound like fun too so she'll respond well to it. (hopefully)
I agree with the homework at this age being a waste of time. It's o.k if she can do it and enjoys the one to one time with me, eg she loves the flash cards if they are the letters she knows and she loves her books and drawing. If it's too hard for her though she gets frustrated and if it's not fun for her then she won't enjoy learning.
She is going to start a series of acessments next week by a speech therapist, educational psycologyst and physio therapist.
We'll have a better idea after that of what is causing her speech and other difficulties.

I'm also horrified at the thought of your DD (and you) being burdened with homework at this age. There's absolutely no point to it. All it does is stress out children and parents. Teachers who assign homework to very young children are asking essentially untrained people to approach their own children as unpaid assistants to the teachers, to produce results that a child may or may not be capable of (children develop neurologically at very individual speeds). There is pressure on the parents to come up with whatever is required and too often the homework is done by mum with handwriting disguised. It affects the parent-child relationship very negatively, and also clouds the child's future approach to setting about homework tasks at a later age. If there are only 10 in the class, surely there's ample opportunity for the teacher to assign tasks and assess the children's abilities to complete them right there in school? At your DC's age, all I'd be doing is reading to her, singing and dancing together, giving lots of opportunities for artwork, scribbling and fine motor skills play, and just generally enjoying your child's childhood together.
The concept of 'one more' and 'one less' is really tough for some children. I'm surprised to see this concept being introduced at age 4.5. In the US, where my DC's attended school, they worked on letter and number recognition at this age and never got any homework, except for entertaining the dratted class mascot and dictating a diary entry once or twice a year. By age 7 or 8 they were doing multiplication and division, book reports -- there's no need to push children at age 4; there's too much anxiety about academic performance and too much ramming square pegs into round holes (and they're all square pegs until about 7).

I remember some of your threads about Lucy. Am I right in thinking she might be dyspraxic? Is she still at her private school. I thought you were going to transfer her to the local state primary.

I suggest that you get a bit of flour and sprinkle it on a table that is outside. (mess limitation) Get her to form her letters with her finger in the flour.

Then get her to practice it in her book. You may have to simplify the task until she can do it. For example if you make a dot where the letter starts or if that isn't enough get her to draw over dots.

My son is 4.5 but as we are in Scotland he wont go to school till next autumn

At the moment he is not interested in reading or writing.. he much prefers role play.

I am really suprised that kids as young as 4.5 are being set homework to get them writing when other kids arent even at school yet

i would be loathe to say that she is struggling with this, more she is just not ready. I would say this to the teacher and ask what else she should do instead--could she do something like drawing a picture to build up her skills and confidence- you need to be VERY positive.

i would also echo the thing re homework- if they are at school for 6 hours a day, they can cover what they need during the school day, except when she is older and learns to read and needs to practice.

just remember you know your little girl best and you are her advocate in life- and especially at school. ( I wish i realised how important this is a lot earlier with my own)

This is a bit formal for a 4.5yr old! I speak as a former reception teacher, I would perhaps send this home to year 1 really.

Lots of good "play" ideas here like writing in flour and the playing with buttons etc. She needs to practice letters big before doing them small too. If you can face it shaving foam in a tray is fun to write big letters in.

If she likes dots then dot to dot books and maze books develop hand/eye co-ordination without seeming like work. I would tell the teacher as she obviously needs other activities to build up her skills before copying small letters.

My son was struggling in exactly the same way, but it continued into year 1 and then we had him assessed.He was dyspraxic and dyslexic but there is a grey area where they overlap and the labels are not too useful anyway.

Writing big and in sand helped alot. He never knew where to start on a page and when he got going he just continued onto the next page, not realising to go to the next line.

However, he had no speech problems or hearing problems so it was more obvious that things were not quite right.

In reception though there were others who struggled in this way (mostly boys) and for most it was a maturity/late development thing which it could very well be with your daughter. Very difficult to tell with a 4 year old.

But spending ages over homework which is beyond her is just going to frustrate both of you and the teacher needs to know what she can do on her own.

I would just plain not do it, OP. Not say anything to teacher, just don't do it.
Sit and talk with the child a bit, maybe, about how it it might be done. But stop as soon as she shows signs of stress. She does NOT need to do homework at this age in order to do well at school.

Poor little thing-she isn't ready! Heated has wonderful advice. Just have a word with the teacher.

I agree that Lucy is still very young and there is still plenty of time for all this.

Is she due to be assessed by an Occupational Therapist too?

If yes, mention this difficulty with copying a letter to her (in light of her other areas of difficulty).

If not, mention it to the Physio.

It could be that she is just not mature enough to do it yet or it could be that the verbal dyspraxia affects more than just her speech.

How is she with dressing and organising herself generally?

I really hope that you get some answers. This may take some time and lots of assessment though, of course.

x

Reallytired- She starts at the state primary school in January. They have two intakes at this school.
Thanks everyone for all your advice and tips. I like the idea of writing in flour, sand etc.
DesperatehousewifeToo- I will mention it to whoever acessess her. She can't dress herself, peddle a trycicle or complete a 4 piece jigsaw. She even struggles with puzzle boards. She can ride a scooter with two chunky wheels at the back though.

wouldn't sweatit too much - the primary school will have no expected base of learning in Jan so she can start fresh then?

FWIW - speech difficulties can be linked to glue ear - someone else suggested getting her hearing checked - i think it might be worthwhile.

Thanks gladders, she has had her hearing checked and it is perfect. I'm not sure weather it might be an auditory processing problem, (the connection from the ear to the brain).

just thought wd mention it as this has been diagnosed as being dd's problem....

am sure it'll be fine long term - willbe interesting to hear what the primary school make of it next term?

Definitely mention all these areas of difficulty (as well as things she can do) when she is assessed.

Perhaps start a list.

Their assessments should find out what she can and can't do but it always helps to give any background info in case they miss something.

Has she been assessed by the Paediatrician yet?

It does sound as though an Occupational Therapy assessment would be useful. Perhaps discuss this with the physio if this is not offered automatically.

Good luck

Thanks.

Lucy is far too young for occupational theraphy. My son saw an OT at 5 years and 5 months because he had very little pen control and the OT was not in the slightest bit bothered. She felt the problem was the national curriuclum and the UK starting formal education too early rather than a medical issue. My son in year 3 can form all his letters now.

My son really benefitted from doing write from the start

He learnt to control a pen/ pencil without having to learn letters.

The OT department I used to work with would only see pre-school aged children because there were not enough of them to work with any school aged children.

Obviously, this is an internet forum and none of us can diagnose anything on here (even if we were qualified to do so ). But I would still say that with Lucy's other difficulties that you have outlined on mn, mll, it could still be worth seeking an ot opinion.

I have 30 reception children in my class and not one of them can write their name.

Writing "u" on a line is difficult for a young child and I really wouldn't expect her to get it right no matter how many times she is shown.
The dot thing only teaches her to join dots not how to write as does tracing - she relies on the dots rather than learning how.

I would talk to her about the movements needed to for the letters as she makes the movements so for "u" it's down under and up back down (possibly flick) get her to repeat it with you as she does the movements - over and over and over.