Activities at school / timing

[Soymocha]

My DS has instrumental lessons with a peri teacher at school and the lesson times are rotated. Some of them start at random times during the lunch break so the responsibility is only him (7) to keep checking his watch and work out when he needs to go back in and wait for the teacher to collect. Teacher won't be looking for him in the playground (school is quite big).

7yo can tell the time but still working on the concept of time. So I'm worried that even though I'm saying to him he needs to finish lunch then will have roughly 15 mins play before he needs to check watch, then at X time start making his way back, he's going to get it wrong or get carried away with play. The lessons aren't cheap so I don't want to waste half of it with DS being late. Lesson time can't be shifted by the teacher.

Any tips for managing this? Would it be to get a digital watch with an alarm? DS has an analogue watch and I didn't want a digital watch as the analogue is better for teaching him time. Plus it's an extra expense. However, it's the only thing I can think of.

Does anyone have any tips? School wants to foster independence and responsibility at this age. I'm all for that but not when forgetting means lost money on lessons for us! DS is very responsible but, as mentioned above, still working on concept of time and how much he has left. E.g. school break is 15 mins. When I asked how long it was, he said "oh, it was really short. Maybe 3 minutes?"

god- that sounds like a nightmare, especially if it's not at the same time every week. I'd buy a cheap digital watch with an alarm, set it before school (say "when the alarm goes off you need to go back in immediately) and not rely on him remembering tbh.

It is a nightmare and I'm trying to ask the school to address it. I knew the time would rotate to ensure the same lessons aren't being missed. However, in our case, the day also alternates (another thing I'm not happy about). Looks like I'll need to invest in a digital watch not least to stop me worrying all day until I'm able to pick up after work and ask "DID YOU MAKE IT?!"

Gosh! Yes a lot to ask of a 7 yo. First time I read through I thought you were asking about a year 7! My Dd has just started Yr7 and was wondering if she'd manage to remember a lesson and get lunch etc!

I was going to suggest a Fitbit. I put in a couple of alarms into hers which she got just before she started for her birthday. I put an alarm in for when she should be past a certain point on her journey, and when she should be through the school gates. It just vibrates silently on her wrist. So the watch with alarm suggestion sounds good.

Dd did have a cheap tracker off amazon for £20 for last year of primary. I would think it had an alarm feature too

I used to have peri keyboard lessons in secondary school when I was 12 or 13 and I was always forgetting to go. Same thing, time changed each week. I'd be caught up in that lesson and just wouldn't think about it until it was too late. It was a nightmare, can't imagine a 7 year old being responsible enough to remember!

I think watch with alarm is reasonable and only way really. I think adult support to manage time is still needed at that age

I wouldn't expect a 7 year old to manage this himself at all. Get him a digital watch for music lesson days.

After asking advice on here I bought a fitness tracker for DS, as you can set alarms for specific days of the week. His job is to remember to wear it every day. Slightly different, he's older and lesson times don't rotate.

Hmm that is tricky. I think DD used to have the teachers/lunch supervisors give her a reminder at that age. She still missed a few lessons at times, but at least they rotated.

I suspect boys are even more likely to be engrossed in whatever it is they get up to at lunchtime than girls, but could he go to wait for his lesson early with a comic/favourite book?

Could he ask a nearby lunchtime supervisor to help him remember to check the time?

That sounds an unreasonable expectation for a 7 year old child. At my DD's primary, the last child to have a lesson, finds the next child.

Blimey, that was ambitious enough for my ds in Year7 - he'd never have got to a lesson aged 7.

Could you suggest that the pupil from the lesson that finishes 2 before, goes to find the pupil for that lesson.
eg - 1st lesson is easy t get to. 2nd lesson of the day, fingers crossed but, during lesson 2, pupils from lesson 1 goes to find pupil 3, then pupil from lesson 2 goes to find puil 4, during the 3rd lesson, etc ?
Otherwise the peri teach must sit there with nothing to do for most of the day. They are being unrealistic to expect 7 yr olds to cope with that.

As PP I too believe it is totally unreasonable to expect that from a 7yo

Too hard for a 7 year old, yes. Much teacher support needed.
This is the exact reason I decided to organise private lessons for my kids.

This is unreasonable. The lesson should be at a regular time slot!