''Asking four-year-olds to write 'does more harm than good''

[cornsilk]

here
very interesting - I agree with the points made in the article - but is there any evidence to back it up?

It just seems pointless to me. If a child is ready to read and write at age four, it tends to be fairly obvious, and they don't need to be pushed. But if a child isn't ready, and I suspect most aren't, then pushing them will only lead to a hatred of formal education, which can't be good.

Most of Europe doesn't start formal education until age six or seven. The overall standard of education in Belgium where I live is very high, dare I say it, higher then in the UK, and that's one of the reasons we are living here. CHildren here do not learn to read and write until age six.

That's interesting belgo. I had heard that Scandinavian countries didn't start fomal education till age 7 and that their chn's attaainment rapidly overtook that of english chn.

Cornsilk - Most children leaving pre-school here (Sweden) at 6 can't read and write, but they then top Europe literacy tables by age 10 (after 3 years actual "school".

Video about it here

We are continually presented with statitsics/evidence like this, but continually ignore it and believe we know better.

i have just watched that video and how fabulous is that nursertry?

really feel a little depressed now that despite our school being quite progressive and focussing on play based learning right up until year 2-that it could be SO much better.

what struck me was how much the teachers actually talked to individual children.

it really made me think about how little our teacher gets the opportunity to talk to individual children. she is either talking to them one on one about a specific task they are working on or addressing them as a group. there is not time for a child to chat to the teacher.

and they so want to tell her everthing. when they all sittign on the carpet the hands are going up to tell her about their weekend, or their new toy or whatever and she has to cut them off short as she just doesn't have TIME. how frustrating!

The video about Swedish education is what most parents who choose Steiner Schools are hoping for. Sadly there's also a secret spiritual agenda which also makes many of them leave when they discover it.

I wish we could have a genuine choice about preschool education here.

Thanks for the link squiggly wig. MMJ I think you're right about the importance of talking to individual chn.

Message withdrawn

Am just watching that video, that nursery is fab!
dd's nursery was good, they often slept outside in big prams and there was a lot of play. What a shock when dd went to school!

I'm incredibly grateful that DD will be going to a nursery just like the one in the video.

You're right tmmj - they do talk to individual children. When we went to visit dd's dagis all the staff had time, even though they were showing visitors around, to really listen to the children and respond to them.

We live just opposite the dagis here and they really are outside in all weathers - and in the trees a lot! DD thinks it's all very funny when we go past.

We only spent a couple of hours there but still the focus did seem to be on them making friends and learning how to be with one another.