4yr old not going to learn a thing

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Day 2 of homeschooling and I’ve already had enough. DD will watch the recorded tasks the teacher has sent but actually doing them is another story. She will sound out her phonics but it has taken me 1 hour trying to get her to write out 2 letters. Most of the kids wrote their own names in their xmas cards but DD can’t write anything. She refuses, messes about, says she can’t do it or just wants to pretend to be the teacher and get me to do it. This kid is not going to learn anything and it worries me since they are off for so long. I could cry (probably will)!

I'm sure lots of teachers will have loads of suggestion but my lad hated writing I got him to write them in sand or flour with his fingers. Still hates writing but creative on laptop.

Please don't cry, do something fun instead. She's 4 mine's 16 now and it's gone so quick

Do you have a little whiteboard she could use OP? You could roleplay teacher and pupil and you as the pupil say you don't know how to do it and need her as the teacher to show you?

My 4yo likes it when I pretend to be his teacher - he's much more compliant that way!

Other things that I've tried:

Try sharing the pen to start with and writing the letters yourself so she can copy directly under.

One of those books that has letters made put of dots that theu join up ans then try writing them themselves.

Or try an aquadoodle/paintbrush dipped in water on a fence or patio? Chalk on patio? Writing with a finger on a tablet with a drawing app?

Special pens/colours.

Resort to bribery with a chocolate button (or sticker etc.) for every set number of letters she writes?

Sorry if you've already tried these. All things I've had to try with my 4yo!

When DS was 4 and in Reception he had no interest in writing or reading or trying. The teacher used to give out a sheet with words written in a Dinosaur outline each day and DS didn’t even want one. The teacher said to just leave it. And then one day he wanted one. When he was ready.

Please don’t worry. She will be fine.

Read to her. Let her colour. Let her do the things she likes. Look at things for developing fine motor skills. Singing, dancing, jumping around are all fun and just as important for her at this stage.

In other countries she wouldn’t even be in school yet.

Just let her play. We start them so early in the this country- lots of other counties with great outcomes don’t start them until they’re 6 or 7.

So if she likes painting, colouring, drawing etc then let her do that. It’s the same skills.

Try the Teach your Monster to Read app. It's £5. Great for phonics and it's fun. My 4 year old loves it.

Can she draw and write in chalks on the path outside? With her fingers in a tray of sand or flour, cornflour gloop, soap lather, with paint?The more upset you get the more upset she will get so leave it a while then approach it in a different way.

Get a pack of colourful wipe clean alphabet flash cards, and play Schools with her teddies. She can be teacher and has to show the teddies what to do. Or you can be teacher and she can be your helper.

You can also make this maths - at teddies break time, she counts out raisins for them and helps you get the portions right eg "I gave big teddy 1 raisin on his plate but he needs three. How many more shall we give teddy?"

You can then get the teddies to hunt for shapes and colours. She can tell them a story when they are tired. Anything really.

My dd would play schools for ages. Some of her teddies were very naughty.

Thank you all. Some great suggestions here that I am going to try. Feeling much more positive now!

Don't worry too much OP. In some Scandinavian countries children don't start formal education before age 7 and they seem to turn out just fine :)

Its extremely rare, worldwide, for children to be at school age 4. Educators in other countries tend to think this is mad or cruel. So please don't sweat it. (Countries with early starts to literacy also have the highest dyslexia rates, so I read).

By extremely rare, only 12% of countries start children at school by age 5, let alone four. And I read that figure about five years ago, and more countries, have raised their school starting age, or the start of formal learning in school, since then. So the percentage is even lower now.

Google the Imagination Tree website for play-based learning set ups. I found last time it was so much easier getting them to write a name tag, a shopping list, or take 'registration' for the class of teddies we set up than sit down to do worksheets.

I'd recommend the 5 minute mum - she's on instagram as well as having a website & book. She has lots of really fun activities for this age group - and they are actually fun!

She really will learn - she already is! Great that she'll listen and sound out the phonics - mine won't.

Does anyone know of any sites that let you download school readers for free? My daughter is just starting to read and the Oxford owl site was great for her, only she's finished reading all the books on her level.

Can anyone suggest other websites that offer similar (preferably separated into reading levels)

Thanks in advance.

Sorry OP, I was meant to post a new thread!

DS was in reception for lockdown 1. So he's almost had a full year of interrupted learning, and only sept 19 -march 2020 of normal school. I say this to reassure you that it has been OK, he definitely knows more than he did when he left reception in March. There was barely any homeschool provision first time around, this time they have had much more time to prepare. Also, when they are so young they are all on different levels anyway and all can catch up quickly. Teachers are wizards and manage to get them to learn stuff, so she'll catch up when she can go bac. Just basically don't stress too much and remember reception is a lot of play anyway. It's the social side I find most concerning!

My dc learnt all their phonics from YouTube songs. Look at bbcbitesize too.
Does she like to draw or colour in? Get some simple dot to dots? Anything that helps with pencil control is good.
Read books.
If she asks any questions, go and find out about it and act fascinated. Instilling a lovely of learning at this age is good too.
Don’t worry about formal education if she’s not engaging with it.