What age to start a Maths/English tutor?

[TakeMeToTheFresh]

Of course, not at a pressurised thing, but something to help encourage learning (apart from my own encouragement and exposure), and help him stay at the required level/above average in class.

And when to introduce a new language? I'm thinking as early as possible but at what age will a language tutot accept a child?

Thanks all

How old is your dc?
I don’t think a tutor is the way to encourage a happy learner, more of a short term intervention pre exams if needs must. Read with your child, encourage him in his interests, make it fun, don’t sit him down 1:1 with a ‘brought in’ adult.
Ref languages, I’d provide simple books, CDs and maybe tv programmes, look into play and languages classes too. Which language are you thinking of?

DS is 5 months at the moment

I was thinking of Spanish as the language of choice (my family language but my own Mum never really taught me)

Wow.

Lar I'm not thinking of getting him a tutor in the immediate future! Promise

Why are you worried about him not keeping up in class? He is years away from starting school.

What will you do if he isn’t able to reach the required level or be above average? What if the height of his potential is lower than you’d like?

FWIW ds has a maths tutor but he is eleven and it’s for building his confidence rather than ability.

My advice would be talk to your child, play with your child, read to your child. Encourage social interactions, let them do messy play and that’s all you can do until they are much, much older.

Forget tutors, he will learn the academic stuff in school.

Spend (save?!) your money taking him to museums, concerts, plays, on trips outdoors. This is what will help him learn and grow. Tutoring is usually an intervention of some sort.

I agree with ShackUp. If you want a super bright child don't think about tutors. Make sure you expose him to interesting conversation, don't take him to 5* hotels for his holidays, go rock pooling in North Wales instead, make him pay for things in shops and work out the change, let him get bored enough to want to play board games with you, take him to the theatre, nurture an interest in current affairs, encourage him to read. If you do all of that he won't need tutors.

At 5 months old you just need to talk to him. Chat away, slightly out of your comfort zone, pointing things out and describing what you’re doing and avoid questions, so maybe 10% questions to 90% describing.

I am a private tutor and you regularly see people doing 'school preparedness' sessions at 3 or 4. Honestly, I think it's just not necessary.

As other people have said - interact with your child, encourage them to be articulate and inquisitive and the rest will follow.