Did school blunt your child's imagination or help it!

[happylittlefruit]

I currently have a DS who loves books, bikes, playing endlessly with his sister, and any kind of 'job'. We are screen free, apart from the odd film on a Sunday.

He has such a big imagination. I'm so worried he's going to go to school and have it wrecked. He starts tomorrow.

Am I being ridiculous? 😂 He's my eldest, but I do have two other children that I don't worry nearly as much about 😂

What are you worried about? The idea that he will need to at times use his imagination within boundaries? Usually this strengthens a child's imagination because they have to think of something original using a smaller area. Also they will be taught to add detail to their imaginary ideas.

I think, if I'm being embarrassingly honest, we saw Toy Story 5 at the cinema and it absolutely filled me with dread!!! 😂 I think I just need to someone to tell me that not all kids are screen obsessed zombies! I don't want him to stop playing.

This is good, I can hear how silly I sound.

Mine have wonderful imagination which continued to flourish at school. Just because some children are allowed a screen at times doesn’t turn them into “zombies” with no imagination … 🙄

He will get new experiences that will expand his imagination... reading, writing, friends, trips, history, geography, scjence (but they wont call it that obviously quite yet).

Yes, they will obviously have rules that will seem restrictive at times. But society has rules.

(Although Im pretty sure English Lit GCSE ruins books however)

Ahh it’s so hard as a mum when your eldest starts. It will be ok. ❤️

With mine, their imaginations continued to flourish but I completely underestimated what a menace school would be for screens, at every bloody stage! They’re completely out of step with guidelines and advice at every turn, and it’s impossible to uphold sensible boundaries. My eldest is 17 so hopefully the tide is turning and there will be more sensible policies as yours go through.

Rant over! One of mine used to organise big group games at yard time, spinning stories and scenarios. Imagination is an impossible thing to suppress!

Why would school make him screen obsessed? It doesn’t even make sense that school would stop him playing to be honest.

Just to be clear I am directly referencing Toy Story 5 in which children are depicted as screen obsessed zombies.

I'm not suggesting that any children allowed screen time are screen obsessed zombies. Mine do watch a little bit!

I don't think school will make him screen obsessed.

Thanks for the kind responses, I'm just in a tizzy about eldest starting school. You've reassured me.

Hi OP, we are pretty much screen free at home apart from the odd film as a family, my DS has done a year of reception and is about to start year 1.

I’ll be honest he found the transition of starting school really hard. It was a rough few months.

There was a while when he referred to his classroom as ‘the place where we watch the telly’ 🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️ but it didn’t change his habits at home, he didn’t ask for screens.

Overall school has given him so many skills that enhance his imagination. He now writes the stories he’s imagining and draws much more elaborate pictures to go along with them!

I hadn't even considered they would be watching TV at school?? Is this a thing?

Here I was worrying about the smart board.

He was talking about the smart board. There have definitely been occasions where they’ve have a snack and put Bluey on for them to watch but it can difficult to know what’s going on when you’re relying on info from a 4yo. Then there’s things like number blocks and most of the time where they learn on the carpet it’s supported by the smart board.

I know it feels huge if it’s different to how you do things at home but you can’t change it. I didn’t stress about it because I couldn’t do anything about it, I wasn’t going to change his school or home school over it so it is what it is.

You're right of course.

It really does seem like such a big leap from how we do things at home but I'm sure we will adjust.

Hope he has a great day tomorrow OP x