Help-where was the mner whose child was bored at preschool because they are ready for school-I can't find your thread!

[Feelingbetterslowly]

My dd is doing the same thing-it is taking 2 1/2 hours to get her from getting dressed to preschool (it's 5 mins down the road) and she says that she hates it and she is bored and has nothing to do.

She used to love it but is really pulling at the reins to start school now, but has another month left at nursery before she stays at home with me for the summer and we can go at her speed. She is incredibly bright, but because some of the preschool children are nearly a full year younger than her the staff are taking her to one side to do writing and things, but obviously they can't do this with her all day. I left in tears today because I just can't bear her screaming and crying when I leave any more-she used to love it there!

There is a topic about a 4.4 year old bored to tears on the nurseries thread. Is that the one you were looking for?

Will be interested in the solutions people can offer. I'm not in this situation yet but ds isn't quite 3 and knows colours, letters (sounds and names), shapes, rote counts to 30, counts up to 9 or so items etc. already and really seems keen to start reading words. I just can't see them keeping his interest for another 15months before he starts school....

I know it's not just about academics and he does love it at the moment but I'm wondering what I can do to keep him happy there without sounding like some saddo pushy mum by going to the staff and saying 'he already knows x y z what are you going to do to keep him interested' etc/

Any thoughts on this?

When did playing become boring?

My dd's preschool doesn't do any reading or writing with the children. They play. Is the problem that your preschools do do these things and your dc are too far ahead of the others?

X post with bluenosesaint. Thinking along the same lines...

The thing is he seems to want to learn stuff a lot. He seemed quite fed up when he was the oldest in the room for up to 3s and has moved to the 3+ room and loves it now.

He is probably a very academic child from a very academic family. I'm not going to pretend that isn't the case but I shall duck as you throw things at me for sounding naff.

There is nothing wrong with playing and he needs to get lots of socialising as he is an only child and not massively into other kids (something I am trying to gently encourage improvement with as it's more important than other things).

His nursery are not doing all these things with him - they do a few things learning wise but he just picks things up very quickly and we do a bit of counting etc. as you do at home - ONLY IN A FUN WAY.

(Am I sounding defensive

Anyway, maybe it doesn't matter and I'm worrying about something which might not be an issue.

But he's not going to nursery to do 'academic' things - thats what school is for. Why does he have to be learning academics there?

I'm not about to throw anything at you. I just don't understand why you feel that the nursery should be pushing him academically when he is there.
If you want to nurture his academic side, fine. Just do this at home. And when he's at nursery let him play. He can 'learn' a hell of a lot that way ...and not just a, b, c's.

You don't need to be defensive. He's your son and you know him best. If you want to work at home with him and he is happy to do so, then go ahead

I'm not throwing anything, but I do wonder how much the "very academic family" has to do with what he wants to learn, not the desire to learn itself.

I can empathise. I'm not in the same situation yet but probably could be in another 6mths. I don't school my dd1, just teach her things in a fun way because she wants to learn things iyswim. From this at 2.4 she knows all basic colours, shades like light/dark blue etc and more abstract clours such as gold,silver,turquoise etc. Can rote count to 10, add up to 3, minus to 3. Knows most shapes. speaks in 8-9word sentences and more than one sentence at a time using clear and correct verb tenses etc. Shes also really sociable and loves physical play with other children, so hopefully she won't get bored.

Perhaps tell her its like a holiday, she can relax and enjoy it and doesn't need to work, because when she gets to school there will be lots to learn so she needs to rest her brain?

My dd is like this, she is an early september baby so has had nearly 2 years of nursery. She used to love it, but some of the children went up to reception in january and loads of new ones started who are just turning four. She says she doesn't want to go, is bored etc (although she says she is bored because they make her sit etc lol, doesn't bode well for school).

They do teach basic number skills, letters and phonics in nursery, and she does some work with the older children in reception. In the meantime she has basically taught herself to read, she even gets hard words like vehicle or laughter. I think she would have been better off in reception this year (oh for the sake of 18 days )

But then again she gets an extra year of playing around, and I don't enforce a nursery everyday policy, will have enough of that for the next zillion years.

Bluenose and fallen - sorry girls - I wasn't accusing you of having a go at me at all and your points are very reasonably put - my defensiveness was just based on experience of these boards if one says something like this....!

Blue nose I take on board what you say....he does genuinely seem to want to learn to read at the moment without any pushing from me (he asks all the time what things say, he spells words out etc) and I can respond to that at home without nursery having to do that.

I will try and not worry about it for now and see what happens!

We have an academic 3 year old coming to my pre-school. He loves to write stories, read words, letters and number work and he is ahead of any other child currently at the pre-school in this area. We have nurtured his interest, however the Early Years Foundation Stage which we follow goes up to the end of Reception year. We do not go beyond this. In fact he may become bored at school in reception as he will probably go over the foundation stage again. The foundation stage covers six areas of learning, the one he excels in is mathematics and to a smaller degree, communication, language & literacy. The other areas are Personal, Social & Emotional, Knowledge & Understanding of the World, Creative and Physical, all of which are poor. He doesn't relate to other children in the setting. While his language is good, he does not converse/have relationships with his peers, only adults. His motor skills for large-scale physical play are poor. He wears a nappy. He lacks confidence in linking up with others and prefers solitary activities. He is unable to put on or take off simple items of clothes. He cannot do a puzzle, except basic inset ones. He needs help to drink from an open cup and use cutlery. He lacks confidence and self-esteem and steers clear of any activity that he is not going to be the best at, even though we do encourage him to try. A lot of the above is typical of many three year olds, but I am frustrated that a lot of people believe (this includes his parents) that academic ability is more important than the rest.

Sorry to go on but the pre-school is trying to prepare children for entry to school and independence in the future, and that includes all areas of the curriculum.

Your points are all valid dippy but the post kind of implies we were saying that academic stuff is more important. It's not but it is still important if you have the kind of child who likes learning letters/ numbers.

What dippymother said.

Both my dd's have been bored for a short while when they came to the end of their time in a particular group or nursery, which used to manifest itself in the whole "don't like nursery, don't want to go" routine. And resolved as soon as they were moved into a new group/setting.

But I don't think it's about being bored academically tbh, just feeling that they've 'done' that group and need something new. That could be a new room, new children, new teacher, new activities, whatever.

My dd2 is 4 and in a school nursery class which is fantastically creative and lateral with the kids, but not particularly academically orientated (although they do very light letter and number work). Dd2 can in fact read fairly fluently, and comes to me every morning wanting to 'do letters books'. But I'd be horrified if the school were doing extra reading with her -- i'd rather they were doing extra glueing, cooking, acting, music, dance and school trips. If your dd is bored, then it's not a sign that the nursery is not sufficently academically advanced for her, rather that they're not making enough effort to come up with activities that are new and interesting for her and make her feel like a big grown-up girl.

Before dd2 started at her school nursery she was in an even more mad, arty, bohemian setting, where they positively boycotted the literacy and numeracy end of things in favour of cooking, making their own scented playdough, huge baths of waterplay with shaving foam and roaming dinosaurs, fruit tastings, colouring tubs of basmati rice, making little figures out of mis-shapen vegetables, making popcorn and throwing parties with soundtracks ranging from reggae to thrash metal. I defy any child to be bored with that lot on offer.

There's a whole world of stuff 3 and 4 yearolds should be doing at nursery. They're going to spend the rest of their lives reading, but only a short time to paddle in chopped-up green jelly or cook spaghetti, dye it pink and chuck it around the room.

That's the kind of thing you should encourage the nursery to do, not extra reading and writing!

this thread?

DD1 got bored in the last term of nursery. It was not that playing because boring. It was that the nursery had zero imagination about introducing different activities and things to play with and she'd had enough of it all.

She was ready for something a bit more challenging, which she got when she moved to Reception, even though they still spent most of the time "just playing".

And she was still only 3 when she left Nursery - so I truly sympathise with those with older children who are straining to move on. Hang in there!

"became boring", not "because boring". I need to go to bed.

Having grown up in a culture where noone went to school before 7 and hardly anyone went to playschool, I find this concept that "academically inclined" equals "bored with play" intriguing.

I did come from a very academic family and taught myself to read and started learning ancient languages at a young age, but I don't remember that making other areas of life boring. Making cakes, crafts, making music, pretend games with your friends- there is no reason to say you can't enjoy those just because you're also literate.