Do you buy Ready for School workbooks?

[Octavia09]

I have found one in the M&S brochure called Ready for School Bumper Workbook preparing under-5s for starting school. I wonder whether I should get this one or anything similar? Thank you for your suggestions.

I haven't done with either DS or DD.

No. You may find if you do so that it puts your child at a disadvantage when he/she gets to school if he/she has started to do things a different way to how his/her new teacher does things.

I buy the preschool ones but only because ds likes doing them.
I bought him one once and it sat on a shelf for 6 months then he picked it up and asked to do some one day. We now do a couple of pages most days.
I wouldn't buy them if he didn't like doing them. There are plently of websites with free worksheets out there. I just don't have a working printer atm so can't make use of them

I have fallen over in shock that worksheets are marketed at children who haven't even started school yet.

The most important things when starting school are stuff like - being able to dress yourself, go to the toilet independently, take turns, open the things in your lunch box ...

None of which are easily learnt via worksheet.

Ok, I have got the message. He has a nice book anyway from School Zone www.amazon.co.uk/Preschool-Workbook-School-Publishing-Company/dp/0887431453/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF 8&s=books&qid=1280137901&sr=8-1

I got it like 6 months ago for less than £6.00. It is really nice and you can have lots of fun with your kid. I would have given it 10 out of 10 if it was in English English. It is in American English but I can assure you that it has very few American spellings, just a few things which you can ignore and your child at this age will not notice them. So I think we will just continue reading this book.

When my son went to pre school nursery his teachers told me he did not need to be able to write and read before he starts his foundation year. However, it was good to be able to do it. Yet, if someone was not doing it the teachers were not happy.

Honestly the skills in that book aren't going to help your child when he starts school. If he enjoys it no problem if he doesn't throw it away

You must be joking. It's just another way to get money out of neurotic parents 'who want the best' for their children.

Blimey it's just another form of hot housing children.

I've bought quite a few for DD who's just turned 3. I get really cheap ones though - am at one being nearly £6! I just browse shops like the Works where they end up around £1.

we're going to start using them soon. the only reason I've bought them is because DD is desperate for them. I'm doing an OU degree so she sees me do my 'homework' (and saw workbooks I got for her older half-siblings when they struggled with maths) - so she is always asking for homework - this is entirely self-initiated but I don't doubt people will think I pushed it

so far I've just let her scribble on my DSDs' old workbooks and those Cbeebies mags that have little puzzles - she loves drawing over dotted lines and circling pictures etc - but now she seems ready to do the puzzles 'properly' as her speech has improved I think I'll get the workbooks out.

I don't think they'll turn her into a genius and no worries if your DC doesn't enjoy them, but I don't think they're harmful and certainly not 'hot housing' if a DC wants to do it. e.g. I wouldn't want to tell her 'you're not old enough to do that'. and hey, if DD takes the view that homework is fun, so much the better, right?

Ha ha ha.

No.

absolutely! I agree that it's more important that they can dress themselves after PE, open their lunchbox etc. not to mention playing nicely with other children! (thankfully my DD is excelling in that area )

I didn't.
The only thing the school said it wanted them to be able to do before starting reception was get themselves dressed and recognise their name so that they could spot their own coat peg.

Actually I have a DD starting school in September and she would absolutely love workbooks (she draws/writes etc on every available scrap of paper).

But my DS would have regarded them as some form of torture adn refused point blank to do them. And had I not been more clued up I would have thought that his inability to do them meant he was NOT ready for school. Whereas he was just a normal 4 year old boy who happened to prefer rolling round in the mud and capturing the aliens in the garden.

I wonder whether the teachers at foundation stage help kids with the toilet, e.g. to clean their bottoms in case there is something left.

Octavia, Pixie speaks the truth, children are epxtected to be able to toilet themselves properly, unless they have SN.

well I seem to struggle with expected.....

Octavia09 as a reception teacher I would much prefer parents prepare children for school by learning them to use the toilet, dress themselves, take turns, share, and eat using a knife and fork. Sorry I'm afraid we don't do bum wiping or accompanying to the toilet as there are often another 29 children in the class who need teaching while one is visiting the loo

mrz - "learning them to use the toilet" -

Teaching them to use the toilet/loo surely?

yes I apologise

I say go for it if your little one is interested. I just cannot see how being able to write a bit and do basic numeracy and read can put you at a disadvantage, if the child wants to learn? Never did me any harm.

I actually raided my mum's old books when I was young and stole found a load of ancient workbooks on verbal reasoning etc - I just used to do them for fun. definitely did me no harm, by the time I did my entrance exam all those questions were easy