10 hrs per week extra tuition for a Y2

[NorhamGardens]

I am struggling with not 'judging' or wading in with my opinion on this one. I have a friend who, with the best of intentions, is giving her child 10 extra hours per week of tuition.

She doesn't trust the school to deliver the curriculum, that's the first thing to mention. The extra hours include, French and Spanish lessons, piano, drama, maths, comprehension/literature classes, literacy classes etc. The hours include classes at the weekends.

She's a great mum who also seems to find time for playdates and allows all her kids to have fun etc.

I find I am judging her negatively on the one hand and on the other admiring her. If this is done 'lightly' and DC enjoys it, is it necessarily harmful?

I wonder how many others have this sort of 'regime' in place? Not something people comfortably admit to.

10 hours?

That must be costing a flippin' fortune.

i wouldn't count the piano/ drama tbh. if you count stuff like that, mine have loads of extra 'tutoring'... i'm guessing they don't get french or spanish at school either, so it's probably more like they get an hour or two of extra comp and lit. mine used to go to 'explore learning' for two hours a week. (essentially maths and eng) so they probably equalled what you are discussing as 10 hours 'tutoring'.

but it's not, really.

lol at 'regime'. they go to a few drama and music classes.

whatever it is. it does cost a fortune though lol. i call them 'after-school activities' though. mine don't go to explore any mor as there isn't one in this area. i can't afford tutors. it's just the same as kids using 'education city' at home tbh.

Yes, they are v well off. She's a lovely lady who didn't do very well in school and wants to do the best she can for her kids. Just fear she might be overdoing it slightly!

I can see that madwoman. I read on here that some see doing 'extra' things with your children is seen somehow as 'cheating'?

Sounds like the kids are enjoying it and they all have fun together, so can't see the problem here.

Thanks for the perspective. TheVisitor. I wonder how common/uncommon an approach it is?

Language, Drama and Piano to me are not "tuition" as such, just extra curricular clubs.

Literacy classes are not something I have come across particularly. Unless it is like kumon?

When I read tuition I assume having a tutor on a one to one or group basis, or something like Kumon.

My DD, although now a couple of years older, does around 10 hours of after school (or lunchtime) paid for activities.

Are you sure they are all hour long sessions though? Many would be 30mins I think. Seems a bit OTT but if the DCs are happy ( shrugs)

taking your children to music lessons is 'cheating'?

well, i never. mn, eh?

actually, mine don't have a musical bone in their body (i winced when the dd's told me they were in the school choir) but they do a lot of dance/ drama stuff. they all used to do french (la jolie ronde) as tinies - it's absolutely the best time for language learning - much much easier to pick up languages as a tiny than the ridiculous schoolboy french you can grab at at 11/12.

why spanish though? v common in the us, but not available in too many places in the uk?

I used Spanish in every job I've ever had, including several positions in the UK. Jolly very useful language to know.

I would worry that the kid is getting very little 'chill' time or free play. Why does everything have to be so timetabled?

peanut - no issue with that - it's just not one that is normally included on the standard curriculum.

Sounds like a lot to me. :(

I agree that the music, drama and languages are a bit different from the other stuff, but 10 hours of any timetabled activity sounds a bit OTT at that age - I really think children need time to just be. However, if the dc enjoys it and is really keen, then I guess it's OK, but it wouldn't be what I'd want for my own child.

i wouldnt class the piano and drama groups as tutoring, i am about to sign my 6 year old up to do piano as she really wants to and she already does ballet but they are after school activities which she enjoys.
the other tutoring may be a little OTT and not soem thing that i would do as i think that they do plenty at school and my dd would be totaly disgusted with me if i said she was going to english or maths calss after a day at school!! but hey they're her kids and maybe they enjoy it?

Even if you consider them as after school activities rather than tutoring, 10 hours a week of "extra" activities sounds a lot for a Y2 child - especially when you factor in (e.g.) travel time, practice time.

My Y2 DS moans about his 1/2 hour of swimming a week and would probably leave home if I imposed that lot on him, but some children do seem to thrive on lots of organised activities. I'd mainly worry about her having time to "play" - between that lot and school and homework, now much free time is there?

Mine (Y1) doesn't really enjoy the swimming either and that's the only thing he does, he tells me he just wants to play in the water. So I will probably drop the swimming lessons too. He just wants to potter around when he gets home from school - fair enough, he is 5!

I am looking for something he might enjoy though. He enjoys languages, he is bilingual and I also teach him a little Spanish (songs etc, whenever he feels like it), we will try the Beavers when he is 6. Other DCs do dancing, swimming, rugby, football etc. that's fine for them as long as they enjoy it.

But as for maths and literacy tuition I am not so sure it will help at that age. I try to chat as much as possible to DS and expand his vocab and language skills, we also have pocket money and calculate whatever possible, we talk about shapes, fractions (when cutting a pizza) time etc. whenever DS is willing, if not I leave it.