Worried sick aboutmy four year old

[MrsHeley]

Had a note home on friday yesterday stating my 4 yr old son is below the expected level for reading, writing and numeracy. I am devastated. Nothing before this blow from school to indicate any issues. He'snever been too bothered about reading or writing but wS told prevnot to worry don't stRt too young etc. Now i feel like i have let my son down and i don't know where to start to give him help. I don't want to work against the school etc. Anyone with any thoughts as i need some help - thanks

I have a August born boy who left Reception below average but in Y1 is average in literacy and above average for numeracy.

We read his school book daily and during the summer holidays I encouraged him to write a diary(just a sentence). The way I see it he started the race behind (as he's young) but the work we have done has helped him catch up like the story tortoise and the hare.

I would find out how far behind he is and more detail about what he finds difficult because you might be able to do things at home. What I mean if it's on the lines of "he finds holding a pencil difficult" then I'd do exercises at home to strengthen his writing muscles or get hearing/sight tests.

Perhaps you haven't read Greythorne's thread Mathanxiety ...

It is very possible. Do you have a link?

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/primary/1418493-Mrz-and-other-primary-experts-how-can-I-get-my-DD-to-speed-up-Reception-work

The child in question was 5.2 at the time the thread was posted. Not 4, which is the age of your average British child in Reception.

TalkinPeace2 Thu 01-Mar-12 18:38:40
what age is your child?

Greythorne Thu 01-Mar-12 18:39:37
She is 5.2.

TalkinPeace2 Thu 01-Mar-12 18:46:28
aha - so what in the UK would be year 1 - which is of course when the real learning starts :-)

Greythorne Thu 01-Mar-12 18:49:11
Er, no, I don't think so!
Last September she was 4, went into the equivalent of Reception, and turned 5 in December 2011.
What makes you say she is Yr 1?
I thought children started school aged 4, turning 5 in that year. That is what she has done!

Greythorne Thu 01-Mar-12 18:50:44
Anyway, that is a bit beside the point!
I just want advice on how to get a 5 year old to be more efficient in her work.
Whether it is YR or Y1 is slightly beside the point!
This is not a stealth boast about "oh, my 5.2 y o is doing all these marvellous work sheets", I assure you!

choppychopster Thu 01-Mar-12 18:51:47
5.2 is still reception. DD is 5y5mo and one of the oldest in her reception class. No exercise books but there are worksheets she sometimes completes. In general they can choose which areas they work/play in rather than sitting at desks.

betterwhenthesunshines Thu 01-Mar-12 19:02:58
If you encourage her to rush, I would guess it would backfire later. 5 yr olds aren't generally known for their efficiency!
The only things that you could possibly address are if she's apending aaaages doing colouring rather than the questions. Or lots of time rubbing out and re-writing?
Does she always have the same amount of time to get these worksheets done in? Is everyone else finishing them?

mrz Thu 01-Mar-12 19:12:20
Sorry don't know much about the French system in the UK children are expected to complete some work with the teacher and would usually be supported to complete the set task. I would talk to her about why she doesn't finish her work perhaps there is a simple reason she doesn't finish... not enough time, doesn't understand, worried about asking the teacher what to do next ...

-- So there is work of the worksheet variety, and finishing the work would be expected for a four year old in the UK, a four year old being the most usual candidate for Reception. The majority of Reception age children in the UK are four for a good stretch of the school year. And very obviously there are concerns in the school of the 4 yo DS of the the OP of this thread about 'reading, writing and numeracy'. If you are trying to suggest that British schools do not have an academic focus for four year olds, maybe this exception proves your rule, but I do not think this school is exceptional.

The child in question was 5.2 at the time the thread was posted. Not 4, which is the age of your average British child in Reception.

Where do you get that figure

Very few reception children are just 4 in reception at the time of writing the youngest a child in reception could be is 4y 7m and the oldest they could be is 5y 6m making 5y 2 m around the average age.

Children can start school the September after they turn four. They must turn 5 before August 31st of the following year. To be admitted to P1 in Scotland a child must turn 5 before February of the following year.

'In England you are required by law to make sure your child begins education from the beginning of school term after he or she turns 5 years old. However, children normally start Reception class in a state school from the September after their 4th birthday.'

and some of them turned 4 the previous September! so they are 5 when they start reception
some turn 4 in October so are 4y 11 months when they start, or in November, December ...

Well yes... but some of them could start having just turned four that July or even August, right?

'at the time of writing the youngest a child in reception could be is 4y 7m and the oldest they could be is 5y 6m making 5y 2 m around the average age.'
Your 4y and 7m figure could not possibly be accurate nor could the 5y 2m obv.

Another August born boy here - so far behind in Reception he couldn't even see the bottom of the class from where he was standing. Year 1 and 2 have been totally different and now he is doing fine, reading well, writing ok and maths pretty good. So take heart - 4 is very young and they all do their own in thing in their own time - a decent school will recognise that. Whatever you do, don't start some huge catch up mission that puts him off books and pencils for the rest of his school days.

I have not read the whole thread due to time constraints so apologise if a repeat of anything. My dd3 has always been above average and read well etc but last parent evening we were told that she, at 10, had the reading age of a 8.4 year old!! It can be the assessment that the teacher carried out/ the way it was carries out etc I went to Head [against my religion] who agreed to check it out and all was OK after a further assessment she is above average again!! Should not worry at all

mathanxiety if a child was 4 in August they are now 4 years and 7 months

Read to him lots and lots. Fun reading, let him choose the books. Take him to a bookshop and let him play and pick some books to buy, or go to the library. It will help all the other stuff tremendously if he comes to enjoy reading rather than seeing it as a chore. Plus it needs no specialist knowledge beyond being able to read yourself. If you do all this already, I would do it more and make it more fun. I'm sure you will be able to get specialist help but this is the best starting point.

Numbers - again, make it fun, play counting games, count cars, whatever he likes.

Maybe if you punctuated your sentences a bit it would be easier to understand the points you are trying to make?

('Very few reception children are just 4 in reception at the time of writing the youngest a child in reception could be is 4y 7m and the oldest they could be is 5y 6m making 5y 2 m around the average age' -- this is maybe clear to you but actually as posted it could be read a number of different ways due to lack or full stops, semi-colons or other necessary punctuation).

Wilbur, I agree, and it is dismaying to see a school alarming parents because they do not apparently understand that. Eightieschick I agree with your post too.

Not really, mathanxiety, it's not that hard to understand.

'Very few children are just four in reception at the time of writing.
The youngest a child in reception could be is 4y 7m and the oldest they could be is 5y 6m, making 5y 2m the average age.'

'...at the time of writing' could refer to this year generally, or today specifically, given that there have been some fairly recent changes to school entry age requirements. It could be a reference to current policy about school entry or it could be a reference to the age of children in classrooms across Britain on 8 March 2012.

Punctuation really helps. That is why it is taught in school.

Still don't see the difficulty you're having - luckily we also teach comprehension, mathanxiety

I think you are being rather pedantic, mathanxiety. There should be a full stop after the word, reception, but I'm quite sure mrz knows that and she is allowed a certain amout of typos like everyone else. However, even without it the statement makes perfect sense. I fail to see how anyone could interpret 'at the time of writing' as meaning anything other than at the time the OP started her thread.

Personally, I think your math(s) let you down momentarily when you tried to work out the average age of a Reception child and your retort was a cover!

Not too much punctuation though by the looks of it, Feenie. Correct punctuation makes for clarity, which leads to comprehension.

There should be a full stop, and also a capital letter to start the next sentence.

I confess to laziness when typing on my phone. I'm so sorry you are unable to make sense of a simple fact due to a stray full stop. Or perhaps the fact it contradicts your belief made it totally incomprehensible! With or without a full stop all children in reception will be at least 4 y 6m of age now.

Too late, mathanxiety - busted!

I so hate it when people come over all condescending about grammatical errors and punctuation. To be honest it is just we cannot be bothered on mumsnet as it is just that mumsnet discussions, and if you cannot comprehend a sentence without a properly placed comma then obviously you need to work on your problem solving skills.
Also totally distracts from the OP !!

Yes I'm lazy when I'm posting on MN but I will promise to try harder in future ...

(Glad to hear it, because ignoring punctuation, using textspeak, typing in another language, etc., makes effective communication difficult.)

On the subject of the OP's question, I agree with IndigoBell's advice too, to be proactive. I would ask the teacher to set up a meeting so that you could go over the DS's progress and find out what exactly they are worried about.

It may just be a question of keeping on reading, singing and chatting with him (even chatting about tv programmes he watches) giving him opportunities to write, draw, paint, colour neatly, use stencils, trace, count, build, sort objects and shapes, play matching games and 'opposite' games, engage in imaginative play that involves a story line.

Montessori inspired pre-reading activities can be entertaining for a child, and materials are easy to come by or make or yourself.

Ideas for Montessori-type games, crafts and activities can be found in this blog.
Suggestions here (same blog) on how an interest in dinosaurs can lead to using a globe, reading some information from a reference book, drawing, colouring, maybe even imaginative play.
Maths activity suggestion that involves differentiation between odd and even numbers, ordering, visualisation of quantity and pattern (odd/even).

Glad to hear it, because ignoring punctuation, using textspeak,

Tell that to anyone under the age of 25