Aibu to make my 5yo do schoolwork in summer holidays

[Lovemychocolate]

My 5yo is struggling a bit in school. I want him to spend some time over holiday each day doing some reading, writing and maths (no more than 1hr). My husband says I am being unreasonable and that he should just relax over summer holidays. We are doing activities such as swimming, going to park, beach etc most days so I think he should do both.

Am I being unreasonable?

[sanam2010]

it's great you are helping him and an hour a day can make a massive difference and make his next year much easier. Please go for it! It sounds like there is enough balance and fun the rest of the time. There are always a lot of people saying "let them be kids and enjoy their holidays" but really you will make his life much easier and also help his confidence if you let him catch up over the holidays. Go for it!

[ShyPhilosopher]

I don't think you are being unreasonable, I think you are concerned about how your child is coping with school. My youngest struggled for the first couple of years, so I understand your concerns.

I think the trick is to try and sneak maths & reading into fun activities so you are covertly teaching whilst your child is having fun. There are lots of great board games out there, even the most basic ones need you to count spaces. Orchard Toys tend to do some really good ones which can really help teach your little one whilst having fun. Sharing books together is another excellent way to encourage early reading skills, without your child feeling like they are doing school work. It doesn't matter too much what they are reading/have read to them, even kids magazines can help with vocabulary & grammar.

Hope your son starts finding school much easier soon.

[elfycat]

DD1's school uses an online maths program and she's on it now. It got reset to blank and she wants to fill them back in.

We're also writing a story. She's going into Y1 so it's mostly dictating to me, but she's written a couple of sentences by herself and we're going to take some toys and photograph the scenes in the local museum over the holiday.

She also loves painting by numbers. She's OK at it, and is improving hand-eye coordination, mixing colours and working out if she's left or right handed (I think left is a little more dominant but it's close). The Works sell them for £3.50.

She's also coming to my craft club on a Tuesday and is learning crochet. It's mostly lumpy chains but we all had to start somewhere. She's quite good at freestyle embroidery if I change the threads for her. Again, colour choice and sorting out dominant hand while improving both.

She isn't aware we're doing actual work.

[3catsnokids]

Aww, thanks duplo. I don't think the boys see it in such a positive light, but I do think they are seeing the improvements they are making, so I hope they know it's for their own good! I am trying to include quite a few games in our lessons so that they have fun while working.

I used to be a teacher so I'm quite enjoying making the resources etc if I'm honest!

[simpson]

DD (6) is doing the summer reading challenge, a bit of writing (instructions when we have cooked, a diary and the odd story or 2 when she wants to) she is also on maths whizz every day (because she wants to).

[superbagpuss]

my 5 year old DT are doing the summer reading challenge from the library and some number work when they are interested

we also ate doing art and craft stuff with scissors and glue and writing birthday cards, all good school practice dressed up as fun

watched pointless with them last night, good practice at recognising numbers up to 100

[duplofrenzy]

3catsnokids, I had to login (inc password reset as hardly ever post!) to say what a fab job I think that you are doing. A massive well done. Your little and often over the summer might really turn things around for your foster boys. If they are a little more ready/ able at school then the way that they view school might be transformed. I think that you are doing them a real favour. They might not get that much 1:1/2 in a whole term and it might really change how they view themselves and at this age and given that they have probably had a tough time before coming to you, that is a big thing to have a positive impact on.
You are amazing! Well done for being so thoughtful about it and organised enough to do it.

[3catsnokids]

I have 2 boys in foster care placed with me. One is 5 and 1 is 6. We got them a few weeks before the schools broke up and their end of term reports said both are very behind. The 5 year old got all 1s/emerging in his end of EYFS assessment. The only one in his class to get all 1s as I noticed the assessment sheet on parents evening. The 6 year old was at pretty much the same level. Both total non readers etc. They were also being quite disruptive at school and refusing to do work.

I've been doing work with them every day. Not for hours at a time but we do some phonics, some maths and then write a sentence at the end of the day about their day. The change in what they are capable of is evident after only a couple of weeks. They have gone from not hearing the initial sounds in words to spelling CVC words, and the oldest one's confidence has vastly improved. He will now get on with the task with no complaints. As he hated school with a passion I am hoping that if he catches up a little over the summer he will be a bit more positive about it.

We are also going to loads of parks and other nice places so I hope I'm not spoiling their summer too much!

[Impressionslast]

I'm doing an hour every day with my five year old who is struggling. Not all at once but it must be about that. We do reading eggs one day and maths seeds the next (one lesson takes about 20 mins). We read a couple of books together during the day (probably about 15 mins in total) and we write a summer journal together. She only writes a sentence but that takes about 15 minutes. So that's 50 minutes. There's days we miss it and we won't be doing anything whilst we go on holiday. I did the same with my others and they benefitted enormously. And she enjoys it too : ))

[JustRichmal]

6 weeks is a long time, especially for a child. I doubt very much they need all that time to recharge. Generally my dd would only need a day at the most if she had got over tired. It is though quite a long time to forget what they have been taught.

We live in an 11+ area and I often think, when children are cramming for exams, why did the parents did not do little and often from a much earlier age so that their children were much more secure in their ability?

With one to one teaching children learn much quicker so I would definitely teach over the holidays, but rather than 1 hour I would do a lesson of maths and some time later a lesson of English.
With dd, I liked teaching and she liked learning, so she was happy to sit down to a lesson. If you have the attitude that it is fun rather than a chore they tend to pick up on that. (Everyone has days when they don't want to do anything, so just forget it that day). Also you sort of get a feeling for when the child has had enough and wants to stop.
If going away somewhere I would not teach then.

Another advantage is that when they return to school the idea that they can do the academic things really encourages them.


I use the Letts KS revision guides and workbooks. CPG do similar books. Other ideas to try are:
nrich
BBC bitesize
Khan academy
The Mythical Maths and Enchanted English series in Letts books.

[Hakluyt]

The important thing to remember is that you can give them a total break but still be doing loads of activities that support learning- you don't need to be doing formal stuff. A holiday in the heat is a perfect opportunity to lie under a parasol and read him loads and loads of stories. A different house or a hotel has steps and windows to count. Different routines means clocks to look at...... It is endless and effortless!

[Lovemychocolate]

Hi

Thanks for all the replies. We have signed up to the reading challenge in the library. When I said one hour we do it in little bits and through play, today was 'let's play cafe' so he wrote a menu and took orders for food from his teddies.

Ds is partially hearing so he finds it difficult to concentrate sometimes. His teacher was aware (and was fantastic :) ) and so bless him, it's hard work to have to concentrate all day in school on listening and then doing.

I have decided that one hour is probably too much so it's now what he will do happily (generally 20 mins)
Thanks everyone for your replies as really helpful.

We are off to France on holiday in a few weeks so will give him a total break then

[BackforGood]

Yes, YABVU to make the poor wee thing do schoolwork throughout the holidays.
As many others have pointed out, there are so many ways to help his learning, that do not present as schoolwork.

[catkind]

My DS has also just finished reception. We're doing a little just to keep things ticking over. We try to make sure DS writes a holiday diary (1-2 sentences and a picture, 5 minutes?), and reads a book (again, maybe 5 minutes). He doesn't realise it's work at this age anyway. Maths seems to come into play naturally, but we also have a couple of apps that he likes.

So I'd say we're ensuring a minimum of say 10 minutes a day. Which is probably more 1:1 teaching than he was getting at school anyway! He probably ends up doing more with his own random projects most days anyway.

I'm a big believer in little and often.

[Lonecatwithkitten]

I have a 10 year old due to sit 11+ in November doing 30mins 4 times a week, so yes an hour is probably to long.
I found games like pop to the shops, junior monopoly and junior cludeo so useful for helping at this stage. Then at night they choose a book to read (a toddler book with few words tht they are familiar with) then you read.

[May09Bump]

I would do half an hr formal work - mine doesn't like sitting down (he is in reception, but is capable of yr 2 work). So needs practice as will be doing more sitting down work in sept. He was assessed by a really good teacher as below average for reception work as he was just reluctant to do the work with her, preferred modelling (which is ok). But when he did the same test with me in the room he was assessed at year 2 level. I would rather he learnt slowly over summer with me, than have a shock going into sept. Formal work can be fun too - try education city etc. Balance is always the key - I also bribe with activities, if we do this then we can swim, bike ride afterwards. Learning through playing doesn't work or doesn't increase the concentration span with my son - he just take advantage and will play all day without learning the rules of schools.

All children are different - find a solution that fits with your family.

[Hakluyt]

An hour is a very long time. My 13 year old and I have agreed that he will do an hour a day over the holidays. 15 minutes is enough for. 5 year old- assuming that you will be reading stories and baking and shopping for sweeties and playing games and counting stairs and writing postcards to Grandma and so in.....

[BarbaraPalmer]

IMO 10-20 minutes two or three times weekly is ample. DD1 has just finished Yr2, and fairly high achieving, and I think she would struggle to retain enthusiasm and concentrating to work well for an hour.

I quite like comics and magazines for a bit of stealth education, so we get a few in over the holidays.

[KnittedJimmyChoos]

Days are very long - I really do not think your stealing his holiday with a tiny bit of help..in a very long fun packed exciting day.

[KnittedJimmyChoos]

Yes def help him but be more laid back about it....dont forget a tiny bit of one to one with you is going to be worth hours in a class of 30 with a struggling teacher...

I was able to help mine with 10 twenty mins every day, every other day, and only when she seemed keen. at this age they do like your attention so should be ok.

also do more to incorporate it into every day life. when at the shops etc....how much change and so on.

[BookABooSue]

It's not unreasonable to want him to practise during the hols but I do think it's unreasonable to be so structured about it. We use board games, counting games, have downloaded some fun books which we read together and ds has also been playing some addition games on his Leapfrog.
If you asked ds, he would probably say he hasn't completed any work at all because it feels fun and I haven't mentioned that we're practicising reading, writing, maths, etc.

[anchovies]

What do you mean he is struggling? What about just trying to incorporate some learning into the fun activities?

Some great ideas already, some others that we do are
I spy something beginning/ending with a sound
I spy shapes
Adding up during shopping and paying for shopping
Looking at patterns
Spotting different numbers of things (first one to bring me 5 shells for example)
Tick lists for in the car (eg tick when you see a van or a cow or whatever)
I wouldn't structure time for learning during holidays for a 5 year old, they learn through play at school so why not just give it a go at home as well?

[Cheebame]

An hour is quite a long time I think. DD asks for work to do but unless it is exactly the right level of difficulty she loses interest quite quickly.

[Hakluyt]

Could you say some more about how he's struggling?

[sashh]

Let him have a holiday