Advice please: child 'bored' at school

Plans_all_plans · 25 November 2011 at 1:37PM

My daughter started in reception class in Sept and the last few mornings she's been proclaiming she is bored at school. I've asked what she thinks is boring and she says that doing numbers and patterns/letters and sounds is very boring to her. She says she finds it easy and she doesn't like having to keep going over things she already knows.

I've tried to tell her that even though she is a very good reader/writer, that the letters and sounds will help with her spelling and that she needs to just get on and do it.

I don't know what numbers and patterns is but she says it's easy and she knows how to do it. I've told her she just has to do what she's told at school and get on with it!

I'd like to know whether I should say anything to the teacher about this situation. I don't want my daughter to switch off at school because she is bored, but at the same time I don't want to come across as pushy to the teacher.

balletshoes · 25 November 2011 at 1:46PM

at this time of year, when the kids will shortly be doing Christmas/Winter-themed projects in their school day, I'd leave it right now, and tackle it in January if your DD says she is still mostly bored in her school day when she's been back at school for a couple of weeks after the school holidays.

I remember being bored a lot of the time at high school, don't remember so much of it at primary, but it must have happened

. It doesn't necessarily mean she'll switch off and not want to learn.

Plans_all_plans · 25 November 2011 at 1:48PM

Yes, I think waiting until January and seeing how it goes is a good idea actually.

sassyblue · 25 November 2011 at 1:54PM

I don't think you'd come across as pushy... l think you need to find out if she really does find it easy or whether she's jsut saying that because she doesn't enjoy it.

Just seen your other replies and agree January is probably a better time to approach the teacher.

Plans_all_plans · 25 November 2011 at 2:01PM

sassyblue wrote: »

I don't think you'd come across as pushy... l think you need to find out if she really does find it easy or whether she's jsut saying that because she doesn't enjoy it.

From what I've seen, I do think she finds the letters and sounds easy. When we practise at home, she spins the correct answers out without much thought at all. I'd say she doesn't enjoy it because she finds it easy if that makes sense.

I couldn't say what I think about her numeracy though as aside form the odd activity book that she works from of her own accord now and again, I'm not sure what they do on it at school.

victory · 25 November 2011 at 2:16PM

You would have to have a chat with her teacher, see what level they have put it at, whether she sails through, if she can go up a level, does she have to be in the same set as the rest? Have the teachers noticed she gets bored and does all her work very easily and quickly?

Ask them:D

puddy · 25 November 2011 at 2:35PM

i would too get christmas out the way and raise it in january, gifted or bright children need to be pushed harder for them to remain engaged and for them to reach their full potential

dirtysexymonkey · 25 November 2011 at 2:41PM

i think you should speak to the teacher now, so as to give them a chance to prepare some more challenging work for your dd. and in the meantime encourage her level of progression and depending on age/ability invest in a tutor for her. so many parents dont encourage their childrens talents early on and the schools wont (too busy with underachievers and the misbehaving) so for many kids, by the time parents and the school want to encourage that talent, its gone because its not been nurtured and the kid has been forced down to the levels of the other kids.

TheConways · 25 November 2011 at 4:25PM

Sounds like you might have a gifted child!

I used to get very bored throughout primary school, and fortunately they moved me up a year at the age of 6. However, this was by no means easy to negotiate with the school!

I also remember we could work at our own pace in Maths from various cards - I was particularly good at Maths (I have a masters degree in it these days) - and that suited me very well.

My parents used the following (money-saving) strategies to keep me mentally stretched outside of school.. We were pretty poor when I was young, and MSE techniques were employed.
- Language classes in the evening with my mother
- Dad taught me algebra when I was 7-9 (he's an engineer)
- We played Scrabble at night; I was allowed to use a dictionary and had to add up all the scores
- A book by Shakuntala Devi called "Numbers" was a delight
- Books - I read Enid Blyton, Nancy Drew etc etc. You can go to the library and pick out something good together

My parents were also very very careful to ensure I didn't "show off" my abilities to avoid classmates getting the idea I was bigheaded. Everything was deliberately kept low-key, and I had a wonderfully fun childhood, and eventually earned a Masters degree at 21 in Maths and now work for a large company abroad.

I'm still very much into saving money, however

bylromarha · 25 November 2011 at 5:44PM

Reception is an odd one - both my kids found it very very dull as it is so play based and they wanted to learn formally and be extended and pushed. The only formal learning they did was stuff they already knew how to do. Most dull, but the rest of their peers needed to play to learn and needed the sounds from scratch. For most kids aged 4, this play based learning is what they need.

Upshot, DS now in year 3 and still thinks he doesn't have to try very hard at school - the early experience of not needing to try has created this in him, the school didn't push him in KS1 as he could already do what they were asking. we changed school in September and the new school have been pushing to achieve his potential since day 1 and he hates it as they know what he can do and actually make him do it and extend him further! He has to work!

DD now in yr 1 and is really enjoying year 1 as it is sit down and do rather than playing. She is learning lots of stuff and told me the other day in fact that she's really glad she's no longer in boring Reception!

Is she bringing anything home like spellings or homework? Can you gauge from that if the teacher has her pitched at the right sort of level?

Caroline73_2 · 25 November 2011 at 5:56PM

I had this problem last year with my son. I spoke to the teacher and she had noticed this too. Again he was bright and easily managed the work level expected. She gave him additional harder work which kept him entertained but followed the same work ant the other children were doing. The teacher just took it to a higher level.

I did worry about seeming like a pushy mum but the school were great. He's in year one now and he sits with another higher ability child to keep him stimulated in literacy and numeracy.

Advice please: child 'bored' at school

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