Question for mums with a child currently in reception

[Earlybird]

Curious to know - what's happening developmentally (emotional, physical, intellectual, social) with your child currently? What amazes/winds you up about them? Would like to know if others are experiencing the same as me.

[sparklemagic]

bump for this, looks interesting! My DS will start in reception this September.......

[all4girlz]

my dd3 is in reception at the mo
social mixes well but somtimes is upset that a particular girl or girls did not play with her that day--asked her teacher who said she is never alone just finds someone else or they find her.

obssessed with reading her reading book but only just starting to read properly rather than guessing from pics
letters and words wants to write but does not know how to spell asks me all the time knows her alphabet its a constant what comes after d o g etc how do i write that --counts all the time likes sums and can do the little puzzles in th kiddy mags
at home she is behaving well even even with her naughty little sister
Have you any particular worries or questions?
Keen to exchange experiences /worries

[Rainbow]

DS2 is in reception. I am glad he is not the only reading book obsessive out there:) He loves to write but is a typical man and won't ask for help. Consequently he has a line of beautifully written letters that make no sense at all (qhfteysifdhybgjcnhdbajhgfwoy)then asks me to read his words.Walks to the shops take twice as long now as he reads every numberplate there and back.
Socially he has made a lot of friends but I am concerned that the teachers aren't doing enough about bullying. DS1 (yr6) had to miss his breaks as punishment for knocking a yr2 child on his backside. Turns out that DS2 had his hat stolen by this yr2 child and when DS2 tried to get it back he was punched in the face. It was reported to his teacher but nothing seemed to be done. Next time it happened DS2 went and found his brother who tried to talk to a teacher but was told to stay out of the reception playground. As DS1 couldn't make the teacher listen he took matters into his own hands. Not that I condone what he did, violence doesn't solve anything, I can understand why he did it. What has really annoyed me is that DS1 has been punished for picking on a younger child, but the child has not been punished for giving DS2 a black eye!

[cece]

DD is just 5;

loves reading and knows her sounds.

loves writing and I am begining to make sense of it!

mixes welkl but doesn't have a best friene

Behaves very well at school but has become quite cheeky at home!

Called me mum instead of mummy last week for first time . Has been calling daddy dad for over a week now!

[Arabica]

DS was 5 on Monday and enjoying reception. He has friends of both sexesthe girls boss him around and he seems to like it! He gets upset that 2 of his friends don't seem to get along and wishes they'd like each other as he'd like them all to play together. He knows all his letters but sometimes writes 'S', 'b' and 'd' the wrong way around. He likes reading but I think a lot of guesswork is involved. He's becoming more and more independent every day and has decided he's growing his hair longyet he still gets into our bed in the middle of the night and nicks most of the duvet. Physically he is desperate to learn to somersault like Sportacus and keeps asking me when he'll be able to 'jump over my own head'!

[Earlybird]

Any thoughts from the daytime posters?

[Jasnem]

DD2 is one of the oldest in reception, but prefers playing to learning. Can read a little but won't do it willingly, and gives up easily. Enjoys numbers and counting. Plays schools with her older sister alot.
Cried all the way home yesterday because DD1 had a play date and she wasn't invited. She has made lots of friends, but not a "best" friend.
So far she hasn't found it as hard as I was expecting her to.

[niceglasses]

My son was 5 at Christmas.

socially enjoying it all I think. He has one very good friend and if I was the friend I would be a bit scared I think - my ds is a bit obsessed tbh. But I think he plays with others as well. I think the main thing for me he is still enjoying it - no problems going etc.

I wouldn't say he was obsessed with reading his book - have to bribe a little bit, but is starting to spell out words rather than remember and guess.......On the whole we got a very good report at the little parents evening.

Behaviour wise I think things have improved since going to shcl. He has always been, er a 'challenge'. I still find him very boisterous, but he does listen to me a bit more now. But I ddont know if it is an age thing but he can be very headstrong ,stubborn and I hate the way we sometimes clash minutes after getting out of schl.

Its good (and hard) to see them growing up.........

[singersgirl]

DS2 is in Reception. He won't be 5 until end of August, so is the youngest. Some of the older taller children look enormous next to DS2, though they don't seem to notice.

The boy he recently seems to have become best friends with is only 2 weeks older, and his other emerging good friend is also a summer born boy - so they are all the same sort of size and I guess at the same stage socially and emotionally.

Yesterday he had a friend back when DS1 (7)was out and he suddenly seemed like a proper boy with plans and private languages and stuff.

He has become very confident at school and with others, but quite often reverts to babyish behaviour at home - he likes to pretend to be cute baby animals and talk in a baby voice. However, he is doing really well academically and has absolutely surprised me as he was the most passive baby you could meet - turns out his cogs are whirring in there. When I help in the classroom, he is one of those children straining into their air with their hand to answer the questions.

He hasn't experienced the behaviour meltdowns that DS1 (also an August birthday) did. He's much more mellow, but the babyish stuff does wind me up a bit. He gets very tired and tearful sometimes. I'm sure it is a safety mechanism - so busy being grown up all day that he wants to be my baby at home.

He's really into writing little things and reads well. He copies his older brother and draws movie posters with captions. He is often asking me sums ("What is a million plus a hundred plus a hundred plus eight?") and when I give him an answer says "How do you know that?" Ah, my son, because Mummys are very, very clever.

What are you experiencing, Earlybird?

[waterfalls]

And they come out with all those school phrases like..........

its not fair
I'm telling on you

[singersgirl]

Actually DS2 said he didn't want to go back to school after the holidays, because "school is boring and is made of toilets"

[Kathlean]

DS was 5 in March. He has been in reception since last Sept.

I ask him what he has done at school, eaten etc and he can't remember. He refuses to read to me or to write for me.

He comes home caked in mud (he has even had mud down the inside of his shirt and up his nostrils from jumping in the puddles), grass stains, scrapes and brusies so obviously has fun at breaktime.

He sat in the bath and counted to 100 in fives the other day which I was really impressed about.

The best thing for me is that he goes in happily (nearly) every morning and comes out with a big smile and a hug for me in the afternoon.

[TwoToTango]

My ds started reception last September. Has has come on so much both socially and academically - he has 2 or 3 close friends but mixes with loads of other kids. I am amazed at how quickly and how much he has learnt - he loves maths work and his writing and reading are really coming on well. He loves learning about other countries and doing cooking.
His class does have great teachers and TAs.
His confidence has really boosted. Although he is well behaved at school you can tell he is mixing with a wider/older range of friends as he can be very cheeky at home although sometimes it is hard not to laugh!
I think we are lucky with the school as they put a big emphasis on reading/writing. I will be sad when he finishes reception as the teaching staff have been so lovely.

[GDG]

Ds1 is in reception, started in Sept, March birthday.

Come on LOADS since Sept.

His reading is fantastic and he is on year 2 reading books now - like someone else said, walking anywhere he reads everything he sees, loves telling me long numbers on houses and cars 'that says 320 mummy'. Reads packets, signs, everything.

His writing is great too - according to his teacher he is one of very few who will write alone - working out how to spell words himself and remembering 'finger spaces' between words. He could only do his name before he started so I'm hugely impressed by his writing.

He's also started saying Mum and Dad but still uses mummy and daddy too.

Very, very sociable and loving going to school to see his friends. Loves going to their houses for tea etc.

Physically, always been very able but now loves to show me how he can touch his toes without bending his legs and things like that - obviously PE!

It's hard to say how, but he's grown up a lot - his speech is very 'proper', he's very articulate and he's very aware that he's quite 'grown up' compared to his younger brothers who don't go to school and don't yet know how to cross their legs and fold their arms

It's lovely to see him developing like this but it's sad at the same time - my leeetle baby!!

[GDG]

Oh yes waterfalls! I've had those!

Agree with whoever said they are getting a bit cheeky - same here!

[LIZS]

dd won't be 5 till end of August and being small for her age anyway the September born boys seem huge in comparison. Having said that she is best friends with 2 boys in her class ! Some of the year 1 and 2 girls like to play with her in the playground and "baby" her but she is quite feisty and stands up for herself.

Academically she seems to be doing well - reads ORT level 4, starting to spell basic words, enjoys her number work, loves drawing and writing and concentrates well. She is looking forward to doing rounders and sports day this term.

She can still be quite determined and awkward when things don't go according to her plan, but tends to show this at home rather than school ! She also has started to tell tales readily on her brother, not sure if the same at school.

[zazas]

My DS is 5 next week and has been in Reception since September. I have noticed how much his writting and drawing skills have come on - he will independently pick up a pencil and write / draw now - wasn't interested before. Knows his letter sounds and can read or sound out many words but not racing to get stuck into books yet unlike older sister. Enjoys number work especially using fingers. Socially hasn't made any close friends and prefers boys in Yr 2... but gets on with all in his class. I just feel happy that he is enjoying the learning process and he wants to talk about his day at school. Does make him tired though, from learning and being 'good' - hasn't turned into a 'school boy' yet - still more like a nursery child than a school kid to me.

[anniebear]

becoming Mum and Dad as opposed to Mummy and Daddy is quite sad I think!!!!!

[Mercy]

dd turned 5 last week and has been in reception since last October.

Her social skills have really improved in the last few months and she now has a 'best friend' and several others that she gets on well with (about half of her class were also in the nursery class, so it's taken her a long while to form closer friendships). She's still a little bossy at times and I've also noticed a fair bit of cheekiness/backchatting; she seems to have an answer for everything atm so I'm having to be slightly firmer than usual!

She's always been fairly bright and articulate and she's contiuned to make progress. It's the non stop questions etc that amazes me 'what does that say?', 'shall I tell you about tozzic waste?', 'how do you spell...' and at Easter, 'so how exactly did Jesus come alive again?'

The only thing she doesn't like about school is tidy up time and not enough time to do art!

Does anyone's elses child not tell you what happens during the day? the only information dd offers tends to be things like X was naughty, Y fell over, Z didn't eat his lunch!

[Earlybird]

Let's see. DD turned 5 in February, and is thriving.

Intellectually - loves school, and I am continually amazed at how fast she is progressing/learning. She knows all her letters/numbers/sounds though still mixes up "b" and "d". She is reading well for her age, and loves it. She sometimes sits and writes at home and comes up with some comical spellings as she labours over the letters she writes to friends, or the entries she makes in her diary. She grasps concepts quickly - last week it was that numbers alternate even and odd. Her vocabulary is exploding, and she only has to hear a word once or twice before it is integrated into her speech. She is very curious and asks questions that show she is understanding/thinking. She loves music and about a year ago started to be able to sing in tune rather than the previous enthusiastic but out of key efforts.

Emotionally/socially - She's becoming more and more confident, self assured and independent. She wants to do everything herself without help - even if she's never done it before...perhaps her way of being in control ("Mummy I want to be in charge" is a familiar phrase). She is quite bossy (perhaps something to do with being an only child, or maybe because they all believe the world revolves around them at this egocentric age). She seems to be well liked, and gets lots of invitations for playdates/birthday parties. Her desire to get her way,even with friends, remains strong - think we need to work more on the concepts of taking turns and letting others dictate sometimes. Everyone comments about what a happy child she is, and on the whole, it's true. She has a wonderful giggle and a contagious belly laugh. But when she's unhappy, she is inconsolable, and in the depths of despair. She struggles with expressing her anger appropriately, and finds it difficult to wait/be denied anything (don't we all!). Over the past few months she has become interested in the phone, and races to answer it whenever it rings - previously she didn't want to know. I also am starting to get "Mum" instead of "Mummy", and only yesterday she held my hand to cross the road (normal), but took her hand away from mine the moment we were safely across.


Physical - She is one of the tallest in her class, and over the last year, all remnants of baby chubbiness have gone. Her hair has got thicker/darker. She looks like a little girl now instead of a toddler. It appears she isn't destined to be particularly athletic, as concepts like pumping her legs on a swing don't come naturally. At the moment, she is not interested in even attempting to ride her bicycle without the stabilisers. She loves swimming, and is confident in the water. She likes walking (or should I say skipping as it seems to be her main way of moving around) and did an easy 5k hike with me over the Easter break.

She is consistently challenging and wonderful. There are no particular worries, though it's good to hear that many of these phases are perplexing/delighting other parents too!!

[Peachyclair]

DS2 is in reception ATM. He's um not at the best stage ever right now! He's rather whingy about almost anything and will happily make up untrue tales to get sympathy.

he also likes to show his bum a lot, and shout bum bum bum bum everywhere we go!

however, he's still nice and cuddly, and exceedigly cute.

He does get upset about things like 'I had a bad d day today because my friends didnt do as I said', but that may be the influence of ds1 who is in yr1 and has AS and is a control freak.

He's not the fastest reader- though his writing ahs improved massively- but he ahs impaired hearing so I am not surprised. The look on his face when he does get it tgough is gorgeous! .

He is an end january baby btw. He didn't attend the school nursery as we didn't live here so didn't know anyone (but he did attend an excellent Montessori), but he seems quite popular.

[Blu]

Ds is 4.8 and very caught up in the drama of it all. Loves any hoo hah, is generally doing his best to be 'good' but experiemnting with bravado and acting up a bit - this week he and a friend were 'banded' from the play-hospital area for being silly - and as a result he is now quite distressed about it.
Lots of 'intrigue' around friends - who called who 'uggerly', who said he (DS) couldn't be their prince because he isn't handsome, who got time out.

Academically - I have no idea. He won't 'perform to order' with any writing or reading at home, and deliberatly reads words wrongly. But does seem to be developing fast with writing. He has always had a very quick grasp of process - being able to understand cause and effect, and explain things. He explained 'capitalist' to me the other day, emphasising at the end, to make sure I understood 'It's not shopping list, Mummy, it's capitalist'. He wants to be a 'book writer' when he grows up, and write books for grown-ups and children for mobile libraries. He thinks he will need a video maker living with him - 'like Tim Burton' - to make the videos that they have in mobile libraries.
He is now conscious that he is the slowest runner in the class (he has leg complications)- and has responded by trying to practise walking fast so that he can be the fastest walker.
He loves school, still gets very tired, though.

[Mercy]

Blu, he sounds a real cutie

[dinosaure]

DS2 is in Reception.

He's learnt to read and write very quickly and loves it. I think he's enjoying it.