I thought pre-school was about learning through play

[spokette]

DTS are nearly 4yo and are at nursery 3 or 4 days a week depending on my work schedule. I am always amazed at how much they are learning whilst having a good time.

A couple of mothers who I chat with have told me that they are taking their DS out of the nursery and are putting them into prep school because they are worried that their children will be bored. They want them to have a more formal education because in their opinion, they waste too much time playing and are not learning enough. The boys are younger than my DS (they are 3yo).

Of course everyone is free to do what they believe is best for their own child but I could not help thinking that at this age children should be learning through play and I doubt they are bored because it is a vibrant, well run nursery (18 month waiting list). The boys already know their abcs, are recognising letters, numbers etc and it is all based around play. In addition, they learn about sharing, taking turns, helping others, being kind to one another etc which are equally if not more important skills to acquire at this age.

Surely a 3yo is more likely to be bored in a more formal setting where playtime is restricted? Happy to stand corrected.

[Cappuccino]

snigger

they are 3 fgs

you are right imo

[Buda]

3! They shouldn't even be learning through play imho. They should be playing.

[PortAndLemon]

You are right, IMO. I'd hate the idea of someone trying to give my 3yo a "more formal education" and have reservations about his going to Reception at nearly-five, TBH.

[ROSEgarden]

Children arn't MADE to learn through play, they do it naturally..they develop fine motor skills by making marks on paper/chalking/painting/throwing /catching..they work out how to get themselves dressed when playing with dress up clothes,fastening small buttons, zips, press studs,poppers, laces.. they work out the wet sand makes cool sand castles but the dry sand just falls through their fingers, they realise books read left to right and that certtain things happen at certain times(snacks/playtime/ecersize/computers ) which means they then know about routines...the BEST way for children to LEARN is through play and i would think(hope) this prep school would work on the same principle!

[ROSEgarden]

and most schools now actually incorporate more 'play' into the childrens day(up to at least yr 2 in our school, but similar in most schools) because they have found that this is the BEST way for them to learn..if you have fun doing something you want to do it again dont you?..same with children and think theyve finally realsied drumming something into a child isnt the best and most beneficial way of doing it

[PortAndLemon]

But if the parents are specifically choosing the school because they want their children learning "formally" rather than "through play" you have to wonder whether the school does operate on the same principle...

[Hulababy]

They may be in for a shock at the prep school then - unless a highly academic one. Most preprep 1 and private school preschools classes, around here anyway, follow the Foundation stage same as the rest - then they can claim the nursery vouchers, etc. In Preprep 1 (reception) at her school DD did mostly ,earn through play.

[ROSEgarden]

makes me think of daddy day care movie and the part were the 3yr olds are learning freud(is that how you spell it?)..i dont agree with 'formal 'learning in this sense, children are meant to be children, im on my EYFS course at moment just like all these prep schools will be and we are all 'meant' to sing from the same song sheet, sad if someone 'pushes' children at this early age, i think it will only back fire?

[PortAndLemon]

But then you get nurseries like the one described here, which are clearly very different from the one spokette's DTs attend. So there is a wide range out there, even if theoretically all following EYFS, and these boys' parents may well have found somewhere more formal.

[spokette]

PortandLemon that nursery sounds ghastly!

At the DTS nursery, The only time they sit at a desk/table is to do things like drawing, painting, other art/craft type activities and to eat.

I hazard a guess that the children certainly spend a third of their time playing freely or playing organised games, the other two thirds is either art/craft, listening to and discussing stories, singing and eating!

They also have a lot of outdoor space and play equipment. When it is warmer, they spend a more time outside. It is a great nursery .

[Twiglett]

they are wankers

competitive wankers

[Ethelbert]

I agree with Twiglett!! Children spend plenty of time in formal education when they get to Primary school. what happened to children being allowed to be children!?! There was a couple of parents like that at my DD's pre.school, they were taken out to go to a more formal setting now in my DD's class at school and refusing to work! so it didn't work for them!!

[PotPourri]

Total idiots. Learning through play is the ONLY way to make it stick. Think about how you can rhyme off all the words to Bohemian Rhapsody, or all the nursery rhymes. But can't remember the majority of what you 'learnt' at school.

[gegs73]

Through play is best. You would not believe what I have heard about what people do with their children before they start Reception -DC starts in September. I was getting worried as I don't do anything formal with DS at all. I read with him and if he asks about something I tell him, but don't sit 'teaching' him every day!!!! Surely that is what SCHOOL is for

[kbaby]

DD goes to a nursery she is 3.5 and the ciriculum is learn through play, I think the welsh govenment introduced it here this year.

Basically they learn through play so counting for example is counting the petals on a flower, they write letters or shopping lists etc but when I say write I mean making marks on paper.
DD yesterday spent the afternoon rolling boilt eggs down the banking. Sounds good fun to me, wish I could go.

[easterbunbuns]

FFS they need to get their own lives sorted before recking thier kids. At 3 years old they should PLAY PLAY PLAY, life is full of enough tests and targets as it is - let them have a few years of just being kids. IMO its the kids that have too much education forced down them too young are the worst behaved obnoxious little you know whats!

[Reallytired]

My son is six years old (twice the age of the children the OP is talking a about). He STILL learns through play.

[Moguie]

No wanting to add more fuel to the debate but aren't boys later developers than girls too where it comes to going to school and socialising/ being ready to go into a school environment so learn by play is a better environment for them to be introduced to whilst still developing them in the right direction?

[Blueblob]

I would think the same as you and feel that most would more likely to be bored in a formal setting. My 3 year old is happy on the mornings he doesn't attend pre-school. He potters around drawing, looking at books, playing with toys, puzzles. Pre-school mornings he has access to more children, more books, more toys, singing, story time. Why would he become bored there because it's informal and they play lots? He's three

My 6 year old went to the same pre-school and I can't think what he'd have gained if he'd attended a more formal pre-school. Probably the Prep-School will do the same things as the current pre-school. Only difference will be how it's presented to the parents and the cost.

Maybe days they get out playdough the children will be sent home with how well they performed on their fine motor control targets. Then the parents can compare and some will deem their off spring gifted in that area because they got a level one in moving fingers 2 terms early. Take child out of that pre-school and fine one that specializes in craft. Apologies I'm getting silly.

[Desiderata]

Yep! Downright wankers is what they are.

[MrsMattie]

It makes me shudder when I hear about parents trying to force their under fives into formal education. Why? FFS. Is a proper childhood no longer seen as a good thing?