<p>baby, whether a kid is mature enough to start K, intellectually and/or socially, is extremely pertinent to the question.</p>
<p>Perhaps you should listen to those with experience. You might learn something.</p>
<p>baby, you keep saying that the child is bored. Perhaps bored isn’t the correct word to use.
He may be frustrated either by the difficulty of the tasks (for him) or by the simple idea that he has to sit and do as he’s told. He may want to play with blocks, but the teacher is making him sit with the rest of the class and work on learning how to write his letters or patterns.
Who is telling you that he’s bored? Young kids often use the word “bored” incorrectly.</p>
<p>Tell the parents to pack the video game system away and spend that time doing more constructive activities with their child. Rather than sit him in front of the TV, sit down at the dining room table and color or draw with him. Teach him how to play some simple childhood board games (teaches him to wait for his turn, follow directions, patience, learning how to lose as well as win, etc.). Make up fun games to do with him. We used to play math, rhyming, and spelling games. It can be as simple as one person naming a shape and the other person has to yell out the name of something that has that shape. Encourage them to sit and read to their child. Besides the wonderful parent/child interaction of sharing the book, the child will learn an incredible amount—sequencing, listening, how to ask relevant questions to the story, sentence structure, vocabulary, difference between fact and fiction, prediction, etc. </p>
<p>Get the boy into athletics—there are too many benefits of this to include in one CC post. They learn how to take direction, how to implement those directions, how to interact with peers, winning and losing, understanding that practice makes progress, teamwork, burns off excess energy, etc. If not athletics, find something that interests the child—music, dance, whatever. </p>
<p>Rather than have him waste hours in front of the TV and Video Games, send him outside to play. Take him for walks–every walk includes verbal communication between parents and kids. Every moment can be a fun learning experience. </p>
<p>If you stick a young kid in front of a TV or video game system all day, he/she is not going to have a clue how to interact and engage in a classroom setting.</p>
<p>A kindergartener might be bored for lots of reasons, including, but not limited to the fact that he/she:</p>
<p>isn’t used to sitting still for 10 minutes at a time</p>
<p>lacks fine or gross motor skills essential for writing, coloring or cutting paper</p>
<p>has spent too much time watching tv and not enough playing</p>
<p>curriculum can be too advanced</p>
<p>curriculum can be too basic</p>
<p>student could be gifted</p>
<p>student could have learning disabilities</p>
<p>teacher’s inexperience or expectations</p>
<p>teacher’s outdated teaching style or expectations</p>
<p>The list could go on. And on.</p>
<p>Kindergarten start time can absolutely be correlated to why a student is bored. If the student has been in an excellent Preschool and then pre-K for 1-2 years and then goes into Kinder, they may have seen much of this curriculum, already. </p>
<p>If the student has older sibs, it also may be that the younger kids have been modeling their older brothers and sisters and are kinder ready. </p>
<p>Most of us get bored easily.</p>
<p>Don’t forget the Attention Deficit Disorders which is the flavor of the week. Just about everyone I know seems to have it, as do their kiddos. When my boys were little, it was called “They are boys” and have a harder time sitting still.</p>
<p>The best classrooms I have seen for kids of this age have learning centers with the ability for kids to get up and release some of their energy in a constructive manner.</p>
<p>Also, the way I learned to read was with those “Sam is a cat” or whatever type readers.</p>
<p>They were boring. And repetitive. I learned it the way the teacher wanted, but it was a little boring. </p>
<p>When I worked with young students I exposed them to different ways of learning to enrich the “boring” lessons.</p>
<p>At the grocery store, have the kindergarter or younger child start observing numbers and letters. Hold up a can of corn or peas. What other words have those beginning sounds? What about the numbers on signs? Recognition of letters and numbers begins at home and is fine tuned at school. How much work has the child’s parents done in helping the student become ready for school?</p>
<p>Some teachers use whole language, some phonetics. I love the “Zoo Phonics” that is used in many schools. It makes it fun and recognizable and leads to very early language awareness and competency, in my opinion.</p>
<p>My older son who could read well and could add and subtract before starting K used to complain that kindergarten had great blocks, but not enough time to play with them. He actually enjoyed K way more than first grade, because there was more play time. I think kindergarten has gotten way too structured (it’s much worse now than 17 years ago when my son was complaining - and he really had a wonderful flexible teacher). It’s just not appropriate education for most five year olds - especially the wiggly (but perfectly normal) boys.</p>
<p>SamuraiLandshark has a good list of possible issues.</p>
<p>So many thoughts, so little time.</p>
<p>I subbed in a day care this week. I was amazed at how verbal and literate these kids were, even at younger than 2yo. This is a quality day care at a school campus designed to serve the children of teachers. I guess I shouldn’t be so surprised that these kids were especially literate considering their parents are mostly educators. At “school,” these kids aren’t plopped in front of TVs and shown movies. Very few of the toys for the younger ones are the of the loud, light up variety. We engaged them the whole day, enforce a naptime, set up routines.</p>
<p>I noticed a change in expectation at the kinder level from when ds1 and ds2 went through, and they were just three years apart (I volunteered in each of their kinder classes so I saw the change firsthand). Used to, kinder could be a place where a kid who was a little slower to catch on to reading and fine motor skills could work his/her way up to those skills and fine-tune them in first grade. Now, thanks to NCLB and the like, kids are expected to know these things before they leave kinder, and teachers are pressured to make sure that happens. I can remember a little girl in ds1’s kinder class who couldn’t read and how the teacher and I would work with her. Three years later, same teacher, there didn’t seem to be the time to “work” with a child. Instead, there was more concern about moving them along, no time to account for individual differences – just get them where the state wants them to be.</p>
<p>A kid who can’t do the work but says he’s “bored”? I’d have your nephew’s parents take a look at themselves and see their role in getting this child school-ready. I’m going to assume you’re correct that there’s too much TV and video games and not enough reading and number and word play going on.</p>
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<p>I did the exact same thing!!! I think I was ready to learn to read long before first grade and would have sucked it all up like a sponge had anybody bothered to teach me. As it was, I remember being very frustrated that I couldn’t read and I would badger my Mom about when I could learn. She always said “when you go to first grade.” The first day of school came and went and I was devastated. I really wanted that key that would unlock the world of symbols that everybody else seemed to understand.</p>
<p>Another possibility for a child who says they are “bored”.</p>
<p>They could be scared out of their minds. It’s a big deal, going to school. Kinder used to be a half-day in most elementary schools. There were naps and milk and graham crackers and tons of time to play with others and learn the basics. Now it is all day long and academic. Every minute is accounted for in the course of the day. </p>
<p>Is the child experiencing any behavior at home that is different? Is the child going to be a big brother or sister, or has a new baby in the house, already? Has the family recently moved? </p>
<p>There are a lot of emotions for kids experiencing the transition of going to school. Transitions were a big deal for my oldest. He always wanted to know when he was going to switch to another actitivity. He was very regimented. Meals at the same time, organized about putting his stuff away. I don’t think he loved Kinder because there was a lot more chaos than he was used to. He had an excellent teacher but her class was a little hectic. If you walked into it, it had the appearance of a craft factory that had exploded. Every wall had something on it. It wasn’t a peaceful and quiet environment. She didn’t always announce transitions, like in 5 minutes we are going to clean up and move on to reading or whatever the activity was. Some teachers have a more organized structure than others. The communal crayon box also really, really annoyed my son, who liked to put all of his crayons back into his own box and know just how dull or sharp they were. He didn’t like the texture of finger painting, and much preferred painting with brushes. The texture of the paint on his hands drove him crazy. It sounds weird, but he is still a little bit like this. It works out fine for his chosen profession - engineering. It did drive me a little mad when he was young, though. </p>
<p>Never underestimate the overstimulation factor that may contribute to a child’s sense of boredom. We are stimulating these kids in the wombs, in their cribs, with DVD’s of Baby Einstein and PBS programming. Everything is about learning, and often it is influenced by a computer or a tv screen. I think we forget that along the way, there has to be downtime. It’s not all about active learning. Playing and riding tricycles and learning to jump rope and play games (not video games) and create imaginary worlds in forts that you construct with blankets and sofa cushions is also important for a child’s development. </p>
<p>There was this well known brand name educational toy that I saw advertised last year. It was a virtual reality computer simulation game. The kid got on the fake trike and watched the tv to see the “road” and other visuals in the game. Instead of going outside and riding an actual tricycle. It was horrific to me, and yet, I am sure a very popular toy for the younger than 4 set. </p>
<p>Kinder is not a requirement for California. Theoretically, with the right age, a child could start school in 1st grade.</p>
<p>As many people have pointed out, there are so many possible issues here it’s impossible for us to say why he’s not enjoying kindergarten. His parents have to talk to his teacher and see if they, as a unit, can figure it out and help fix it.</p>
<p>^^^
Related to some of the stories above - I went to Kindergarten when I was 4 1/2. I could already read (pretty much taught myself) and was bright BUT was also immature with an attention span of a gnat (and this was long before Sesame Street which I think is partially responsible for some of attention/need to be entertained issues I see in my college students!) All through school - including high school - I struggled. I was more than capable of doing the academic work, but was incapable of paying attention, completing my work, and so on. (I think if I was a kid today, I’d be diagnosed as ADD or some such thing.) As a result, I hated school. </p>
<p>I wish my parents had had the foresight/understanding to hold me back from starting Kindergarten for another year. I’ve always felt that would have made a big difference in my maturity level and readiness to do school. </p>
<p>I have no idea why your nephew doesn’t like school but I do know it’s important to get to the root of it now. It will only get worse as he goes along. </p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
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<p>The fact is that it doesn’t matter why he is bored. The teacher is saying he doesn’t know the material, and that is the real crux of the issue.</p>
<p>Your In Law has stated that their child is bored, and that the teacher is saying they don’t have a grasp on the material.</p>
<p>You need to say to them, time to ask for an IEP test.</p>
<p>We can all give you a million reasons, but the fact is none of that will matter when it comes to his school district. Get him to be tested. He could have hearing, vision, ADD, Aspergers, dyslexia, etc, etc, etc issues. The only way to weed out why he is bored is to test him.</p>
<p>For all you know, he might not be bored with school, but is addicted to video games and resents school.</p>
<p>Have the parents talk to the teacher about testing for IEP (Individualized Educational Plan).</p>
<p>I worked in the educational world for many yrs., the most frustrating part was parents who put blinders on and say not my kid. The parents who I held hands with and said, I know you love them and this hurts to hear, but we love them too. We want the best for them, and the best right now, is to test, were the ones that helped their kids. They were the ones that removed their ego, and said whatever this path is we will walk it together. They were the ones that their kids blossomed once they could figure out what the issue was and addressed it.</p>
<p>The real hard part is getting the parents on board.</p>
<p>Parents need to remember and realize that their child spends more waking hours with them than they do at this point. They went to college for education. You wouldn’t say you know enough to represent yourself in court, than the same must be held true for education. These teachers not only have undergrad and maybe grad degrees, but also continuing ed. and work with many students. This is not personal or emotional to them, it is factual.</p>
<p>If a child is not at least reading at a very beginner level as well as having basic number knowledge than I would suggest an educational evaluation.</p>
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<p>“Bored” could be the word he uses because he doesn’t know how to describe his discomfort in another way. A 5-year-old is not likely to realize that “intimidated” or “bewildered” might be a more accurate term.</p>
<p>Alternatively, some kids just don’t like the way school operates. Filling out worksheets does not come naturally to them. This kind of kid could be bored regardless of whether the material on the worksheets is familiar or new.</p>
<p>Before going through any kind of educational evaluation for learning issues or an IEP, I would make sure the child’s vision has been checked by an optometrist. You would be surprised at how many kids simply can’t see. When they can’t see what’s going on around them, it is hard to read. </p>
<p>They may be able to see things on a tv screen with no problems, but can’t see up close. </p>
<p>I also am disinclined to want to broach the subject of an IEP for a kid unless everything else has been ruled out at home. From the OP comments, it sounds like the child enjoys video games. I would want to know how often he plays them, and for what duration. What other activities does he engage in, at home? Does he have a stay at home parent or is he in day care? What kinds of activities happen there? Did he pass a kindergarten readiness test? What were the results? Were there any deficiencies noted at that exam? What were they? How does the child engage with other students in the classroom? </p>
<p>Is the child pathologically shy or having trouble making friends at school? </p>
<p>There may be a learning issue, but sometimes it is a maturity issue. </p>
<p>Also, sometimes parents want to pin the blame on the school and teachers, when in reality, the home environment isn’t exactly fostering learning.</p>
<p>@Mathmom, your S’s comment, paraphrased: K has the best blocks but not enough time to play with them goes on my list of Classics. Says it all.</p>
<p>When D2 was in pre-school (4), I did a parent/teacher conference over the phone. The teacher told me that my kid was stupid because she didn´t know her colors and couldn´t count to 100. D2 was also labeled as socially awkward because she often sat in a corner by herself. </p>
<p>I was of course surprised by the teacher´s assessment. I had a long talk with D2 (remember how difficult it was trying to get the simplest information out of 3-5 year olds). I finally figured out that the teacher was a yeller in class (nice lady, but a yeller according to D2). D2 didn´t like her, so D2 didn´t want to speak with her (whenever the teacher asked her a question, she just shook her head). D2 also didn´t want to play with other kids because she didn´t to be associated with any kid who would be in the teacher´s firing line. She figured if she just sat in a corner and didn´t do anything, then she wouldn´t get yelled at.</p>
<p>We moved her out of that pre-school to a place that was more nurturing. By the time she started kinder, she was the class star pupil in ready.</p>
<p>gah- developmentally kids are all over the place.</p>
<p>Yes both my oldest and I taught ourselves to read before K ( D#1 taught herself before she was 4)- but so what? That is just one piece & CANNOT BE RUSHED.
When considering schools for D#1, Waldorf schools were actually horrified that she already was reading, because they don’t start to teach that until kids are 7. </p>
<p>Kids need more active play- gross motor activities help the neurological system to mature & classrooms that are desk centered will require kids to use energy just to stay contained.</p>
<p>I agree with the over stimulation issue. Hard to become engaged when there is so much going on, and not a lot of ways to participate.</p>
<p>When I was in school, we had afternoon & morning K- it depended on how old you were, which one you were placed into.
WHen my mom was in school, they even allowed kids to start mid-year.
But now, we expect everyone to be on the same page- even when they are only 5 years old!
:p</p>
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<p>Samurai, in our state vision and hearing are tested prior to entrance. That is why I suggested going for an IEP, because not only that, but the teacher statement.</p>
<p>To the OP for all we know, they actually could be home sick for their mother. </p>
<p>Did the child go to pre-k? If they did was there any issue there?</p>
<p>The child is five, he has been in a classroom about two months. There is nothing wrong with him. Leave him alone. It can take kids a long time to get used to the routines and demands of classroom, even if they have been in pre-school and all kids do things like this on their own timetables. I used to do kindergarten assessments, where we tested the same set of skills with kids as the came in, about mid-point at first semester, at winter break, at the mid-point second semester and at the end of the year. I remember one boy who at the first assessment knew nothing, no numbers, no colors, no letters, nothing. A the second assessment he knew all his colors, including some odd ones like magenta and lavender, but no numbers, no letters. At his second assessment he knew colors and numbers up to 100, but no letters. By the end of year, he knew all his colors, could count to 1000 and knew all his letters and could read a simple story. He was a discrete learner, he wanted to learn in discrete packages, not everything jumbled together. He learned his colors well and then moved on to numbers, then letters when he felt he had licked numbers. Fortunely, he had a teacher who recognized this and just relaxed and worked with the kid’s natural learning style.</p>
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My younger son really didn’t learn to read until second grade. When it clicked, it clicked overnight. He went straight from struggling with Nate the Great to Harry Potter.</p>
<p>My older brother didn’t learn to read in first grade because of vision problems. Sometimes kids test with 20/20 vision, but are having trouble tracking or they see double.</p>
<p>As to knowing colors - be aware some kids are color blind. We knew my nephew was when he said “I love the spring when all the leaves are orange.”</p>
<p>No time to read all responses - sorry if mine is a repeat…</p>
<p>I would be concerned that the child is not socially engaged enough to find it all very interesting - that is the the only really important thing you want to see in Kindergarten. A student in that grade should be loving school every day. It’s a chance to be with his friends (and if he has not made them, that is a concern). </p>
<p>The academic stuff is so secondary, if the issue is that he is advanced. If there is evidence of a learning disability, good to get that diagnosed early. I personally have never seen a kid who was bored due either to giftedness or academic problems - only due to social challenges. Worth looking into. If the little one is young for the year, that is probably a big part of the problem. If the issue is a social delay which is unrelated to chronological placement in the school year, nip it in the bud early. Best not to wait for children with social challenges to “grow out of it”. There are excellent social learning groups available today that get results.</p>