Daughter in Kindergarten Says It's "Boring..."

Hello SH. Boy do I remember kinder. I loved it, my daughter on the other hand had a hard time in the begining. She cried and clung to me for dear life for the first week of kinder. The next week she finaly warmed up to the class but she was also bored with what she was learning. Her sisters were so much older than her so she started learning at a very early age. My solution was to join her class a few days out of the week to help her teacher. Having me in her class made the whole experience, "fun, funner than just being in her boring class alone." That is a direct quote from the little lady herself. My daughter is now in the 4th grade and reads at a 6th grade level. When parents are involved in their childrens' school their children do so much better. I hope you join her class sometimes, she'll love it. Good luck. Pam

I would suggest that you talk to you daughter's teacher first. Sometimes teachers are unaware that children are "bored". In many cases, if the teacher is made aware, he or she will give the child a little bit extra to do. (ie. being more of a teacher's helper.) Sometimes a tad bit more responsibility for her will do the trick.

I think that you made a good choice by talking to your precious one about the new reading skills being important. Another idea is to explain that each year changes in school. As we grow up we learn new things and sometimes that means we leave other things we did before behind. At first the change is not always fun or exciting, but when we try hard to do our best, we sometimes find out we like the new way as much as the old or even better.

Also at home, explore the levels your child is ready to reach for. New challenging activities in learning can take some of
the "active" energy down a peg or two.

Just remember to keep her challenged in school and at home. I live in CA and many of our districts have great websites for k-12
education ideas at home. The ideas supplement the classroom standards and curriculum.

Hope that helps.

This is totally typical of advanced kids. Just try to keep her interested in learning new things at home and explain that at school she gets extra practice with stuff she knows. She can even help others around her if they don't know it. I would also definitely talk to her teacher. I had this all through elementary school when I was a kid and my mom always briefed the teachers. Many of them would have extra things for me to do in class so I did not get bored. (One even let me do little performances at the end of the day so I would not get into trouble after I finished the class assignments and homework during school hoours!) Anyhow, just communicate with the teacher and your kid and all should be well. And hey, I ended up a lawyer and did really well in school so this is a good thing!

I agree that it sounds like your child's preschool did a pretty good job, but I would disagree about trying to test into a higher grade. First grade was WAY different than kindergarten, where kinder seemed to be an expansion of preschool. If anything, the home schooling sounds like a better idea, but it is the job of the teacher to adapt her styles and teachings to meet the needs of the individual child. If she does in fact see some "prodigy" qualities in your child, s/he will see this come out in her work and then make the necessary adjustments, possible suggest entry into the GATE program. Skipping grades is doing a disservice to your child in other areas of their development...social, emotional, and physical. I never skipped grades, but having a birthday in December, I was always the youngest and the last to do everything, up to and including getting my driver's license and voting with my friends!! Have a conference with the teacher, let her know your concerns...best wishes...

School has just started and teachers are reviewing in all grades. She has learned this, so it's a review for her, but other's may not have. Help her to find a renewed interest, kid's like some subjects and find other's boring. Challenge her to learn 1 new thing a day, she may find there is something new to learn. Kind. is more work and less fun than Pre., but I'm sure she's up for the challenge.

Wow, it sounds like she had a great preschool!! It sounds like they were academic as well as fun. I think the preschool set the bar so high, the public Kindergarten is understandably "boring." I don't have any young children anymore and mine attended early elementary in another state (that values their education better than CA: Washington). However, I am a childcare provider. I practice a belief that there needs to be a balance, specifically for the purpose of introducing some reality to the children's academic readiness. But every child has a different pace and style of learning. I'm not sure that the preschool's holding off on academics would have been a better choice. Boredom will very often lead to behavior issues. She sounds ready to take off, so I'd just try to keep up. Like I mentioned, I'm not too impressed with CA's public education system. The Kindergarten teachers have to accommodate a vast range of starting levels of students, which forces them to adapt to the lowest of them. Can you ask for her to be tested into first grade? My other suggestion would be a home or charter school.

J. Smithson
Loving Hands Learn 'n' Play
http://www.lhlearnandplay.com

I have found this out as well. My daughter Taylor also came from a preschool program and that school taught at a higher level. She is enrolled in the school based Charter School program that is supposed to be at a higher level than the rest of the public schools here.
She informed me today that she is the only one in class that can recognise the alphabet, numbers and colors without help. In her old school, she was doing that and also doing book work. She was writing her first and last name and she was in the process of learning her address and phone number. If your daughter is saying that she is bored, I would say give her what she is needing at home. This is what I have also learned with my oldest and she is now in the 4th grade. Shew as in the same preschool as my youngest and then she moved to the Kind. and first grade at that very school. When she did get into the Charter program they are in now, she was bored and I had to challenge her more at home.
I would speak with her teacher and see what can be done. If you feel that she is still saying this, then by all means, give her more to do at home. That is what I am planning on doing with my two girls.
Good luck,
T.

My guess is that she isn't having as much fun as she did in preschool. Not as much playing, etc.

Hi, my son also thinks school is borning he said the same thing
about pre-school. I though how could a kid that can't even
write his name be so bord in school the class looks so nice
and color full and all the kids are there, he is an only child.
I thought he would like to get out of grama&grampas house and
see some kids his age. He dose like the kids and plays but i
think it's the rules that the teacher makes that he dosn't like
he gets time outs and he is forced to sit still and listen.
He likes to bounce all over the place and yell and say words
that don't make any sence. Oh well, what can i do.
He is not going to like all the home work that he will be
getting now that he is in kindergarten.
I have to force him to write the letters he says i am tirred
this is boring he just wants to play with his air planes.
I guess that's school i didn't like it to much my self.
Hope all this makes a little sence it's my first time responding to any one on mama source.

I would suggest talking to her teacher. let her know how your daughter is feeling. she may not have time during classwork to give her extra but maybe she could give you extra stuff to do with her at home.
also try telling your daughter how smart she is and if she finishes her work early maybe she could help others that need it (of course talk to the teacher about this also). i am trying to get a teaching job and if i had a child like her in my class i would not mind letting her help or getting her extra work.

Hi SH,

The first few weeks at school are for assessments and getting through some of the required basic teaching concepts. In our local schools (in Valencia), once the teachers have determined what levels the children are at, they break them into groups based on their academic needs and give them work that will challenge them at their levels. So don't worry about how easy it is, it will get more challenging and she will begin to learn new concepts.

As far as lacking music and other creative stimulation, grade schools often do not offer much of this in their standardized curriculum. Also, grade school teachers are required to take completely different courses than preschool teachers when going to college, so they are not exposed to a lot of Child Development concepts, which preschool teachers use to make learning fun. Since she can no longer expect much fun in her school environment, your daughter might benefit from taking outside enrichment classes offered in your community, or you could make up a music program to do with her at home.

As far as cheering your daughter up, I would reassure her that she will soon start to learn new things as school gets going, and that now is her chance to get to know her teacher and the other students in her class. When she comes home after school, ask her to tell you about her day and the interactions she had with the other children. Also, share with her what you remember of your experiences in school. Let her know that she will be in school for many many years to come, and she will learn that she likes some parts of school better than others, but that it is important for her to work hard and stay focused in order to be successful.

S H,

A private school might not be any better if your elementary school is rated so high. My recommendation would be to either see if your church (if you have one) has a choir with 5 yr. olds or sign her up for something after school that has to do with singing. Or give her a choice of classes to pick one that might inspire her to carry on in Kindergarten. Part of the problem in Kindergarten may be that she doesn't have as much play time as in preschool. Maybe a short teacher conference is in order to brain storm about this.

Just a couple ideas,

Evelyn

Hello. I have a first grader who is having a terrible time in school - says he has no friends and last year in his other school he was thriving. I feel terrible for moving him (got married and moved to another town). But, as far as your child saying she is bored, maybe she isn't being challenged enough or maybe she needs a school that has more in the way of music/drama? I know it's tough - we can't all afford private school! (We can't either.) I would definitely speak with her teacher and/or principal and see what kind of feedback they can give.

I'm a graphic designer too! It's nice to work from home, isn't it? Well, good luck with your daughter!