3 year old not going to nursery

[Midnight_Fairy]

I was entitled to 15hrs from age 2 but never used them.

It depends on child.

J loves being outside. This is how she learns. She is much more able to climb and balance than many children we know. She can name numerous trees, plans and their purpose. She knows animals, seasons and moon cycles. She loves to play in nature and explore. She is not afraid to get messy muddy or bothered by weather.

This style of learning suits her and me.6n

 

[zorak]

How do I check if there are other intakes? There are 4 primary schools within 3 miles of our house. Non have good websites etc. Do I contact the schools or the council?

The council site just says for September 2017 nursery places? Putting him in in January would be better I feel. I'm not opposed to him going to a nursery at some point I more feel 100% confused.

Try calling the local school and council. Ask specifically what happens if the parent hasn't realised about the enrolment deadline.

 

[minties]

Thomas must have gone to a pretty crappy preschool then as I was so disappointed by his experiences there. The staff turn-over was so high and they didn't seem to teach him anything while there, it was basically a free babysitting service. Not all the preschools here do the 'free' hours though, most charge a fee on top, so it's difficult on a tight budget.

I'm in Scotland and unless parents use the 15 hours to part pay for a private nursery so the parents can work, most kids go to a nursery which is part of a school. These are very much a part of the school and usually overseen by the Deputy Head Teacher and led by a qualified Nursery Teacher (my qualification extends to this) with a number of nursery assistants. They follow age appropriate curriculum guidelines through structured play.

I see, they aren't part of a school here at all, they are independent Early Childhood Education centres.

 

[minties]

Thomas must have gone to a pretty crappy preschool then as I was so disappointed by his experiences there. The staff turn-over was so high and they didn't seem to teach him anything while there, it was basically a free babysitting service. Not all the preschools here do the 'free' hours though, most charge a fee on top, so it's difficult on a tight budget.

It's awful Thomas had such a poor experience. My nephew has dyspraxia. His nursery actually came to his Mum to highlight their concerns which tallied in with what she'd been thinking about his speech etc. They referred him to speech therapy which he got very quickly. It made a massive difference. He's now in Primary 2 and before he energy started school (the nursery was in the school) an IEP was put in place and he was assigned his own classroom assistant. He's now a very confident, happy little boy .

Thomas is really happy now at primary school which is a relief. He's onto his second classroom and teacher, he's really settled in nicely.

I don't know why preschool is so super important, only from a perspective of socialising surely? Which can be done daily at parks or play groups. I taught Thomas all the skills he needed for primary school easily at home (self cares and basic reading and math).

 

[JumpingIn]

I feel that even at 15 months my son is gaining a lot from going to nursery and he now loves it.

They have individual targets for each child, do lots of messy play, outdoor play, story time, loads of cuddles and songs and fun! I like knowing he's interacting with lots of other people, and I'm getting chance to focus on my own work/studies for a while.

I'm a really hands-on mum at home, we spend ages on special activities/outings/quality free play, but even I wouldn't want to be his only provider 5 days a week as I feel he benefits from the other experiences too.

Having said all that, if you don't want to do nursery and your child has plenty of social contact I'm sure it won't do any harm. It probably depends on the child too. My little boy is confident, outgoing, sociable and seeks a lot of simulation. Nursery is great for him, he rules the room despite being the youngest Perhaps for a shyer child building up more slowly from playgroup would be the way to go.

Try to provide the learning opportunities they give at nursery to prepare for school- toileting independently, pre-writing skills, counting etc

It sounds like you're doing great!

 

[cat_reversing]

Mainstream nursery and school don't work for everyone, it depends on the kid and the family. If you don't feel your kid's ready, then don't send them, it's your choice.

In UK you don't even have to send your child to school, you can teach them at home!

There are many homeschooling networks where parents/kids come together to socialise and share info etc and lots of info online with materials and projects to do. There are preschool and school age groups.

Having said that, a lot of kids love school and after an initial wobble they settle in fine, but only you know your kid. I don't agree with forcing kids into school where they get so upset, I'm not talking about crying for 5 mins after the parent leaves but where the kid is genuinely unhappy and clearly not ready for that environment. They don't have to start at 4!

Is there a children's centre near you? The one near me offers advice to parents and can point you in the right direction.

 

[LilMiss_91]

cat_reversing said it all really. My DS is attending a nursery 3 mornings a week and that is all he will be doing unless he actively expresses a wish to go more often. He wasn't originally going to go to nursery, but I found a Montessori one literally 10mins down the road and I agree with the Montessori methods as it's very child-led and centred around learning through play and every day life skills. However, I always said that if he really seemed to not be enjoying it then I wouldn't hesitate to pull him out. Same with school, I would dearly love to home educate but me and OH are different pages on that one right now but we'll see.
At the end of the day, your child, your choice. Don't feel pressured into doing anything you aren't 100% happy with as it effects no one but you and your kid. Everyone else should keep their noses out!

 

[morri]

My kid is in a forest(outdoor) playschool, I like it because shes 6h everyday outside, moving playing with friends from 3-6 years of age. I wouldnt have the motivation to go outside 6h everyday, and most kids (90 %) are at playschool , so parks and playgrounds would be empty until the other kids get out of playschool .so I think it is great.

Playschool are strictly non academic here by the way, learn through play and talks(like telling names of different stones and fossils, but o hand(they often go to the river beach, where you can find fossils too) playschool is from 3years to 6 years old) it is subsidised by the government in my state so 5h a day are free and any extra hours are ranked by income(goes from 1€ to 100€ for example)

 

[Midnight_Fairy]

We love finding fossils. J is getting good!

 

[October9]

Thank you for all your posts ladies.

I took him down to playgroup the other day but didn't leave him and he was loving having friends to play with. He starts Tuesday 2 morning a week. We have decided to do this until after Christmas and then see if he would benefit from more structure at a nursery until school.

 

[morri]

Ours hasnt gt much structure, they have morning circle where they are welcoming everyone there and doing activity songs, have breakfast, and then they go to an area (beach, parks, playground) where they play freely until they eat lunch, and after wards they play free at the base camp until pickup.

 

[sequeena]

My son didn't go to a school nursery or a flying start/preschool/child minder. He did have a portage worker that came once a week. He has additional needs and I knew putting him into a nursery before getting an EHCP for school was a bad idea and I was right. My son is now in year 1 in a special needs unit with a full EHCP and is doing very well. He has not yet accessed the national curriculum and is still on P levels but this is because of his disability not because he didn't go to nursery or I didn't try to teach him anything.

 

[rsimmons]

My son will be 3 next month. He goes to preschool from last 2 months.

 

[twobecome3]

we don't have nursery here.

we do a mix of drop in activities, there is about 3 hours total in a week where she is in a group away from me.

I think I might put her in a week of summer camp at the Y as a school prep