4.5yr old day dreaming/zoning out at school

[klcuk3]

My DD1 has always had periods where she would be gazing seemingly zoned out ever since she was a baby.

She's now in reception at school and the teacher reports that she does do the work asked of her but at her own slow pace and her attention often drifts off somewhere. They remind her of what she's meant to be doing and encourage her that if she finishes quicker she has more play time.

Is this quite a common thing for this age? Do they grow out of it? Could it be related to a hearing problem? (Awaiting repeat hearing test).

Thanks for any advice

 

[SophiasMummy]

My DD is a daydreamer it drives me crazy because she's managed to hurt herself a couple times because she'll walk around daydreaming. Once she walked straight into a fence and cut her lip and a chunk out if her gum. I spoke to her teacher about her daydreaming she said she daydreams a lot but if she asks DD a question she can always answer, so they said she's obviously still listening and not to worry. I was a daydreamer too.

 

[alibaba24]

I was SUCH a daydreamer in school and high school. I'm still a dreamer but I can get my head down when I need to I wouldn't worry

 

[caz_hills]

My son is the same - he is in reception, 4.5.

We had parents meeting with the teacher yesterday and she said that he just doesn't listen, he is day dreaming and in his own world. I asked him where his mind goes to and he says that he just is thinking about playing and wants to play. The teacher said that he will learn a lot quicker if he concentrates but he just drifts off into his own world. He is still doing well - probably average - and learning but not as quickly as he could.

I have NO idea what to do really! So will follow this thread! x

 

[Cattia]

My daughter is the same and the school always bring it up at parents' evening as she tends to drift around the classroom and miss out on instructions. We've had her hearing tested and it's fine. She has been this way since she was a baby. She can he incredibly engaged when b she wants to be but she definitely likes to dream. We have another parents' evening tonight so I'll see if we're making any progress. I think n at school more they have to push them so hard that it's just too much for some of them to keep pace.

 

[Kate&Lucas]

I'm having this problem with Lucas. Tbh, I didn't know about it until recently but he started complaining that his teacher was holding him back at lunchtime if he hasn't finished his work. I went to speak to his teacher and he told me that it'd got to a point where Lucas isn't just not finishing his work but he's not even starting it, he will sit and stare around the room while everyone works. It's not like he's not smart, he's ahead in his subjects but it's causing him to slip.
The teacher told me they were starting a "traffic light system" in his book, where they'll add a sticker to his work in red, amber or green depending on the speed he's going. Apparently that's working pretty well atm.

We were also convinced it was a hearing thing but he's had about a million tests and nope

 

[noon_child]

I can't believe so many of these teachers are being punitive about 4yr olds not finishing their "work". Learning at that age should be play asked, and when it can't be totally play based, should be in short chunks. Daydreaming is caused by lack of interest in the subject, or genuine fatigue. Teachers should be engaging children not punishing them

I will add that there are things called absence seizures which look like daydreaming but the child will not be aware of having any daydreams or thoughts at all, their brain will switch off and any instruction given during that time will be completely missing as if the world suddenly jumped forwards a few seconds. Quite often these are accompanied by plucking at clothing, or facial ticks like lip smacking that disappears once the absence is over. These are not as common as just plain daydreaming but I thought it worth mentioning.

 

[SophiasMummy]

I can't believe so many of these teachers are being punitive about 4yr olds not finishing their "work". Learning at that age should be play asked, and when it can't be totally play based, should be in short chunks. Daydreaming is caused by lack of interest in the subject, or genuine fatigue. Teachers should be engaging children not punishing them

I will add that there are things called absence seizures which look like daydreaming but the child will not be aware of having any daydreams or thoughts at all, their brain will switch off and any instruction given during that time will be completely missing as if the world suddenly jumped forwards a few seconds. Quite often these are accompanied by plucking at clothing, or facial ticks like lip smacking that disappears once the absence is over. These are not as common as just plain daydreaming but I thought it worth mentioning.

I don't believe daydreaming is lack of interest my LO loves school and learning, but she's not good at sitting still and listening for anything longer than a minute even if it's something she wants to do. The slightest thing can distract her and she'll often be happily talking about one thing then have a sudden thought and completly change subject.

 

[Cattia]

We had parents' evening last week, and while my DD still has issues with her concentration, things have improved a lot since last year. Her teacher says that shew will probably always be a dreamer but her focus is definitely getting better as she matures.

 

[klcuk3]

We have parents evening tomorrow for A so will see what the teacher says then. A has always had periods where she'd be in a fixed gaze ever since she was a baby. I'm sure as she gets older her concentration will improve. After all as some of you have said she's not even 5 yrs old yet xx

 

[vaniilla]

Daydreaming is totally normal for some children, DS is a bit of daydreamer at school and can look like he's not paying attention however he always does his work and seems to know what he's supposed to be doing. He loves school and is quite ahead in reading and maths so it doesn't mean they're not interested in learning.

 

[klcuk3]

Well we saw the teacher at the parents evening today. She said that A is really good at reading and maths, and is coming on well in writing. She did point out that many times A will just sit there for ages after being set a task. She said she wasn't sure whether it was listening, hearing, lack of confidence issue or what is causing it. Once she starts the task she can ablely do it at her own pace.

A is getting her glasses on Thursday and we're waiting for a date for her hearing so good to get that checked xx