What are you doing with your year 4 child or what did you do

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littledippy
Posts: 66
Joined: Wed Aug 22, 2012 4:39 pm

What are you doing with your year 4 child or what did you do

Post by littledippy »

Hi,

Apart from doing their school homework, do you (or did you ) do any extra work with your year 4 child?
I do help him with his homework when required, and that's it so far. I know this may not be enough for preparing for 11+ in 2014. Ok, I know it's a bit too early, but I like to put a firm foundation before year 5. But how? I don't know.

Can you give me some advice please?

Thanking you all in advance ;)

LittleDippy.
gatleymum
Posts: 47
Joined: Sat Sep 24, 2011 3:53 pm

Re: What are you doing with your year 4 child or what did yo

Post by gatleymum »

DD2 has just gone into Y4. We are just keeping up with times tables / mental maths and facilitating her massive appetite for book-reading to help vocab. Also supplying puzzle books, which she asks for. DD1 is sitting 11+ this month, so want a break before starting with DD2, maybe next Sept!
littledippy
Posts: 66
Joined: Wed Aug 22, 2012 4:39 pm

Re: What are you doing with your year 4 child or what did yo

Post by littledippy »

gatleymum wrote:DD2 has just gone into Y4. We are just keeping up with times tables / mental maths and facilitating her massive appetite for book-reading to help vocab. Also supplying puzzle books, which she asks for. DD1 is sitting 11+ this month, so want a break before starting with DD2, maybe next Sept!

Good luck to your DD1.

I just got my first Mental Arithmetic book 2 and 3 today. I thought book 2 would be too easy for my year 4, but I have a feeling he is not going to fly through. He will have his first book waiting for him today. :)

Good luck again for your DD1.

Thank you.
fred
Posts: 65
Joined: Mon Sep 26, 2011 7:02 pm

Re: What are you doing with your year 4 child or what did yo

Post by fred »

hi littledippy,

I have always found it quite frightening to leave it all to year 5 and believe that ‘little often’ was a good way to go.

You may find my approach a bit extreme but I got my DDs to do 10+ mock test in year 4, the first mock was in October of year 4. They subsequently did a couple more by the end of year 4.

Was I putting extra pressure on them? Maybe, maybe not. There was a remarkable difference in their approach from the first to the last mock. They were a bit apprehensive the first time, a by the last were full of confidence going into the hall. Wish was what I was partly aiming to achieve.

My justification, rightly or wrongly, was the need to have a way to independently check on their progress, as I could not really get that from the school nor from working with them at home.

Best of Luck
littledippy
Posts: 66
Joined: Wed Aug 22, 2012 4:39 pm

Re: What are you doing with your year 4 child or what did yo

Post by littledippy »

Hi fred

I was a bit apprehensive posting my question because I thought some might say I am starting too it early and kids will get bored. Thank you for your response and that gives me loads of confidence.

Wow, did the 10+ mock exams in year 4? That's does sound like a good idea. You never know, I might take the same route next year.. (I am not sure if my DD will be ready.. but there is always hope ;)

I’ve taken the little and often approach from this week. We had a long conversation this weekend so we (me and DD) know we have to work as a team.
I am glad I found this forum and feel I am not alone in this journey...

LittleDippy
Angie76
Posts: 116
Joined: Sun Apr 22, 2012 12:49 pm
Location: North Lincolnshire

Re: What are you doing with your year 4 child or what did yo

Post by Angie76 »

Hi,

Just wanted to say my DS takes his first test this sat. We have been working through techniques over the last year but totally agree with starting early. Little and often so no pressure if they slack off at times. With my second DS i will be starting in year 4 to take the pressure off.
Remember you know your child best so know what they can cope with so do whatever fits in with you and your child.

Good luck with this journey as its a long one but hopefully it will open doors to our children.

Angie76
:)
Amber
Posts: 8058
Joined: Thu Sep 24, 2009 11:59 am

Re: What are you doing with your year 4 child or what did yo

Post by Amber »

Just by way of contrast in case anyone is lurking on here and panicking: I did nothing with any of mine in Year 4, including their school homework. Anyone who knows me on here will be aware that I don't agree with homework; happily the school seemed to take the same view so we had very little. Personally (and I say this as both a teacher and a parent) I think year 4 is the least important of any school year, and there was no way I was going to be putting my children to work preparing for exams. So all 3 of mine spent year 4 playing; in fact one of them didn't go to school for the whole year but that's another story.

All 3 are now at superselective grammar schools, though I have to confess to a slight hiccup getting there with one of them (moral: if you do no preparation at all, in the innocent belief that your child will manage on the day, you might not make it. But there is always another way in if it's the right school :) ). So my message is: you absolutely do not have to spend years preparing, or doing 'little and often" or trying to sneak advanced vocabulary into their brains from a tiny age. There is more than one way to skin a cat, as they say, and if, as I did, you hope for a particular outcome but without some of the conventional routes into it, trust your instincts. All children are different, and all parents too.
scary mum
Posts: 8840
Joined: Mon Mar 15, 2010 3:45 pm

Re: What are you doing with your year 4 child or what did yo

Post by scary mum »

We did nothing in year 4 - tables as they were asked to learn them at school (actually, scrub that, DD never did manage to learn them :) - she has just gone into the 6th form at a GS). And reading - fortunately ours have always loved reading so that was no chore. If I had my time again I might do more mental arithmetic but I probably still wouldn't have time! We are in Bucks where the 11plus is VR with a few maths-type questions thrown in, so vocab and tables probably the most important thing.
scary mum
Angie76
Posts: 116
Joined: Sun Apr 22, 2012 12:49 pm
Location: North Lincolnshire

Re: What are you doing with your year 4 child or what did yo

Post by Angie76 »

Just thought i would pop back on this evening to see how people are?
Also just wanted to add that my DS has never felt he has missed out on playing because we have dripped information over the last 12 months which has meant no last minute rush and cramming necessary which can obviously put them under stress. I was talking with my DS before he went to bed about the test he taking tomorrow. I asked if he was feeling nervous and he said "not at all" as he feels very ready for it. That's not to say he will pass but at least he is confident. Going back to your original question about whether to prepare them before yr 5. Well you know your child and what there learning styles are. As a teacher myself in Special Educational Needs i can only say that the more children practise the easier it gets. That's not to say that you have to spend hours and hours doing work but 10mins here and there certainly makes it less stressful than panicking last minute and then spending hours and hours over the last few weeks before a test to then find that your child suffers melt down.
My DS on many occasions would not have even known he was doing 11+ work in the beginning and found some of it quite fun at times. He loved doing codes even when they were challenging.
Do what you feel is best and if you do start early and they are not keen at least then you can take a break and pick it up at a later stage.

I will try and switch off now though :D as i am stressed about his test tomorrow but fortunately he would never know as i have never let onto my DS that i am.

Good Luck whatever you decide :D
littledippy
Posts: 66
Joined: Wed Aug 22, 2012 4:39 pm

Re: What are you doing with your year 4 child or what did yo

Post by littledippy »

Angie76 wrote:Just thought i would pop back on this evening to see how people are?
I will try and switch off now though :D as i am stressed about his test tomorrow but fortunately he would never know as i have never let onto my DS that i am.

Good Luck whatever you decide :D
I hope your son did well yesterday. Let us know how he got on.

I am going to stick to my little and often approach. To be honest, I am already relaxed because I know I have enough time to prepare him. I am new to this 11+ so I also need time to learn a lot.

Little dippy
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