How to speed up a 7 year old?
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How to speed up a 7 year old?
Had parents'evening today. DC has a good grasp of everything but works very slowly so either doesn't finish on time or can't get on to extension work. Any advise on how to help DC to speed up without sacrifising accuracy?
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Since he's only 7, you could wait and see if this sorts itself out. My DS wouldn't get on quickly because 'they only give me extra if I finish early' and he's a bit lazy. Or you could do some 'races' at home - get a timer, and some rewards (stickers?) and he gets a certain number of rewards if he beats the timer. Make sure he always wins at first, and keep it to 5 mins or so! You could challenge him, then lose - always a winner playing the dumb one (comes quite naturally to me!)
DS1 was the same in Yr 2. He had a brilliant teacher who took it in her stride - she told me she knew he could do it but just needed to stop re-arranging his pencil case etc etc - and she bought him an egg timer and made it into a game. By the end of term she only had to get it out of the cupboard and he speeded up!
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit, wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad !
You can get a timer that looks like a light house & has 3 colours - can adjust the time the light is on in each colour to show the child how the time is moving on /wher they should be with their work.
If it continues it might be worth getting him assessed by an Ed psych - he may have slow processing speed (doesn't go with being unintelligent I promise!) & need some extra support.
If he isn't obviously being lazy, inattentive & can easily cope with the work you could suggest that he only be set a few examples/ small amount of the easier work & then be allowed to move on to the harder work.
If he has slow processing speed then the mechanics of the work may be frustrating him to the extent that he doesn't see the point of it. If he has more challenging work, the relative effort of the 'mechanics' v the intellectual simulation will change so that his interest is maintained (plus he gets to be 'stretched' by the harder work).
Unfortunately I have had to become a bit of an expert on this. Don't want to encourage you into making a big deal of it with your DC if its nothing more than needing a bit of encouragement to speed up:) but my DC was really unhappy at school because teachers thought he was being lazy - until we finally got to the bottom of it.
If it continues it might be worth getting him assessed by an Ed psych - he may have slow processing speed (doesn't go with being unintelligent I promise!) & need some extra support.
If he isn't obviously being lazy, inattentive & can easily cope with the work you could suggest that he only be set a few examples/ small amount of the easier work & then be allowed to move on to the harder work.
If he has slow processing speed then the mechanics of the work may be frustrating him to the extent that he doesn't see the point of it. If he has more challenging work, the relative effort of the 'mechanics' v the intellectual simulation will change so that his interest is maintained (plus he gets to be 'stretched' by the harder work).
Unfortunately I have had to become a bit of an expert on this. Don't want to encourage you into making a big deal of it with your DC if its nothing more than needing a bit of encouragement to speed up:) but my DC was really unhappy at school because teachers thought he was being lazy - until we finally got to the bottom of it.
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I would say just let them be. My DD bless her would take forever doing anything and I would then have her teacher's moaning that she take's forever, but I think they too have just come to love her little free spirited soul
She has her brain there,(Y2) and has only been the past 2-3 weeks that she's seeming to click a bit more and now reading big books such as Folk of faraway Tree independantly. This has now had a knock on effect at school and is producing some good work, but still only when she's not in fairyland But you know what? I don't mind, this is who she is and she is a beautiful, kindhearted child and she will flourish when she's ready
She has her brain there,(Y2) and has only been the past 2-3 weeks that she's seeming to click a bit more and now reading big books such as Folk of faraway Tree independantly. This has now had a knock on effect at school and is producing some good work, but still only when she's not in fairyland But you know what? I don't mind, this is who she is and she is a beautiful, kindhearted child and she will flourish when she's ready
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- Posts: 48
- Joined: Sun Dec 27, 2009 3:15 pm
Thank you all for your replies and suggestions. I have taken your comments on b#oard and will try not to worry too much. We will be trying your suggestions and see what happens. DC is usually quite slow at meal times too but today after our chat finished in record time. So, maybe that is what is neede for school work too ie a chat and reward.
Once again thank you all nice people.
Once again thank you all nice people.