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play vs school
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At what age do lessons HAVE to take precident over play and being outside? What do you do when your 6 yo and 4 yo want to run outside in the beautiful fall air, but you have an almost 9 yo who probably needs to do some lessons first? Let them go? Let the 3rd grader go as well?
I have learned that math must be done every day or we get way behind…but beyond that, I can usually play catch up. But I do wonder how important it is to teach them to “work first, play later” as they grow.
I am finding this transition from early elementary to middle elementary to be a hard one. I want to tell them to go climb trees, but I’ve read enough about CM to know that she also needs to be transitioning into a more rigorous school schedule.
Usually, we are able to just do our schoolwork in the a.m. and I almost always postpone play…they do well with it for the most part…but then some days, they just want to run and be free and really? *Whisper* I don’t blame them…
Anyone have any insight?
It’s a hard balance! My oldest is 11 and there is a 3.5 year gap until the next 6 kids, who are all right in a row. She has had this question a lot “why are they not doing as much work?” in the past too. We talk about the things she is able to do they are not.
And I don’t let my little ones outside alone, so they don’t go out unless big sister or I are able to come. (Based on the area we live, it’s just not an option to do otherwise). So my younger ones learn to play in the house creatively until it is outside time.
We have also done seasons (summer usually) where outside play is in the morning and then lessons are in the afternoon. It’s too hot to do otherwise!
We are going through the same transition at our house, too. My oldest (dd 10) has told me more than once (starting in yr. 4 and now in yr. 5 as well) that she does not want to continue getting older! I wonder if it is because she has felt the change in workload? Seeing her siblings have more time to just play? And at the same time I am also slightly worried (working on this
, I know worrying is not productive!) that she is still not doing “enough” for her age/grade. So I have no advice for this one. I still have NO IDEA if I have been transitioning her well or not! Personality of the child and individual situations will play into the transition process and what a succesful transition would look like as well, I think. Maybe there is no way to tell!
-Miranda
Oh, Miranda, I feel the same way about my 10yo (and 13yo), that we’re not doing enough…aargh.
@Tia, I don’t know if I have any advice but I know exactly how you feel. My 2 younger dc are not close in age but like the same things (legos, outdoor time), but honestly, the older of the two really is older and I have to remind him of that from time to time. He is the one that really doesn’t want to grow up. He has a Peter Pan mentality (not immature, just loves being young).
School year before last I took CM’s idea of outdoor time to the extreme and not saying that I regret that (can’t change it now anyway) but I did have learn how to balance it. Notice I said *I* had to learn to balance it. Some days I can throw caution to the wind, other days I am a bit more firm with our schedule. Some days I may say, “I know it’s a beautiful day so let’s get our work done, well, then you can go outside/play,” etc. I do try to show them that work does come first, but at the same time it doesn’t have to ALWAYS come first, I can flexible. They are kids…we aren’t talking employees here, right?? LOL.
I do try to remind my dc that with age comes responsibility, change, and freedom that you don’t have when you are young. They seem to get that.
I don’t have a clue if any of this made sense..I just had to respond cause I really get what you’re saying.
Do some school work and then send them outside for morning recess. When I was a child we got morning and afternoon recess in the primary grades and only one recess for the older elementary children.
On the other hand be glad you have children who want to go outside and run, it seems like so many children never want to go outside these days.
My granddaughter who is in the fourth grade at public school gets a 20 minute recess before lunch. This is in addition to P. E. classes at other times. i tried to look up what my grandson in first grade gets but they didn’t have the schedule posted for his grade and teacher.
, I know worrying is not productive!) that she is still not doing “enough” for her age/grade. 
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