Bored in Kindergarten-Help!

The strength of Kindergarten is that every child will thrive! Your child has a strong literacy and probably numeracy sense, as well. It is evident that you have already been working with him. Kudos! Still, even for the gifted child there is much to learn in kindergarten. Learning to get along with others is vital at this age! This included respect--respecting the teacher and other students! I assume you don't want to teach your child that rolling his eyes at an adult or anyone is a polite thing to do. Nobody appreciates a know-it-all attitude. Nip that in the bud! Helping others is another good trait that will help him build solid friendships. Moreover, only boring people get bored. A gifted student is usually able to concentrate on something more then one minute for each year old he or she is. If five, he should be able to concentrate on a book for at least 5 minutes on his own. Surely, in his class there are lots of books and materials to use where he can be creative! In the past, Kindergarten had very little to do with learning to read and do arithmetic. It is only now that a big push has developed because kids come to school so far behind. Your son is lucky to have you as a mom. In teaching him to read and write, don't miss the most important thing--how to be his best person! I am a 3rd grade gifted and talented teacher. From my experience, the kids that soar are the kids that are not only the best learner but the best person. They develop the ability to lead their classmates in creative, positive inquiry-based explorations across the curriculum. It sounds like your district will offer many positive learning experiences , in the years to come. As for homework, research indicates reading aloud to your child is the most beneficial way to spend your time. Builds vocabulary, promotes bonding, increases imagination, etc. Think of Kindergarten homework for what it is intended: promote responsibility, develop a good work ethic (neatness, name on the paper, staying organized, etc.), and a chance to show that he can be successful (builds self-esteem). It sounds like he is ready to take the lead with homework--He gets it out, completes it, and returns it. Keep paper handy--he can begin to write his own stories and illustrate them for fun!

A., I worked in kindergarten for 4 years and am not sure why the teacher has not given your son some extra challenges. Simple things like helping his friends at his table with their seat work. Studies have shown that children learn at a faster rate if their peer explains something a second time around. Or maybe when he is finished he could turn his paper over and write all the sight words he knows in the amount of time left for that particular paper. The gifted and talented program at our school has the child choose a subject he/she likes or the theme they are learning and do some research. That could be going to the school library or using the internet. They write about that subject and draw some pictures to go along. Your son could then share his report with the class. That way he is still be challenged and will not lose interest in school!
Good Luck!!

Have you considered Montessori school, or homeschooling. There are online homeschool programs if you want to follow a curriculum. Ohio Virtual Academy is one.

I also think Indiana starts kids in school a little late. We had a freind in Mississippi go through the same thing. They had thier daughter tested on reading and math levels and she was grades ahead of the rest of her class. So they pulled her out and homeschooled her. I know a lot of parents think thier child is not going to be social if home-schooled but it all depends on the parent, it may give your son a chance to learn more than you think and opportunities that other children won't have. If not an option, I would make sure your som gets in the advanced classes as soon as possible, stay on the teacher.

A.,
I think Indiana starts kids in school a little late. My daughter has a late birthday and we feared the same problem, so started her in school early. I would certainly go back to the teacher and push a bit on the advanced classes. It sure sounds like he could use them!
Good luck!

I am a certified teacher and now a stay at home mom. First, I would ask the teacher if there are any first grade classrooms in which your child could visit for reading, or if your school has a reading specialist who could work with your son. Asking the teacher to provide him with more advanced work is also a good idea, as is perhaps sending in a workbook that your child could do independently when his work is completed with accuracy (the teacher would have to check). I understand your frustration...it's quite common in the earlier grades until the work the kids complete becomes more challenging.

As a kindergarten teacher, I loved what Jill K had to say! She was absolutely right on.

My son is also gifted. He knew his letters before he was two and was reading by age 4. He is now 15. I actually had to have him wait to go to kindergarten, because of his maturity level. He went to preschool, prekindergarten, and then kindergarten. Talk about a little boy who was bored! Check to see if your elementary school has an excel class. Our school has an excel class that my son got to go in. I can't remember which grade he started though. He loved that class. Don't hold your son back from learning at home. Eventually, he won't be bored. My son is now changing settings on the computer and his dad comments that he doesn't know what he did! It drives his dad crazy. He is a smart guy also! We moved to Missouri for four months. My son's English teacher had to look up a word to see if my son used it correctly in a sentence, because she didn't know herself. She told my daughter that she didn't know if she could teach him anything else. He seemed to know more than the teacher. I thought that humorous! He is a freshman. Just so you know, his excel teacher said they get it from the mother!! I thought that humorous also. I am not that smart. He just got the gene I should have had!!!!!!

I am a teacher at a private school. Let your son learn as he likes at home. Give him any experiences you like. It will not harm him at all. Look into other schools if you have that option. If not, be an advocate for your son's needs. Gifted children are often ignored at public schools who spend all of their special services resources on the lower end of the spectrum. But gifted children have special needs too. They are just different. Educate yourself about gifted students and any research on best practices for education. Then when you do talk to the school, you will know what you are talking about. My own daughter, now 16, was in the same boat. The only option presented to us at the time was to skip first grade, and then get into the gifted/talented program in 4th grade which required her to go to a different school. She is now a junior, and over the years, she has had a few teachers who have challenged her but not many. But she has had to learn a lot about tolerance, patience and cooperation along the way. Being young has never really had a negative effect on her, because she has always been very mature for her age. But, as a mom, you need to follow your instincts. You are your child's number one teacher.

As bad as this sounds my son "dropped out" of kindergarten for the exact same reasons! He was so bored. He came home after a couple of weeks and said I am not going back. We talked about the problems and decided Kindergarten wasn't the place for him. He said "mom they don't even know the letters or the sounds they make" "the teachers won't even let me read". I talked to them and they said they didn't have time to work with him one on one and they wouldn't let him move up to the 1st grade. I enrolled him in homeschool got him a sitter who had time to spend with him when I had to be gone and workbooks etc. and set him up learning on his own. He is very self motivated and when he started 1st grade this year (at a private school) he was reading Harry Potter along with everything else. (he has gone through all the magic tree house, captain under pants, ricky riccota, working his way through hank the cow dog and secrets of droon now) I worked with him in the evenings and when I wasn't working. I only worked part time so I was able to do this quite often. He is in the first grade but reads with the third graders as well as does his writing time with them. Emotionally he is a 1st grader. however in math he is at the end of the 2nd grade book already, he is in multiplication on his quizzes and just breezing through things, he is a pro at spelling and just loves school. Taking him out of Kindergarten was the best move I made. If he would have stayed he would have hated school by the end and it would have been a struggle forever because of a bad experience. If you have the resources available look for an alternative for both your sakes!

Isn't it great when a kid just "gets it". A good problem to have.

Certainly explain to your son why the teacher has to teach things that he already knows and why she/he may have to teach those things over and over again. Tell him that not everyone enters kindergarten with the same knowledge and information and the teacher has to catch some up. He will understand that and hopefully, he can wait patiently through a boring lesson. In addition, there is so much more to learn than just academic learning in kindergarten. There is the social learning and physical learning - doing the monkey bars at recess, learning to play different games in gym, shoe tying, etc. Get him excited for those aspects of his day.

Definitely, inquire more about the gifted programs at your school. Different schools handle gifted and talented students differently and YOU are your child's best advocate. Check your school's website or call the admin offices and learn how the school recognizes or screens for gifted and talented students.

My oldest, now 15, was also reading in kindergarten and I was so convinced she was gifted! Wow, was I humbled when she went to first grade and I learned how many more were also reading and at even higher levels than her! My second child is now in first grade, has been reading since four and he definitely complains about being bored and learning things over and over. We are hoping he qualifies for our school's G/T program as he will definitely benefit being around others at his level.

Do not hold you son back. Continue to challenge your son and teach him on your own. The more he learns, the more he can bring to the classroom.

Good luck!

A.