Vinay got his very first mid-term progress report from nursery. It’s very simple – just a check-list with a space for a comment at the bottom. Apparently his December report will be more detailed.
Here’s what it says.
Number Skills – Needs Improvement
Language & Literacy Skills – Good
Social Skills – Good
Art & Craft – Good
Fine Motor Skills – Needs Improvement
Gross Motor Skills – Good
Comment: Vinay is very well settled in class. He displays great enthusiasm and initiative in all his class activities.
So here are my thoughts…
1. Awww – my baby has a report card!
2. WTF? His number skills need improving? What should I start doing with him at home? Is it because he mixes up four and five when he counts? Is it because he’s only *just* learnt to count to 10? Is it because he can’t count to 10 reliably?
3. There must be something wrong with me – the child is only two. Obviously his number skills need improving.
4. Oh – his language and literacy skills are good! That’s excellent, considering not many people can understand what he says most of the time.
5. I’m going to Google ‘Improving Fine Motor Skills for Toddlers’ and start doing some activities over half-term. Maybe he should do more colouring and/or painting at home?
6. Jesus, I really don’t want to be one of *those* parents.
7. We’re going to do lots of counting over half-term.
8. If his numercy skills don’t improve, LagosDad is going to say he takes after me.
9. Should I make an appointment to see his teacher to discuss what we can do at home to help him?
10. Get a grip, woman! The child is TWO!
Any thoughts?
The Diary of a Lagos Mum 
My thoughts are… listen to the sane side of your brain! He is 2!! My 3 year old cannot count to 10, he can count to 4 and that’s only because there’s a song he likes with it in. Children have plenty of time for learning, this time is for playing and developing those ‘fine motor skills’ which will come naturally through play. It’s about small movements, this page should help http://www.healthofchildren.com/E-F/Fine-Motor-Skills.html#bHe sounds like he’s doing wonderfully!
H can count to 3. That’s it and he is 2.5. I think his social skills are fab but arts and crafts etc are rubbish, he just doesn’t have the concentration and would far rather be running around burning off energy.I say don’t worry, he is still young and at the end of the day, the vast majority of children are on a fairly even keel when they start school!
My first thought . . .He is 2 and being monitored on number skills? What happened to being a toddler! Please don’t worry at all he sounds like a happy and healthy little boy, Enthusiasm and initiative will get him a long way! They all develop as inidividuals and reach their milestones at their own rates so just enjoy him as he is! x
GET A GRIP WOMAN THE CHILD IS 2!Does that help?However, there are some apps that you could download to help with the numbers? The Duck Duck Moose ones are excellent. And his fine motor skills could be improved with play dough and bits like that. But do you know what? He’s 2 and I can’t believe they’ve given you a report with this much info!
FFS. He’s 2 years old!
I know, I know – he’s only two. It would just make more sense if there were more information in the report. For instance, number skills at two years old should probably be about putting the star shape through the star-shaped hole!Does that make sense?
It absolutely does! It should be shape and colour sorting, finding differences in objects, ordering in size, all things like that: the pre-maths skills. You should push them for clarification and put them on the spot to ensure they realise it’s a ludicrous statement.