Does your Kindergartner not like school?

[alootikki]

DD is 5 and in Kindergarten. It's her first time being in a full-day (8:15-3pm) program, and while she's not exactly UNHAPPY about school, she's also not excited about it. She LOVES hearing that we have snow days or days off, and at least 2 mornings a week complains and says she doesn't want to go to school! She's fine at the actual drop-off though. I know this is probably typical - but does this attitude really start in K?? It seems too early to not be excited about school! Any ideas for getting her to like it more?

[Pyrodjm]

My kindergartener doesn't get excited about school in the morning at all. She doesn't cry or fuss about going, just ho-hum about it. But she does well according to her teachers, has friends and comes home excited about things she does and learns. She LOVES snow days though because the whole family is generally home and she can play, watch TV, do craft projects, drink hot chocolate with her sister all day. Makes perfect sense to me. I like my job, but I'm loving our snow days too.

[SnuggleBuggles]

My kindergartener doesn't get excited about school in the morning at all. She doesn't cry or fuss about going, just ho-hum about it. But she does well according to her teachers, has friends and comes home excited about things she does and learns. She LOVES snow days though because the whole family is generally home and she can play, watch TV, do craft projects, drink hot chocolate with her sister all day. Makes perfect sense to me. I like my job, but I'm loving our snow days too.

:yeahthat:

[mom2224]

I understand! I am a cheerleader and ray of sunshine in the mornings to help get the kiddos to school. It helps me to have the class calendar and schedule so I can use specifics in conversation. Also to use their classmates by name. I downplay what is happening at home- like talk about all the chores I have to do and wow how much fun they will have playing with Sam during centers at the lego station or during PE,... They enjoy school fine, but honestly have more fun at home. So I get it. My mom always said-"Kill em with kindness." :-)

[Seitvonzu]

my child goes the complete opposite direction with LOVING school, but i'm not sure this is typical at all. my friends children (kindergarten) all LOVE snow days, even with all the ones we've been having (too many!!!). whenever i bemoan the fact that my child would rather be at school than home with me, everyone says how lucky i am--so it must not be the norm, right? ;)

i think if you aren't having problems it's probably very normal and fine :) enjoy your snow day! :)

[twowhat?]

Yup. My kids are 5 and have been in a full-day program since they were 2. They're in private K now because they missed the cutoff. They complain every morning. They LOVE to go to the dentist (yes, the dentist!), doctor, or whatever to not have to go to school! They love ANY excuse to stay home. And this has been going on for a couple of years now. No red flags - the daycare/preschool is great and they have fun and the teachers say they do great. My kids are just homebodies like me:)

What irritates me is when they complain about being bored at home. Then I say "OK, I'lk take you to school" and they yell "NOOO!!!". Well, then don't complain!

[Seitvonzu]

[QUOTE=twowhat?;3952360]Yup. My kids are 5 and have been in a full-day program since they were 2. They're in private K now because they missed the cutoff. They complain every morning. They LOVE to go to the dentist (yes, the dentist!), doctor, or whatever to not have to go to school! They love ANY excuse to stay home.

My child was literally SCREAMING the last time i was scheduling her yearly well visit to the pediatrician because she was afraid she would miss school. i got the first appt of the morning so she could see her actual doctor, but it ended up being a 2 hr delay that morning anyway....that was the ONE time she was happy about less school because of snow, because "i won't miss anything." (she literally was going to miss 30 minutes tops...)

seriously child, it's kindergarten! it's a little pathological ;)

[lovin2shop]

Both my boys love(d) Kindy, but I will say that my DS2 is much more of grump in the mornings than his older brother. I suspect it is because he is tired and still adjusting to the long days, whereas my older one was in daycare since he was an infant. DS2 has always been more of a homebody and sometimes asks to stay home so he can "relax", lol!

I would definitely make a sleep a priority, and then just try to be as excited for her school activities and work as possible.

[♥ms.pacman♥]

IME, this is 100% normal and has nothing to do with how well they like school. I think this is par for the course and is one of those things that kids will always complain about (like how they complain that they can't have ice cream and cake for dinner).

i don't have a Kindergartner but i have a 4yo and almost 3yo who have been in fulltime daycare for over a year. my 4yo complains EVERY MORNING that he doesn't want to go to school. is very whiney, drags his feet on getting his clothes on. A big part of it is that he is just NOT a morning person (just like DH). he needs A LOT of sleep (just like DH)...takes 2 -3 hour naps still at age4. when he realizes the weekend and he can stay home in his PJs and veg he is happy (but then of course later complains over something else :)).

once there he loves school. he never cries on dropoff. He run in excited to see his friends. When i pick them up (sometimes near closing and his is the LAST one in the room) he often doesn't want to leave!!! So I KNOW their school is a great place for them and they enjoy it there.

I think when a kid says they don't want to school, they REALLY mean they don't want to have to get up early and deal with the prospect of getting ready (get dressed, eat breakfast, getting in the car) and they just want to hang out at home in their warm comfy pjs. Um, well who wouldn't? :) I doubt most adults wake up all chipper and happy, eager to get ready and rush off to work (I know I don't!).

So, i really wouldn't give it much thought. i anticipate i will deal with this more when DS goes to K (full-day here) and won't be able to get a nap.

[Dream]

DD is 5 and in Kindergarten. It's her first time being in a full-day (8:15-3pm) program, and while she's not exactly UNHAPPY about school, she's also not excited about it. She LOVES hearing that we have snow days or days off, and at least 2 mornings a week complains and says she doesn't want to go to school! She's fine at the actual drop-off though. I know this is probably typical - but does this attitude really start in K?? It seems too early to not be excited about school! Any ideas for getting her to like it more?

:yeahthat: very similar to our household. Her biggest complain is waking up in the morning.

[Tenasparkl]

my child goes the complete opposite direction with LOVING school, but i'm not sure this is typical at all. my friends children (kindergarten) all LOVE snow days, even with all the ones we've been having (too many!!!). whenever i bemoan the fact that my child would rather be at school than home with me, everyone says how lucky i am--so it must not be the norm, right? ;)



This is my DD too. She loves school! I was the same way.

[Tenasparkl]

oops, posted twice for some reason

[ckso]

I think it's very normal. It's a big transition going from Preschool (or just staying home) since they probably play all day to Kindergarten which is more structure, more rules and a lot less individual attention. DD is in TK and transitioned pretty well from a playbased preschool. She loves school and her teacher. But she still complains sometimes about school especially if she hears that DD2 went somewhere fun like the zoo or the indoor playground.

I usually downplays what we do all day with DD2 but then also emphasize all the fun things she gets to do in school that her sister doesn't. Like how she have field trips and got to go on a bus with her friends, the "parties" that the teacher have, the performances, etc.

Some of my friends tell me that their kids were hating school in the beginning and would complain and whine every morning. But just recently started loving it. So it just takes a little more time.

[TwinFoxes]

As my girls are fond of saying, they don't like school...

THEY LOVE SCHOOL!

i do think it's totally normal that some kids don't like school One of DDs' friends was telling them she hates school. They were shocked, they'd never heard of such a thing...but I certainly have heard kids say that.

[azzeps]

My DD says she "hates school" and don't get me started on what a battle it is to get her to do her homework!!!

I'm sooooooo HAPPY that she's being instilled with a lifelong love of learning!!!! She tells me that she prefers after care because there's more playtime and less kids. Of course, I don't let on that I'm upset by this, and of course she has to go. But boy is it like pulling teeth to get her up and out to the bus stop every day! phew!

[magnoliaparadise]

You guys are making me feel so much better. My K DD has been saying she hates school/doesn't want to get up, too. She seems to like it once there, so I think that the reasons she is balking at school is:
- it's a long day
- it's structured and she needs more play time, which she isn't getting right now
- she misses me and thinks more fun things are happening at home
But... I am trying to get her to like school more and be shiny happy to get her out...

[american_mama]

It sounds like the whole range is normal. My kindergartener does like school a lot, but he had the same attitude you describe all through preschool. Since he was always happy at the end of the day, I generally ignored his grumpiness earlier in the day. My older two girls also lied kindergarten.

FWIW a neighbor's DD was complaining about kindergarten a lot, saying she was sick, and sometimes crying at the end of the day. The mom kept asking me about DS' teacher and whether she should request a teacher change. Finally, I said that I thought her DD's teacher (who one of my kids had previously had) was kind of sarcastic, which the mom said with relief she'd noticed too. I think that sealed the deal for the mom, and they got a teacher change to my DS' teacher. Problem solved - her DD is much happier now. So, sometimes there is an issue that makes a child dislike school.

[ZeeBaby]

DD1 loves school. She cries whenever there is a snow day. DD2 likes school once she is there, but would rather stay home and play. She does great in school and as long DD1 is going too it is not a battle. On days DD1 does not have school, it is a struggle. Not looking forward to Monday.

[kbud]

My dd is 6 and in full day kinder. I have always stayed home with her except when she was at preschool. She loves school. She is so excited to go every day and even wants to stay for after care so she can keep doing fun things. She is old for her class. She was 10 days shy of the cut off so she is the oldest in her class. I am certain that if she had made the cut off and went to kindy last year she would not have loved it as much. Last year she loved staying home with me on Tues and Thurs when she didn't have school.