Hi! I have a seven year old (in a couple of weeks) daughter who has been out of school for two weeks and is very sad. She misses school so much, and cries about it. She's ready to go back and start second grade now. I'm not sure what to do. We've had playdates,gone on some adventures around our area and she's still sad, and tells me "I miss school" inbetween tears. I've tried to be supportive and tell her it's o.k. and normal to miss something that is so important to her. However, I'm worried and frustrated at the same time. I'm worried because she's never been this sad for so long and it's really starting to take it's toll on our family. I'm frustrated because I'm not sure what to do and I can't figure out what's going on. Home life hasn't changed, in the past, my children and I have always enjoyed our breaks from school and hanging out together. Anybody else experiancing this? Any suggestions?
Maybe she's just a very sensitive and emotional child. Just listen to her and comfort her and keep her as busy as you can. Maybe some day camps?
How great that she likes school that much. I don't think you should worry too much.
It sounds like maybe she misses the social part of school. Not to mention, at her age she is finally starting to learn new things and feel more independant.
How about getting her involved in a sport or do you have a local Boys & Girls Club?? It's super cheap and there are fun activities and it allows for plenty of social interaction.
I'm a stay at home mom (well, going to school full time at night) but my daughter goes to the Boys & Girls Club 2-3 times a week just for the fun of it (she's 8). Just a thought!
Good luck....
Summer camps!
You are starting a little late, but there may be some openings depending on where you live.
If you are in the Bay Area, I highly recommend the Galileo science day camps, they are amazing.
How about getting some of her friends together and have them "play school" a few days a week. They could take turns being the teacher and deciding what they would do that day.
If she bought into this, it would give her something to look forward to on the other days and you could use it as a reward for her not crying/whining on the other days.
I definitely thinnk it is worth trying.
It is nice to hear that children miss school. I am a teacher and always feel that children are REALLY ready to leave for the summer. Have you tried going to a teacher supply store or a place like Staples for some workbooks or activities? Also, setting aside a reading time would be nice too. Maybe you can even assign book reports for a few of the books. If it is the friends your daughter is missing, maybe set up a few days where you invite a coulp of them over to play school. Just an idea. It sounds lie you are really making the summer fun by going on little field trips and such. Hope the summer gets better for your daughter.
Hi G., My son is also starting 2nd grade and has been having a great time at the Alameda Crab Cove summer program. It is about the same number of hours as the school day, and still have space. I also run a chain of centers for parents where I have seen that as much fun as she has with you and play dates, some kids just crave routine and structure, and feel lost without it. If you are not able to get her into a summer program, try to create routine in your day at home. Talk about the plan for the day in the morning and have structured activities that are reoccurring daily. Hopefully this will help. Good Luck! -A.
If she is missing the learning part, there are some great books called Summer Bridge. They are meant for learning between grades. My daughter is going into third grade and she loves to learn. The books are good refreshers and fun too.
Hi G.,
It sounds like your daughter really enjoys school and that is great. I would ask her what she likes at school and you may be able to dublicate it at home or put her in a workshop during the summer for a couple of weeks. She probably likes the interaction with children her own age and doing the activities with them. I would find out what she likes and go from there.
Good luck to you.
N. Marie
Play dates are important, but your child may be missing the intellectual stimulation that school provides... or the routine. You might try "playing school" with her and serving as the teacher. You can also let her be the teacher and read to you. Starting in first grade, I had a girlfriend with whom I played school during the summer. We played together every day and it made the summer fly! Of course, we also played non-school activities with other children throughout the summer and got plenty of exercise. However, my favorite times were the structured activities when we played school. Your daughter is old enough that you can ask her what she misses most about school. She very likely knows exactly what is making her so sad. Best wishes.
I wonder if she is feeling like being home is for babies, since your others are younger? I agree with the other posts as far as what to do... Good luck.
I thought maybe your daughter might have bonded with some special people this year like a friend or a teacher which makes her miss school even more. Has she been spicific on exactly why she misses school so much? Also, at my childrens school the teachers leave thier email or home address so that the children may write letters to thier teachers over the break. And they also have day camp at the ymca that may help keep her mind off of missing school. Good luck!!!
Have you thought about Summer camp? There are many excellent camps and this may keep her socially and physically occupied so that she won't miss school.
Hi, I have an 11 year old daughter and although not crying, she misses school very much also. Weeks before the last day, she began to anticipate the end of school and dread that it was coming up. She explained to me that it was her friends she was going to miss the most....and as it turns out, some of her friends will be changing schools and won't be coming back. I, too, am trying to be more planful in setting up playdates with her friends. She worries we won't make the dates really happen, so I will work next week to get a few on the calendar that she can look forward to. But it is the daily interaction and sharing that she misses most, the comraderie that she felt so comfortable with. Being alone here at home with Mom just doesn't cut it for her!!
We are planning to take 2 friends with her to the Winchester Mystery house one day, bowling another day and swimming for an afternoon in a few weeks. She will also be going to a couple week-long camps that some of her cousins are also attending and she is looking forward to them.
We are also trying to have a regular routine daily where she reads, studies her math/multiplication facts and practices piano.....to create more of a pattern to the days.
Anyway, I can relate to your dilemma. Good Luck!
Hi G.,
Like the other mom suggested, play school at home. We have a small table that is hers just for that. She has workbooks and arts and crafts items.
I would also suggest that you check with your City, local museums and library. Many of them offer mini summer camps, one week at a time. Our city has a different theme each week. Children can be enrolled in one week or all summer. My daughter will be spending a week at Dinosaur Camp in August. I also remember when I was a child spending the week at a museum learning about bats. I was probably in third grade at the time.
I see you're in the San Francisco area. The Children's Discovery Museum in Sausalito has weekly summer camps, both half day and full day.
Good luck.
Maybe you could try some of the camps through your community center. The have usually great activities and it is a very social setting like school.
have you thought about contacting her schoolmates to see where they are for the summer? My alternative would be to send her to the on school campus summer camp. That way she is back on campus and undoubtedly there would be some kids form her grade attending also - many parents work and send their kids there. If her school doesn't have its own on-campus daycare, then find out which on-campus summer daycare that the majority of her schoolmates . Best of luck
Is it possible for her to play school with the younger kids. You can buy cheap teacher workbooks at a school supply store and have her play teacher. I did this as a kid and I am now a teacher (big suprise). She may miss learning new stuff (academically), which is a great trait to have.
Hi G.,
I experienced this exact same thing with my son when he finished 1st grade, last summer. The first couple weeks of summer was miserable for him. Yes, he enjoyed playing with his friends but something was missing and he was sad a good part of the day and it took a few weeks for us to figure it out. I finally sat down with him to find out what was up. He was crying that he missed school. I asked him exactly what it was about school he was missing and he said "I don't know". That is when I started putting school into our summer...just one hour a day!! 30 minutes of daily reading, 15 minutes of math and 15 minutes of grammer/English. You can purchase worksheet books anywhere...walmart is where I got mine. It was amazing at how fast the frowny face went away and he was happy again...all day! :)
Good Luck!
I have been an aide in 1st grade for many years. I understand what your daughter is feeling, first grade is a very special time, I miss it all summer too. Sounds like your daughter was a good student this year; she learned to read, right? Believe it or not, first grade is a very INTENSELY measured academic year, we measure growth in days, not months like every other grade. That's how fast the concepts go at first graders these days. So you see, she met a new, yet expected, challenge every day there. I suggest you arrange play dates with some classmates (they will likely play "school") AND go buy lots of educational/school stuff, paper, markers, scissors, ruler, art stuff,etc.ALSO
and most importantly-workbooks- and definitely go to your library. She misses learning and her social life. The Dollar Store has lots of cool stuff. Libraries often have reading events with prizes.
Let her have a backpack full of school stuff and keep that kid READING and working at math. Stretch her mind and provide both easy and challenging work. She can also teach your 5 yr old letters and their sounds. I have seen kids cry because they did not qualify for summer school. Classrooms are structured and comfortable, never any surprises, a santuary of sorts. Good luck.
A lot of great advices from other Moms what to do at home. Definitely agree with everyone that you should check out the different day camps programs in the San Francisco Bay Area. There are a lot available between Park and Recreation Centers, YMCA, SF or San Jose Children Discovery Museum & Science Camp.You should also check out the SaveMart & Lucky supermarkets, public library and bookstores for story time.
Dear G.,
I didn't look, so I'm not sure where you live, but my kids both missed school also. My daughter was an only child until 10 years old and I had her in summer school and summer recreation programs every single year of her life. My son is turning 13 tomorrow and I did the same with him. Even as a single mom, my kids had activities planned for the summer. I'm not working right now as I'm recovering from a broken leg, but my kids always participated in the summer rec or school activities. If it's not too late for this year, you should check it out. They get to do really fun stuff and my kids got to meet and be around children that were different from their school year classmates. Summer school is free and the rec programs may charge but it's to cover the costs of the crafts and activities they get to do.
I always found that it was a wonderful thing to do for my children. They still got to be in a routine, have fun, chill after the shock of school being over and be better prepared to start school again in the fall.
Check into it!
I think it's hard for children to be in one routine and then an abrupt shift to something so completely different and then have to switch back again. Consistancy makes children happy! Try to see if you can get your girl into some type of summer program. In my little town, they even just have a free lunch program for kids with nothing else to do....they can go the the park at the Fireman's Hall, play, eat, visit.
See what resources you have offered and take advantage of them. Your daughter will brighten right up!
something that comes to mind is maybe find a summer school program or sign her up for Sylvan Learning which is kind of tutoring but maybe close enough to school and they could teach her some of the things she would be learning in school anyways, might be a temporary solution for the summer....figured it couldnt hurt and then she would have er one time or two times a week to look forward to summer school/tutoring
good luck
Have you asked her what she misses about school? Is it her teacher, friends? Try setting aside time and give her some reading or other schoolwork to do. It may be that she is sooooo excited about everything she is learning that she misses learning. Hang in there. As my grandma always told me, 'this too shall pass'.
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Hi G.,
Do you live in the San Jose area? There's a great recreation program called Recreation Plus that is going on right now. It's 5 weeks long, 5 days a week from 9 to 4 p.m. . It's very similar to school schedules, and it's full of all kinds of fantastic activities. Sports, games, hip hop dance, martial arts and music. Friday's are fun days and family can come for games, food, and fun. She may enjoy something like this, keeps her busy, she gets to make new friends, and feel like she's still in the swing of things@ If you're interested go to www.recreationplus.org, you can registration info. there, and may be able to register online. It's at Gateway City Church in S. San Jose. My boys are loving it! It also happens to be our home church too! I hope this helps!
A little about me:
I am 34, and married to my best friend of almost 15 years! I am a Christian, and I love the Lord. I am a stay at home mama to 4 beautiful boys ages 9,6, and twins that are 4. I love to sing, cook, hike, camp, and spend time with my friends and family. I am also a home schooling mama! My life is insanely busy, but I wouldn't change it for the world! I love my family, and love having them with me!
Does she get to play with children her own age now? Maybe that's what she is missing.
This is the first summer my daughter hasn't cried because she misses school, and she's going into 5th grade.
What we've done is
1) Workbooks. I've let her pick out a set, and we work on them each day we're home for more than a short time.
2) A schedule. At the beginning of the week we outline camps, playdates, special day trips. This allows her to feel a little more in control.
Good luck!
Hello! Do you think your 7 y/o is missing "grown-up-kid-time" at school, away from her younger siblings? Did she have a special friend that moved away? Was she particularly attached to her teacher? Maybe ask her what exactly she's missing... friends?... school... work?... teachers?... recess? I wish you all the best!
Try finding a Vacation Bible School at a nearby church (or more than one church to keep the schedule going). My children are just finishing this week (9:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. daily). It provides intellectual stimulation and FUN!
My older son attends College for Kids every summer. The San Mateo Community College District runs this program for students entering 5th thru 9th grades. While your daughter is too young now, keep this in mind for later years. My son loves it!
You might consider the local libraries too. They have summer reading programs. Maybe you could schedule daily time or weekly time to go as a family and give her that intellectual time!
Blessings to you!
I've not really experienced this myself, but how sweet that your little girl loves school so much. I would maybe look around and try to find a church or two where she could attend vacation bible school. That way she'll get the social interaction and a school-type situation. Also, maybe you can get some workbooks from the store and "play school" with her. Give her assignments in math, reading, art, etc. It sounds like she loves to learn and loves to do school work - encourage that!!!! I have my granddaughter doing some form of educational work every day - writing words, doing math, etc., so that she doesn't forget over the summer and she really enjoys it. As a matter of fact, last week I gave her an assignment of two pages in a workbook and writing five words three times each. She not only finished that but continued in the workbook and it's almost done. She was busy for well over two hours and thoroughly enjoyed it! Give it a try - it can't hurt.
Hi G. - She really misses interacting with her friends from school. Try finding the phone numbers and names of her friends and create play dates with them. Also, look into short half day summer camps you can enroll her in for a few weeks ata time - even sports camps, in her age group.
Hope this helps,
Patti b.
Have you tried having here work on school subjects such as Math, English, writing, and reading? Maybe play school by setting up her stuffed animals and have her pretend to be the teacher. When my son misses school, this stuff seems to help.
There are flash cards and workbooks that you can purchase (be sure to check the dollar stores). And there are websites that have printable worksheets and craft ideas as well. Also, your library might have workbooks that you can check out and photocopy the work pages, and there are loads of craft books too! Another thing to, is to look into computer learning games (which can also be found online for free!). The ones that my son likes are Reader Rabbit and Jump Start.
Here are a few of my favorite websites that have printable worksheets:
http://www.getworksheets.com/samples/worksheets/langarts/...
http://www.princetonol.com/groups/iad/lessons/lessons.html
http://www.teachervision.fen.com/grammar/printable/55255....
And here are some online learning games:
http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/
Good Luck!
M. *~
I have a seven year old who is also missing school.
My daughter likes to do workbooks. I picked up a few at Barnes and Noble in Math, Spelling, etc. She has fun with them. We have an art easel and she plays school with her 3 1/2 year old sister. She is the teacher and writes letters and shapes for her sister to copy.
Another thing I just did, I let my daughter have her own email account. She has the email addresses of her best friend, her aunts, her cousins, grandma and grandpa. She checks and reads email everyday. I did it under my account so it has total parent control and because of her age she will never receive any spam, etc. Its been fun and a good learning experience.
Hope this helps.
Explain to her that the terachers miss their students too but that this is the only time they can go on vacation with their kids and have to have the summer break to prepare for teaching them when they come back. You could take her to one of the many Vacation Bible Schools offered by many churches and see if that helps her a bit. They are usually free or cheap.
Hi G.,
That's GREAT that she enjoys school so much. Have you looked into a possible summer camp? In my area our schools allow the YMCA to have "camps" at their facilities. These camps go from 6 to 12 weeks and are 3 to 5 days each week during the summer. They usually open at 7:30am for working parents to drop-off and stay open till 6pm for parents to pick back up. The YMCA doesn't really teach lessons like the regular school does but the kids do learn new things and are with a lot of their friends this way too. Maybe your school offers or knows of another school that offers some sort of summer activity. Also, you could check with your local YMCA and with Parks & Rec. Maybe swim lessons too?
Good luck!
N. :o)
Try to find out what about school she misses so much and go from there. It could be that she misses the interactions with other kids or the structure of having a set of things to do everyday. Then try to see what you can get her involved in that could bridge this gap. Perhaps a day camp or fun lessons like dance or swimming. There are also great reading groups at libraries and book stores that she might enjoy.
Maybe you should put her in a summer day camp. Maybe she just likes to learn. Thats a good thing. Check out local community centers or maybe Emma Prusch Park (they have a day camp where the kids can take care of animals).
