How to get a reluctant nanny to teach reading and writing? Post Reply

[Sunny007]

Hi there

I'm looking for some advice please !

We keep asking our nanny to spend some time with our daughter (who is 3.5 yrs old) to teach her basics of reading and writing. Our daughter goes to morning nursery so will learn there, but we also want our nanny to put in a bit of extra time each day so our daughter gets some more practice and one-on-one time to learn.

We go through phases of asking our nanny to spend time each day teaching reading and writing - then she'll agree, keep it up for a bit, and then nothing after that. If we ask our nanny if she's doing any teaching, she'll always say "yes" but we're not at all convinced she really does and feel a bit fobbed off!

Can you suggest any way we can structure what teaching a nanny does each day, so she is more likely to keep this up but yet can be done in a way where she doesn't feel as if we're breathing down her neck by asking her about this all the time.

Are there any workbooks out there for nursery children to fill in at home each day? Some sort of written work books could be good as it would be proof that they're doing a bit of work each day. Can anyone suggest where I could buy this sort of thing or recommend some other way that we can monitor what teaching our nanny does?

Or do you have any other ideas - I thought about noticeboards but they can easily be ignored once the novelty wears off.

many thanks for any advice !!

[SW Nanny]

My advice would be to do some 'jolly phonics' with her which you can buy in the form of an audio CD and flashcards. It is a simple introduction to the letters which will help her with reading and writing in the future. With regards to her actually reading and writing it's a little early as it is worth noting that primary schools do not expect children to be able to do this when they start school.

As for the reluctant nanny I would just remind her what you expect from her and maybe ask your daughter what new sounds/letters she learnt that week?
Hope this helps.

[Sarah-Jane25]

Hi There,

We used the Jolly Phonics games, flash cards and workbooks.
They are great fun for the little ones and we used stickers as a reward - which would end up on a sticker chart.

You could also ask your nanny do make some sort of a memory game with the letters and a picture ("L" and a lions head next to it for instance) and then maybe play games where your daughter finds numbers and letters all around her (on busses, shops, house numbers) have a different theme each day and keep a record of her practise.

[SarahS]

Just my opinion, but I wouldn't expect my nanny to teach my child. Maybe to help here and there with homework or listening to reading when they are older, but teaching to read and write is not as easy as we all think. I am a teacher myself and know there is much more to it.
You also don't want to teach your child a different way to how they are taught at school as it will hinder their progress. If they are learning at nursery, find out how and support that here and there.
Jolly phonics is widely used, but not solely. Your child's nursery or future school may use a differnet scheme.
As for writing, some children aren't ready to write at 5 let alone 3. Do work on fine motor skills first, like cutting (with safety scissors of course), 'colouring in' , connect the dots, drawing and throwing and catching. Putting jigsaws together are also very good for this. That way when they get to school they are more able to hold a pencil and control it.