UK Edition
Our young children don't need 'drilling in phonics' - they need to be kids for as long as possible
The Department of Education and so-called educational toy companies need to leave our children alone and give them time to just be kids
Childhood is relatively fleeting in 21st century Britain, particularly when you consider our approach to education. Britain’s primary schools often lack playgrounds and our education system’s demands on children from the age of four can seem draconian, especially when compared to the free-roaming Swedish model or the child-celebrating American model.
Like many systems worldwide, schools in China – despite the provenance of the trendy Tiger Mother and much-imitated systems of maths education currently to be found in a school near you in Britain - don’t even start formal education until age six.
From the age of four, my daughter was following the British national curriculum and drilling her phonics. Daily. There are songs that go along with it, which get stuck in children’s heads, and they tend to sing at top volume on the way home from school. I defy any mother of a four-year-old in Britain today to not sing along - at least in her head - to “A A Ants on my arm”. (Here is a creepy video of English teachers in Japan singing the song that, alas, you and I know so well. Thank you, Jolly Phonics.)
All of this starting early is, a succession of education secretaries have told us, designed to narrow the gaps in achievement that British children often show in international league tables. In the latest OECD tables comparing the achievements of students of various nations in reading and maths, Britain ranked 23rd and 26th, respectively.
And yet not enough parents question this pathway - instead, they seem to wonder how they can play along - aided with enthusiasm by the so-called educational toy industry.
In recent months, I’ve developed a happy addiction to a lively, friendly online community called Mummy’s Gin Fund, which gets its name from the fact that mothers will sell anything on its Facebook page to make a bit of pocket money.
But in addition to the offers of old clothes and toys are dozens of requests made each day and night (quite often in the wee hours, from mothers harassed by sleepless children) for parenting advice. It’s a forum more diverse than some, of women bound by geography rather than culture, taste or income (witness recent and occasionally sharp debates over ear piercing of young girls and holiday presents for teachers).
Last weekend a mother wrote: “Reception Kid Parents! How much do you practice letters, sounds and numbers at home? I have the feeling we should do more, but everyone is just too tired after school days!”
I read this with alarm. Drill letters, sounds and numbers at home? Isn’t that a bit as if my children asked me to edit articles at home? Or give them the top news line of Curious George? Surely we all - and particularly children - deserve a bit of time off?
And yet as I followed the 32 responses to the post, about two-thirds of mothers responded that they drilled phonics “ideally every night”, offering tips on apps and toys they used - quite often electronic, and for solo-use by child. One mum’s teacher saved her the trouble of dithering over how much time to spend drilling: “We were sent homework most nights, so we used that.” For children in reception class? Many mothers advised to “just have the phonics CD on in the background”. This way madness lies.
It made me wonder what these mothers were racing to achieve. Learning to read at four won’t necessarily make a child a better reader long-term, or a better student, overall.
As one teacher and fellow Gin-funder observed: “As a reception teacher this thread scares me! Keep it in context like helping with shopping lists, writing birthday cards etc. Use phonics to see what you can read when you're out and about and read together. Reception is exhausting enough without having to sit and practice writing letters and doing flashcards when they get home.”
Why hothouse kids in phonics - while funnelling money to companies that promise to fast-track their sounds? I’d far rather play football with my children - an activity I think would be of far greater benefit to us all.
And if you’re keen to put your child on the path to academic success, your time would be best spent fostering a love of reading by sharing great stories daily, Reading aloud reaps benefits even for kids as old as 15.
So let's leave the jolly phonics to the schools - and curl up with a good book instead.