Nursery World - Ready when they are

I wrote to Nursery World three years ago on the subject of too much formal education too early. I made the point that my four-year-old son wasn't remotely interested in sitting still and learning anything, but he was very interested in turning cardboard boxes into Tracey Island. A year later, he went to school and, while he learned to read and write, he was hardly an enthusiastic pupil. He would still rather have been making things out of boxes and running around in the playground or park.

A year later, he went to school and, while he learned to read and write, he was hardly an enthusiastic pupil. He would still rather have been making things out of boxes and running around in the playground or park.

This year, however, he is seven. Since September he has been reading anything he can get his hands on, his writing is legible at last and he hasn't got a spelling wrong. He is not the only pupil in his class who has suddenly woken up to the joys and disciplines of learning. His friends'

parents report similar surges of interest.

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