Kindergarten & School Age

[flongmjin1]

My 4-year old boy just started Pre-K. One month has passed and he has not spoken a word yet. He talks a lot at home! He is a quiet and shy boy, but he enjoys school a lot except for not speaking. He went to daycare since 2 and spoke very well during the 2nd year of daycare. Teacher asked me to arrange play date. Is there anything else I should do?

[Colleen2878]

Have you talked to your son and asked him if there's a reason why he's not speaking up? Maybe there are a few specific questions you can ask to get more at the root cause. Rather than just asking about his day in general, perhaps you can ask about particular activities, certain friends or kids in the class, etc. to see if there is anything bothering him.

[Amanda P]

Is this a new school for your child? Sometimes a new environment can affect children differently. Have you tried talking to the teacher to see if there appears to be a reason for not wanting to talk? I had a child in my pre-k class a couple years ago who was similar to your son. She was very vocal at home, but in school she was very quiet. Even though I knew her well from the center, she would barely talk. I had to build a trusting relationship with here where she had the choice to contribute during group times, or share her ideas with me one on one. If it is a matter of him being uncomfortable in group setting, maybe  you could talk with his teacher about trying different methods of communicating with the teacher and class. If this still seems to be a challenge for him, it might benefit him to look into social groups which would work in small groups on social skills. I have had a few children in my class take that route and it really benefited them. Hope it gets better for him and for you. 

[Kris-Ann]

My son is the same way. He doesn't interact very much at school...with the kids or the teachers. But at home, he plays school, sings the songs and shows me what he's learning. I would have a chat with the teachers to see if they can help him facilitate play. They can model behaviors and words for him while asking children to play or if he can join in etc. Good luck.