Help My 1st Grader Doesn't Want to Go to School

wow, I hope things get better at school for your little one. Try to set little goals for him. The first is to try to like school and start by picking one class. Ask him to smile and do good work and see if his attitude gets better. Of course you will need to reward him in a SMALL way (maybe a favorite treat). Work on a class at a time but the next day you build a class upon the first. He has to put effort into 2 classes, for say 2 days? I would plan a special surprise for end of the week if he does well. Tell him to come home and tell you special stories about his day and his friends. It's really sad that he doesn't enjoy recess. I would be asking the teachers if he is playing with other kids. He may just need to be encouraged to make some new friends. Is he/she shy? Good luck hon! Raising kids is a hard job but rewarding in the end!

I'd find out if the other kids are pickig on him. Secondly, I would NOT let him stay with you. That just teaches hi that he can get what he wants by throwing a fit. Make him go to school. Otherwise you are sending him the wrong message.

The only thing That I can think of is that he is having some sort of problems with his other classsmates. Whether they are teasing him about something or they might not be letting him play with them at recess. He still might miss you and want to stay at home. Talk with his teacher to see how he is doing. Also talk with him more and ask alot of questions.

I think you should find out if there are other students that are picking on him. That could be a reason he doesn't want to go to class, and recess would be REALLY scary cause there is not constant adult supervision of every kid, and they are spread over a wide area. Another thing to check into would be, I wonder if he maybe can't SEE the board, is it possible that he needs glasses to help him see? Or maybe, god forbid he has a learning dissability of some sort and is embaressed that he is not learning as fast and well as the other kids. . I am not sure what else to suggest, but i hope that you get this sorted out, as he has a long way to go thought schooling yet! I hope he has not lost interest already in learning! Good luck and keep us posted !

is someone picking on him there at school? recess is where bullys like to troll, so if there is a bully there, it wouldnt suprise me that he doesnt like recess! have you talked to his teacher?

Hi Vmenard, I'm a first grade teacher and we see this in our kiddo's every now and then. Did you talk or arrange to talk, either in person or via phone to his teacher? Very important that the two of you put your heads together, discover what's going on, and come up with ideas agreeable to both you and the teacher. Ask about his friendships at school, his participation in class, weather or not he has been in trouble or lost a daily reward such as a star etc. Sometimes it can be as simple as the person he's sitting next to. Talk to your child's teacher. If no satisfaction...go to the top. Good Luck.

talk to the teachers he has does he have one or several? Could be that he dont like the teacher . My daughter was in 2nd grade and she didnt complain to me or refuse to go to school but i found out later that the teacher was really mean to the kids that didnt dress just right or was maybe slow in home work . It cme about that I hade to keep her back a year for this teacher wouldnt give her a passing grade altho she had done all the work. The next year when we had to go back to that school they wanted to put her back in that womans class told them no way she wouldnt be going to school if that waas the only teacher! they ut her in another class and got very good grades. So it could be the teacher he dosent like need to get to the bottom of it as soon as ya can for it could stop him from progressing like he should . Good luck

I would talk to his teacher. See if he is having any problems in school. My daughter tried this once or twice. I let her stay home one day,but she had to spend the day in her room reading. No tv no computers and no video games for the entire day. Then I asked her is there some reason you dont want to go to school. Her answer was that she basically thought we were home having fun without her. When she realized that staying home was boring she gladly went to school. I'd make sure there are no reasons for your sons balking and then have an heart to heart with him. Maybe you should show up at school unexpectedly and observe his room. good luck I hope this works out for you.

There must be something going on that makes him react so strongly. Try roleplaying with him. Let him be the teacher, and you be him, and act out what happens at school. Also try having him be the student. This may help you get some insight as to what is happening. Asking him directly, even if you tell him he won't get in trouble, may scare him. He may be afraid to tell the truth when asked, but it may come out in his play. You could also try asking the school counsellor to help you figure out what may be going on. Maybe have them observe his classroom. Also talk with his teachers. The best way to resolve problems at school is to keep an open communication with them. If there is something going on that is causing him to not want to go to school, you may not be able to stop it, but you will be able to offer him support to help him deal with it. I have heard of children behaving this way when the work is too hard, and they are not gettng extra help from their teachers, when they had a fight with a friend and don't want to be around them, or other things like that that can be solved once the problem is identified.

I remember feeling like your son and not wanting to got to school. it wasn't in the 1st grade though, I was already a junior and I had just transfered to a new school. Being the new kid, I got picked on a lot and it was a very traumatizing experience for me which continues to haunt me to this day. Bullying can be very hard for a kid. Try talking and communicating to your son. He's gonna need a lot of encouragement from you. After he comes home from school, you can also try giving him a treat for all his efforts in going to school. Good luck and I hope he gets to like going to school soon.

well vmenard this happends coz its his new experience,i think there is no need for any advice coz your kid will be ok in juzz few trips to skool,i think we all have done da same when we went to our first grade

When my daughter was in 1st grade, same thing happened to me. One day she no longer wanted to be at school so I spoke to her teacher and I went to school to observe the class. That is the best thing you can do. Go see how the teacher instructs and how he/she interacts with the class. Turns out, my daughter was borderline ADD and most teachers cannot diagnose or treat the symptoms. The teacher will tell you the child doesn't listen; the child will not focus in class and so on...When the teacher says something inappropriate to the student, they lose that child's confidence and the child will shy away from school. My daughter gave a wrong answer and teacher asked her why and how she came up with that answer and that it was a stupid answer. But the teacher actually had the nerve to tell me this herself...she explained it just how I just typed it? Why would you tell a child...any child, that their answer is stupid? I recommend you going to observe the class, sitting next to your child and ask him there what he doesn't like about the class. Have fun with his classmates, draw silly pictures and show him how fun school is.