MY gang heading off to school are all boys - they scribble at best mostly with the black crayons unless I remove the dark colours on them which I do every once in awhile so we can have a new experience. Two of the three will sit for a story the third that is part time is totalliy aloof when it comes to anything academic. I sent one off to JK last year that scribbled and never did really cut his paper mostly just used the scissors to tear it. By October he was drawing stick figures but still avoiding crafts if he could. He was starting to put letters together when he left for school so that blossomed totally. I really find boys are either good or bad at stuff based on interest where the girls tend to be more rounded in their academic development which does go along with the boys just needing an extra few months to catch up theory. My two oldest for the next year will be girls and I am so looking forward to the focus shift after the last couple years of boys.

I think too that what parents do and don't do also has an effect on how they act in daycare in the sense if the parents don't value what the child brings home then why bother doing it. I am using the "ok you are all registered for school now so let's get ready" card and it is starting to work. At least they are realizing that there is something beyond the here and now. Everything with this group is a struggle and really takes the incentive to plan away but we plug along - and the 18 month old sibling is going to catch up and surpass her 3 year old brother and friend if they don't soon take the lead.