Pushing kids too hard too early

I’m not a fan of ‘Hothousing kids’ an 80s term for pushing your kids to learn beyond their cognitive age.  My daughter is only 4 and I’m a strongly believe in her learning via play at the moment; whether it’s a gentle introduction to Maths via board games, a Science lesson by walking through the park collecting leaves, fostering an interest in Literacy through bedtime stories and trips to the library, a Geography lesson when Daddy is watching the rugby, History by telling her about her grandparents, or ICT by letting her have a bit of screen time.

Why I worry

I understand that parents want to prepare their children for school but I do worry about the pressure they’re putting on their children, as research has shown that pushing children at an early age can have detrimental affects to their learning down the road.  I see it all the time:  signing 3 year olds up for piano lessons,  Baby Yoga, Baby Signing, daily flashcard sessions and of course don’t forget the Baby Einstein series.

Am I a hypocrite?

However, I had a chat with Madame on Friday night, amongst our normal bedtime routine and she declared that she doesn’t like school, it’s boring.  Of course, I asked her why and she said it’s because they ‘won’t let her learn letters and numbers’ and asked me if I would teach her.

I appreciate why the nursery is not doing this at the moment as their ethos is learning via play which I like, however they do send homework sheets home on a Friday.  But as an ex-teacher, I’ve humoured her and printed some hand-writing sheets.  She absolutely loves doing them and seems to have the fine-motor skills and stamina to do it.

Was this a bad idea?  I wouldn’t have done it if she hadn’t asked…..

I would love to hear your thoughts on this.  Is this another result of ‘competitive parenting’ ? Will my daughter be left behind if I don’t do it?  What’s the worst case of Hothousing you’ve seen?