Q: My 4 and a half years old son is studying in lower primary. He has completed his pre-primary and first term of lower KG in Tamil Nadu. There the school was very strict and he was considered an outstanding student. Then we got transferred to our native state, where he joined a reputed school, which is not very strict in the primary levels. For the first few weeks he was a very good student. He became very active as compared to his earlier school. Now his teacher complains that he is not at all attentive in the class and keeps talking and playing all the time. This causes disturbance to other students also. His teacher says that he is a very talented boy with a very good grasping power. But nowadays he is very playful and not at all concentrating to what his teacher says. How can I handle this problem?

A:Your child is obviously not finding class work challenging enough and is therefore getting distracted. This can be a serious problem for not only the teachers and parents but also for the child himself. This happens in cases of children who are more intelligent than their peer group kids. You should try to keep in constant touch with his teacher. She needs to make special efforts at making him interested. She may need to be firm in discipline too. If possible you may consider shifting his section to get him into one where kids are of his mental level. A shift of school may also be considered. In the meanwhile, try to talk to him and find out what exactly is the problem. He is an intelligent child and may give you clues on whether he finds studies very easy or whether the teacher does not give enough attention. You could even reason with him. Make him understand the value of serious studying and of discipline in class.