PreK Math

[VanessaS]

Okay. All of you with school-aged children are probably going to :001_rolleyes: about this one but my DH and I just had a passionate discussion (argument) about this, so here goes:

 

Is it possible for a young child to advance so fast in math that you run out of things to teach them?

 

For example, my DS is almost 3 yo now and he can do basic math (counting to 20, simple addition and subtraction, simple fractions) and visual-spatial tasks (200-piece puzzles -- we've never tried more pieces, complicated LEGO constructions, dominoes, card games, board games, painting and writing) very easily and without much teaching on our part. He's also starting to teach himself to read in two languages but that's another story.

 

ANYWAY, what I mean is:

If he's doing this stuff now what am I supposed to do with him later?!! We've already bought some elementary math materials but I'm loathe to let him use them (even though he begs) because I don't believe in preK academics and because I keep thinking: if I teach him this stuff now what will I do when he's 6 yo? On the other hand, the content of the materials will be beyond obsolete for him by the time he is that age, so what's the point in saving it up?

I've stopped doing any math stuff with him now to "slow him down" but it makes my DH angry (and my DS is sad about it) and he accused me of trying to do "school at home" with my DS. As in: I only let him learn what the curriculum allows instead of teaching to his level. But it just seems RIDICULOUS to me to be teaching a 3 yo this stuff.

 

This is a rambling and incoherent post but please, tell me:

Has anybody had experience with this?!

What did you do? How did it end up?

[JenneinCA]

Teach him where his is now. Worry about when he is six, when he is six.

 

Really. There is plenty to learn and explore. The very last thing you want to teach him is that Mommy refuses to help him learn new things. So learn about whatever is his thing at the moment...trains, dinosaurs, the periodic table, whatever. Feed his need to know. Really.

 

Good luck!

[chai]

You won't have any problem filling out your son's math lessons when he is older. If he has a voracious appetite for math now, let him take the lead and learn it. There may come a time when he is less interested and you can let him slow down. Or you may find that he is very gifted in math and speeds through. Time will tell.

 

If you want to try a discovery math approach, take a look at Miquon. It does not require a lot of writing and can be child-led. Another program to consider is Right Start. That is all math games and looks a lot less like school.

[Donna]

Teach him where he is now. If he needs 1st, 2nd, 3rd grade material...go for it. Or better yet, follow his lead without a text and give him whatever information he asks for. Playing with math in a fun, unstructured way will make math fun. An unschooling approach works wonders with a very young, determined, motivated child.

 

My dd (5yo) was not much into formal math at 2-3yo. Sure, she could count high enough to bore herself, add, subtract, understand fractions, etc...but all of that was learned without curriculum, using manipulatives when she decided they looked fun and with no pressure from me. When we started a more formal math program a little before her 5th birthday...she quickly became ablaze and breezed through Singapore 1A, Miquon Orange, Saxon 1, Saxon 2, and is now halfway through Saxon 3. Along the way and through her own experimentation and play, she taught herself to multiply, divide, add and subtract fractions with common denominators, count money, and add/subtract numbers with any number of digits (including carrying and borrowing). She has also been having fun working through Primary Grade Challenge Math by Edward Zaccaro.

 

As for later...there are so many possibilities for math you could never run out. He may be doing high school Algebra at 9 or 10 like my sons and many others in this group. He may race through Geometry then Alg then Calculus but after that there are always on-line math courses at the college level.

[Myrtle]

Okay. All of you with school-aged children are probably going to :001_rolleyes: about this one but my DH and I just had a passionate discussion (argument) about this, so here goes:

 

Is it possible for a young child to advance so fast in math that you run out of things to teach them?

 

For example, my DS is almost 3 yo now and he can do basic math (counting to 20, simple addition and subtraction, simple fractions) and visual-spatial tasks (200-piece puzzles -- we've never tried more pieces, complicated LEGO constructions, dominoes, card games, board games, painting and writing) very easily and without much teaching on our part. He's also starting to teach himself to read in two languages but that's another story.

 

ANYWAY, what I mean is:

If he's doing this stuff now what am I supposed to do with him later?!! We've already bought some elementary math materials but I'm loathe to let him use them (even though he begs) because I don't believe in preK academics and because I keep thinking: if I teach him this stuff now what will I do when he's 6 yo? On the other hand, the content of the materials will be beyond obsolete for him by the time he is that age, so what's the point in saving it up?

I've stopped doing any math stuff with him now to "slow him down" but it makes my DH angry (and my DS is sad about it) and he accused me of trying to do "school at home" with my DS. As in: I only let him learn what the curriculum allows instead of teaching to his level. But it just seems RIDICULOUS to me to be teaching a 3 yo this stuff.

 

This is a rambling and incoherent post but please, tell me:

Has anybody had experience with this?!

What did you do? How did it end up?

 

You won't run out of math to teach.

 

While we think of the normal sequence as leading to Calculus, but there are books written for high school students (self teaching) that are on other areas of math as well.

 

Each one of these is a mini-course, for example.

 

And there is Art of Problem Solving online classes once he can do K6 arithmetic.

 

My second grader magically teaches himself many things that my older son needed a teacher for.

[abbeyej]

Just reiterating what everyone else has said: you won't run out of things to teach.

 

One of my kids learns in much more obvious peaks and plateaus, and occasionally the peaks (very rapid acquisition and assimilation of skills and ideas) overwhelm me and I feel ill-equipped to teach him. And then he'll slow down again for a little while -- still progressing at a healthy clip, but slow enough that it gives me a chance to catch my breath, to regroup. Could that possibly be what's going on with yours right now? Just *recognizing* that pattern made me slightly less anxious... My other child (mostly!) seems to learn at a more even rate, and I find her less overwhelming -- of course, it could also be because she's my second... ;)

 

Just teach him math. Teach him what he can do now. Ignore the levels on books.

[VanessaS]

Thank you, thank you, thank you! What a supportive forum!!

 

Okay, I've calmed down now. I've discussed your suggestions with my DH and we agree that that's the best way to go. I really liked:

 

they will tell you how to make his knowledge wide and deep and keep him interested and challenged, not just accelerated.

 

That's what we were thinking:

not just to race through the levels but to spend more time going into depth at each one. Maybe even some interdisciplinary stuff.

 

You want a happy kid that enjoys learning not a frustrated and bored kid, I promise.

 

Yes. After all, that's one of my main reasons for homeschooling. I was in GT in school but I was still bored out of my mind. And I was starting to see the same thing in my DS. His behaviour was even starting to deteriorate because of it. Who would have thought someone could love math so much at that age?

 

I think one of my problems is that we've been getting constantly told off by my in-laws about "pushing him" (even though we don't). I think they think we spend all day drilling him in math facts, or something. They don't believe us when we say he just learns that fast. Nobody believes that. I guess I shouldn't worry so much about what others think and just do what is right.

 

Gotten lots of food for thought now.

[VanessaS]

and occasionally the peaks (very rapid acquisition and assimilation of skills and ideas) overwhelm me and I feel ill-equipped to teach him. And then he'll slow down again for a little while -- still progressing at a healthy clip, but slow enough that it gives me a chance to catch my breath, to regroup.

Yes, that's what he's like in everything. The same thing happened with his puzzling. For about 6 months (18 mo to 2 yo) he progressed from 10-piece to 200-piece puzzles and hasn't moved on since then. Of course, we also haven't bought him anymore since they're so expensive and we're moving to America next month.

 

Ooooh. The resources you guys posted are amazing!

[abbeyej]

Yes, that's what he's like in everything. The same thing happened with his puzzling. For about 6 months (18 mo to 2 yo) he progressed from 10-piece to 200-piece puzzles and hasn't moved on since then.

 

Yes, ds did something similar. He did the same with drawing -- from about 18-22 months, he drew obsessively and his drawings were recognizable (people, trains, dinosaurs) and on about the level of an average 5-6yo when he slowed down. Honestly, his drawing skills didn't improve a whole lot after that for several years -- it was as if he had been desperate to "master" something, and when he had reached the level he wanted to reach, he moved on to some other activity.

 

I really don't see the behavior as clearly now that he's older. Still he makes rapid progress sometimes and slows down a little in others, but it's much less obvious than when he was a preschooler. I certainly don't mean that he has "leveled out" -- not at all -- it's just the differences and leaps aren't as astounding... You know, a 9yo doing algebra just doesn't stand out like a 3yo reading chapter books. ;)

[triadofchaos]

(posting for the first time on this board)

 

just thought i'd add, i've found doing a "unit study" on a particular math topic/concept is very popular with my DD when i run out of math curriculum for her. we've used some of the free downloadable lesson plans from the Core Knowledge Foundation that are written for classroom use and adapted them easily to homeschool unit studies to explore things like time, money, fractions, algebraic thinking, measurement, etc. and sort of beef up our Singapore/Miquon work here and there.

 

ITA with everyone else- let him take it and run with it.