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What should a Kindergartener know?


Mommyof1
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I think it's a personal question.  There are many differing opinions. 

 

Are you asking what schools teach?  World Book offers a typical course of study for each grade.

Are you asking for a classical education?  The WTM answers that.

Waldorf?  Montessori?  Enki?  They're all different. 

 

Our list was simple. I wanted to prepare for a classical education starting in first grade:

Poetry exposure/memorization of nursery rhymes

Number sense of 1-20

Fine motor skills: cutting, pasting, coloring

Narrations of repetitive folk/fairy stories: The Three Pigs, The Billy Goats Gruff, Goldilocks, The Little Red Hen, and so on, where the same situation is repeated.

Knowing one's place in the world: Address, what a town/state/country/continent is and exposure to different cultures

Gross motor skills: swinging, hopping, jumping rope, biking...

Nature study: awareness of seasons, basic animals/plants and how they grow.

 

I could not have cared if he read in K (he did, but that wasn't a goal), or did anything else.  I just needed him to be ready to get to work in 1st with a more organized study.

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Yes, it's depends. 

 

Different educational methods have different goals for kindergarten. I agree with HomeAway's list, but if you don't get mastery in all areas, I don't think it's worth sweating over (though in some cases in can indicate that something is wrong, developmentally.)

 

I treated kindy like preschool. We did fingerplays and art, started to learn to write letters, and surrounded ourselves with books. If he didn't know how to count or read anything by 1st grade, it was fine.

 

He didn't know how to count past 10 or read, and it was fine. With maturity comes an increased ability to efficiently learn academics. When I taught him how to count in first grade math, he was fine. He's at grade level in math, and above grade level in English. 

 

 

Oooh the one thing I will work harder on with DD though is learning our phone numbers. DS currently only knows DH's phone number. Still working on him learning my phone number. It's a concern, because he is often out playing in the next neighborhood(no adults or phones) or at informal drop off activities where it might be difficult for the teachers to look up our phone numbers.  

 

 

 

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Thank you both for responding.

 

I'm eclectic that leans classical. I like living books and older curriculum (McGuffey and Ray's). Although I do like Saxon.

 

She knows name, address and telephone # plus 911 and what an emergency is. My kindy teacher taught those things.

 

It's been many decades since I was a kindergarten and things have changed a lot. I know that with homeschooling, for the most part, you can teach what you wish, in the younger grades, at least.

 

I'm still debating if I'm going to start kindy soon as she turns 5 this year or wait for September next when her age group goes in. DH says whenever I wish is fine.

 

I'm a planner and worst case scenario thinker and want to make sure that if she ends up in B&M school someday that she will be okay and not behind. Although thats not the worst thing in the world. Especially since something drastic would have to happen for us to put her in school.

 

I'm so over thinking this. How do I stop?

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:grouphug:

 

Try to step away from the "must start 'school'" at a certain age.  She is learning daily.  Right now, today, she has been learning.  Incorporate more targeted, more structured learning in as you see fit but don't fret over when to start.  She is already learning.  Playing, talking, sharing all of those things are making an impact on who she is and who she will be.  Her brain is making connections right this very minute.

 

Maybe it would help to start with some very simple goals, write down those goals and seek to find ways to implement those goals in an age appropriate way.

 

For instance, maybe your goals for this year are the following:

  1. Exposure to quality literature
  2. Beginning a basic understanding of phonics
  3. Recognizing and being able to write basic letters/numbers
  4. Solidifying her basic number sense
  5. Working on social skills.
  6. Working on fine and gross motor coordination
  7. Inspiring a love of learning

 

To achieve those goals you could:

  •  Read to her daily from quality literature sources
  • Start her at a slow pace on a pre-reader phonics based reading program
  • Start working with her in very short segments a few days a week on writing her numbers/letters with a dry erase board/magnetic letters/writing in sand
  • Play basic math number games
  • While playing with her, guide her on social responses, help her work through frustrations in a positive way, do play acting where you and she role play different scenarios that may be troublesome to her
  • Do daily activities involving her fine motor skills AND her gross motor skills
  • Pay attention and support her areas of interest (even if it lasts 5 minutes)

Deep breaths.  She has oodles of time to learn.  She is already doing so.  

 

Best wishes.

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Thank you Onestep.

 

That's something I haven't done yet, write out the goals.

 

I also am a go with the flow type and I feel like I'm going against the flow homeschooling and it feels weird. It's just a feeling and it will pass but still weird.

Edited by Mommyof1
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In kindy (aka age 5) we had a visual schedule on the wall, and a calendar. It was more for the purpose of not wasting the entire day than anything else. 

 

The schedule was something like this: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/8e/d1/84/8ed184f52e10df7f586f2f944567e386.jpg

 

But with things like calendar, letters, numbers, read aloud, qur'an, nap, art, play outside, computer, etc. 

 

letters was our phonics and writing practice, and we did whichever/as much as he could handle that day

 

for numbers, we usually played with math manipulatives. I didn't get a program for math until 1st grade. 

 

I decided to start DS in 1st grade half a year late. He was not ready for sitting and writing lessons, but I didn't want to hold him back a whole year. But there's really no need to fret about when to start school :D Start her in kindy right now if you want, it really won't harm her if you are always working at her level and aren't afraid to go back and review, take things slow when necessary, and take breaks as needed. 

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Thank you both for responding.

 

I'm eclectic that leans classical. I like living books and older curriculum (McGuffey and Ray's). Although I do like Saxon.

 

She knows name, address and telephone # plus 911 and what an emergency is. My kindy teacher taught those things.

 

It's been many decades since I was a kindergarten and things have changed a lot. I know that with homeschooling, for the most part, you can teach what you wish, in the younger grades, at least.

 

I'm still debating if I'm going to start kindy soon as she turns 5 this year or wait for September next when her age group goes in. DH says whenever I wish is fine.

 

I'm a planner and worst case scenario thinker and want to make sure that if she ends up in B&M school someday that she will be okay and not behind. Although thats not the worst thing in the world. Especially since something drastic would have to happen for us to put her in school.

 

I'm so over thinking this. How do I stop?

 

 

There's no need to know what a "kindergartener" should know. There's no need to wait to begin teaching your child. The year that she would enter kindergarten at the local public school she would be considered "in kindergarten," but you only need to know that for the sake of grandparents and Sunday school teachers and some group activities. Otherwise, just teach her what you want to teach her.

 

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