When to start grammar, etc.?

[kmacnchs]

My 3.5 yo just finished OPG. I am wondering if there is anything I need to be doing more for LA (she reads for fun on or below her level, reads challenging books to me, and does SWO A - almost done). I was told to not do FLL this young so my Q is when? Just wondering what others think who have advanced readers...she took that test from the other post about reading levels and she is reading at a mid-3rd grade year (3.7).

 

any help would be appreciated - thanks!

[chai]

We started FLL at 4.5 years. It was still easy enough that I had to move more quickly through year 1. We slowed down more for year 2.

[Crimson Wife]

Why not give the oral part of FLL a try? Obviously the copywork & dictation part of it would have to wait until her fine motor skills mature, but the grammar itself may be do-able.

 

Another option to look into is Sentence Family.

[kmacnchs]

Why not give the oral part of FLL a try? Obviously the copywork & dictation part of it would have to wait until her fine motor skills mature, but the grammar itself may be do-able.

 

Another option to look into is Sentence Family.

 

We actually have done the 1st 50 or so lessons in FLL until it was suggested to me (from the Hive) that we drop it - what is the point of a 3yo memorizing what a noun is? So we did. It was always easy - all it has been is memorization and learning her name, address, etc...I go back & forth.

 

I certainly didn't think it was hurting her but since she is not writing (stories, or anything), I guess there is little point.

 

any other opinions? :D :bigear:

[Crimson Wife]

what is the point of a 3yo memorizing what a noun is?

 

I'm not doing any formal grammar with my 4 y.o. but he took great pride the other day in beating his big sis to the punch when I was going through some of the sentences in MCT's Practice Town with her. So far he can correctly identify nouns, action verbs, and adjectives.

 

I'm not planning to start FLL with him until he's a fluent reader, but I suspect it's going to be pretty easy once I do.

[Tracy]

I struggled with this issue a lot. Dd just turned 5yo, and we are finishing up K. I know that she is capable of doing FLL. But for me, the question was, does she really need to do FLL when she is only 5yo? We already do memorization and copywork. I was attracted to the "get-cozy-on-the-couch" approach to FLL. But ultimately, I decided that I would not do grammar until she is at least the age of a 1st grader. The programs that I have chosen for math, history and literature are fairly rigorous, so I wanted to make sure she had time to just be a kid. And by 6yo, I think that FLL will be too easy for her, so we will probably just wait until 3rd grade and do MCT.

 

I don't think that there is any right or wrong choice. But I think there is much more to be considered than just the age or giftedness of a child. If the child is younger than school age, you have to look at the whole of what they are doing, as well as the child's interest level and learning style. You want to make sure he has time and opportunity to explore his own interests and passions. I have no doubt that my dd would enjoy FLL. But given the big picture, it just didn't fit in with our needs and goals.

 

Tracy

[Kuovonne]

... what is the point of a 3yo memorizing what a noun is? ... I certainly didn't think it was hurting her but since she is not writing (stories, or anything), I guess there is little point.

 

I agree that if you want to teach a subject earlier than normal, it helps to have a reason for teaching it early.

 

I held off on grammar for all of K and most of 1st because we had no need for grammar and the programs that I looked at wouldn't be fun for either of us. Then my daughter started writing more, and her writing was riddled with problems that she didn't have a vocabulary to discuss. So, I started a grammar program with her.

 

If your child enjoys learning about grammar, go ahead and teach it. If you child has writing problems that would benefit from knowing more grammar, go ahead and teach it. If your child doesn't need to know grammar and doesn't care to learn, then why not wait until she wants to learn or until lack of grammar knowledge starts causing problems.

[kmacnchs]

I struggled with this issue a lot. Dd just turned 5yo, and we are finishing up K. I know that she is capable of doing FLL. But for me, the question was, does she really need to do FLL when she is only 5yo? We already do memorization and copywork. I was attracted to the "get-cozy-on-the-couch" approach to FLL. But ultimately, I decided that I would not do grammar until she is at least the age of a 1st grader. The programs that I have chosen for math, history and literature are fairly rigorous, so I wanted to make sure she had time to just be a kid. And by 6yo, I think that FLL will be too easy for her, so we will probably just wait until 3rd grade and do MCT.

 

I don't think that there is any right or wrong choice. But I think there is much more to be considered than just the age or giftedness of a child. If the child is younger than school age, you have to look at the whole of what they are doing, as well as the child's interest level and learning style. You want to make sure he has time and opportunity to explore his own interests and passions. I have no doubt that my dd would enjoy FLL. But given the big picture, it just didn't fit in with our needs and goals.

 

Tracy

 

Yeah, I tend to pick up all of the easy, quick, "no prep work" books (OPG, FLL, Saxon, etc.)...I definitely think adding a more consistent history and science program first is best. Thanks everyone for bouncing off ideas with me :)

[Storm Bay]

Yeah, I tend to pick up all of the easy, quick, "no prep work" books (OPG, FLL, Saxon, etc.)...I definitely think adding a more consistent history and science program first is best. Thanks everyone for bouncing off ideas with me :)

:iagree: I got here late. Unless your dc wants to learn grammar at that age, I'd wait. At 3.5 I'd read a lot and follow your dc's interests. If they are history and science, great. Mine weren't into history that young (no concept of that great amount of time, I don't think), but if yours is, go for it. I personally wouldn't use Saxon for a gifted dc but you have lots of time to add other math things later to get in better heuristics & word problems, etc.

[abbeyej]

My oldest did all of FLL1/2 at age 4, and it was a great investment for us. He began Latin at 5, and the basic grammar understanding he already had was a huge help.

[kmacnchs]

I personally wouldn't use Saxon for a gifted dc but you have lots of time to add other math things later to get in better heuristics & word problems, etc.

 

I'm not sure if she is "gifted" or not, haven't had her tested or anything. She is on a mid-3rd grade level reading but only on a mid 1st grade math (and that is w/Saxon, which goes slowly!). I am going to do more MEP this summer. I mean, she is ahead in math (3 yrs ahead) but I really see her as ahead in reading (5-6 yrs ahead). So, knowing that, would you still not recommend Saxon for math? I am just curious - always looking for diff. views :)

[kmacnchs]

My oldest did all of FLL1/2 at age 4, and it was a great investment for us. He began Latin at 5, and the basic grammar understanding he already had was a huge help.

 

thanks for the input! def. something to think about - I am still wrestling w/the Latin (to do or not to do) issue (my dh is from Ecuador, so I was thinking Spanish instead).

[abbeyej]

thanks for the input! def. something to think about - I am still wrestling w/the Latin (to do or not to do) issue (my dh is from Ecuador, so I was thinking Spanish instead).

 

Whatever language you do, having a basic understanding of what the parts of speech are and how to talk about them is extremely helpful. Yes, most modern language programs for little ones are conversational and phrase-oriented, but even so, it helps to have a basic comfort level with grammar.

[Storm Bay]

I'm not sure if she is "gifted" or not, haven't had her tested or anything. She is on a mid-3rd grade level reading but only on a mid 1st grade math (and that is w/Saxon, which goes slowly!). I am going to do more MEP this summer. I mean, she is ahead in math (3 yrs ahead) but I really see her as ahead in reading (5-6 yrs ahead). So, knowing that, would you still not recommend Saxon for math? I am just curious - always looking for diff. views :)

 

 

If she's that far ahead in math and really getting it, she's may well gifted to some degree. Even if she's very bright and not gifted, I still wouldn't recommend Saxon for a child like yours, even though there are gifted dc who do Saxon (personal preference of the parent/teacher, or even of the dc.) MEP is great, too. I think things like Singapore Math, CIMT and probably Math Mammoth are better. Miquon can also be fun. We do more than one math program at a time because I think math is important and my dc are mathy, too, although we didn't do formal math at 3.5 the way you do (even if you're doing it informally, you're actually doing a curriula. My dh was against homeschooling when my dd's were 3.5 and I didn't want them to be bored in K, etc., so for better or for worse all I did was teach my eldest some phonics and answer all of her questions--she still knew more than her peers in so many areas she still stood out.)

 

The old AL board (before the switch to this forum) was where I learned more about Singapore Math, and I have never regretted the switch from MUS to Singapore. It is different and you may want to start before your dd is to get into the swing of it. The word problems and heuristics are great. We did MEP as a summer math for my ds and I liked it a great deal as well, but in a different way.

 

Some here use EPGY for math, but I not only prefer not to do math on a computer, but I also can't afford it. It's apparently a great program, but too much screen time makes my dc cranky.