"School" for a 4yo?

[m0mmaBuck]

DD is 4. I don't see the point in having a "curriculum" for her but then I see all of these other posts about people needing a math or LA's program for their 4yo. So I'm starting to second guess myself.

 

My "plan" for DD this year was to have her hang out with us like she did last year. She likes the coloring pages for SOTW and colors those alongside DS while I read. She likes to help with projects for science and history. She loves books and will usually stick around for readalouds. She does Pianimals by choice. She has various workbooks and manipulatives at her disposal and often chooses to use them during school time. However, she always has the option to wander off and play.

 

So is this enough?

[Night Elf]

DD is 4. I don't see the point in having a "curriculum" for her but then I see all of these other posts about people needing a math or LA's program for their 4yo. So I'm starting to second guess myself.

 

No, don't second guess yourself. The word need is the key here, because IMHO no one needs a curriculum for anything lower than 3rd grade. I was one of the people who thought I needed a curriculum for my very young children many years ago. By the time we hit 3rd/4th grade, we were feeling quite burned out! My kids were advanced and I thought I needed to challenge them. But now that they are older, I have an entirely different opinion.

 

My best advice: follow your child's lead. If she wants workbooks, get them for her. But don't feel obligated to start on page 1 and have some type of strict daily schedule that says work must be completed. Having a loose relaxed schedule at age 4 is not going to ruin their entire academic career. Honestly, she won't learn if she is not yet developmentally ready to learn. She didn't crawl, walk, or talk before her brain and body were ready. She won't do math or reading if she isn't ready. Instead, you could possibly end up with one unhappy little girl. There is a time for encouraging schoolwork and learning to do it whether you want to or not. I really don't believe age 4 or 5 is that time.

[runmiarun]

No, don't second guess yourself. The word need is the key here, because IMHO no one needs a curriculum for anything lower than 3rd grade. I was one of the people who thought I needed a curriculum for my very young children many years ago. By the time we hit 3rd/4th grade, we were feeling quite burned out! My kids were advanced and I thought I needed to challenge them. But now that they are older, I have an entirely different opinion.

 

My best advice: follow your child's lead. If she wants workbooks, get them for her. But don't feel obligated to start on page 1 and have some type of strict daily schedule that says work must be completed. Having a loose relaxed schedule at age 4 is not going to ruin their entire academic career. Honestly, she won't learn if she is not yet developmentally ready to learn. She didn't crawl, walk, or talk before her brain and body were ready. She won't do math or reading if she isn't ready. Instead, you could possibly end up with one unhappy little girl. There is a time for encouraging schoolwork and learning to do it whether you want to or not. I really don't believe age 4 or 5 is that time.

 

:iagree:

 

We are doing "preschool" 2-3x week with my ds4. He's learning to read using OPG and enjoying the educational workbooks from the dollar zone at Target. I also found a couple of the workbooks in the bookstore section at Target and Walmart that use nothing but stickers to be quite helpful for keeping him occupied. He can do them all on his own and no writing involved.

[MorganClassicalPrep]

DD is 4. I don't see the point in having a "curriculum" for her but then I see all of these other posts about people needing a math or LA's program for their 4yo. So I'm starting to second guess myself.

 

My "plan" for DD this year was to have her hang out with us like she did last year. She likes the coloring pages for SOTW and colors those alongside DS while I read. She likes to help with projects for science and history. She loves books and will usually stick around for readalouds. She does Pianimals by choice. She has various workbooks and manipulatives at her disposal and often chooses to use them during school time. However, she always has the option to wander off and play.

 

So is this enough?

 

I'm one of those people doing a math program for my 4 year old (as well as a french, science and phonics program, and self-built social studies). But in general, I don't think a 4 year old needs a program. The only thing I think a 4 year old needs is a phonics program, and THAT only if they want/show readiness to read!

 

The only reason I have so much for my daughter is because she absolutely loves it. I plan out what I want to do for the "semester" and let her take the lead. This way, when she says "I want to do school!" I have something ready! She doesn't have older siblings to sit in with and get her dose of school. :D

 

I really think what you are doing is just fine!

[rose_king]

I was also one that thought my 4yro needed "stuff". I think I got it more for me.;) We play with OPGTR, MUS primer, books from Sonlight, dollar store stuff, cheap w/bs. I put them all away. He will let me know he wants to do math. We count all day. We play I spy. He brings me books to read (all day long) The other day he was looking at a piece of plastic, and said "Look Mommy ... that's a T." We haven't even worked on T yet. So much fun. He asks for his school. I don't push it on him. We play with wooden alpha blocks and fridge phonics and ABC puzzles. You would be amazed at how often he will want his school out. When his older sisters do math, he wants to know where his math is. In my opionion, I would have a few things for him to do, but I would not go buy a bunch of stuff like I did. I spy is more fun.:D

[lionfamily1999]

It's enough :grouphug:

[Just Robyn]

I think what you're doing is definitely enough BUT I will add that I have been doing Oak Meadow K with my current 4yo and we both love it. I wish I had done it with my older two when they were younger.

[SnegurochkaL]

I am doing "school" with my 3.5 years old because he wanted "to do school". We are doing math for advanced 3-4 years old ( foreign program), a lot of mazes, drawing, reading alound and planning to do several lapbooks with him about animals, trains etc. Also he is learning French and German from his sister who is 8. I started my daughter's school when she was 3.5 years old. We did Catering the Globe and RS math Level A/ SM Earlybird. I didn't start teaching her reading until she was in K. She was not ready for any writing before K. We did cursive without going into printing letters.

 

I think if your child "insists" on school, go ahead and try it. My daughter wanted to study languages, so she did. Math wasn't her favorite subject until she understood the process. Simple memorization didn't work for her.

[Samiam]

I don't think you NEED to do a single thing for a 4 year old. Just having an interactive parent will help a child at this age learn alot. Say, counting the carrot sticks on the dinner plate, simple things like that.

 

What you are doing is fine and plenty.

 

I do similiar things with my DS4, only because he WANTS to do schoolwork with his olders brothers. We use the workbox system and he does have his own set of workboxes (I bought them because I wanted all three DS to have matching sets and they were on sale). I do fill 3-5 boxes a day with "educational stuff". If he asks to do his "schoolwork", I am ready for him, and his boxes are set up, and he's ready to go. If he doesn't ask that day, and continues to play all a.m. while we do schoolwork, that's perfectly fine too (and his boxes will sit there ready for the next day.)

 

Typically, he'll do work 3 out of 5 days a week. Keep in mind, this particular DS is very interested in school work, enjoys sitting down and doing his work, loves to learn, and has a great attention span for his age, so it's not like I couldn't get him to sit down and do any work I decided on.

 

I can't see buying a whole "preschool" curriculum, with sciences, social studies/history...etc...just doesn't make sense to me :001_huh:.....now I say that with a slight grin, as I will admit that as I have been looking at the MFW catalog/website/forums/yahoo groups, gearing up for MFW Adventures with DS7...I keep getting pulled back to the MFW K5 program for DS4...one brain side says "oooooh...love it!!"....and the other brain side smacks me and says "You don't NEED that...you have plenty of different things already that will get him through all of the basics!!"

[Karen in CO]

"School" for my 4yo was completely optional. Since she had older siblings schoolin', she often wanted some me-too school so she has a K math workbook she has been working on for 2 years. She also would often choose to cut and paste or join us for art. Sometimes she wanted to write so I would have her copy things, but everything was optional with the rule that if she joined us at the school table, she couldn't interrupt or be distracting.

 

This worked for her at 4 and 5. This year she will be official K age and will have copywork, storytime, math, and phonics.

[jsleepymom]

DD is 4. I don't see the point in having a "curriculum" for her but then I see all of these other posts about people needing a math or LA's program for their 4yo. So I'm starting to second guess myself.

 

My "plan" for DD this year was to have her hang out with us like she did last year. She likes the coloring pages for SOTW and colors those alongside DS while I read. She likes to help with projects for science and history. She loves books and will usually stick around for readalouds. She does Pianimals by choice. She has various workbooks and manipulatives at her disposal and often chooses to use them during school time. However, she always has the option to wander off and play.

 

So is this enough?

 

I vote for it's enough :)! Of course I have the absolute minimal amount of experience so I may or may not know what I'm talking about :D.

 

My kids are all fairly close in age...5 1/2, almost 4, 2 and a 4 month old. With my K'er we want to work on reading, math and Bible. We like to read a lot so if we do any other subjects, it will basically just be reading stories to create interest...and promptly quitting if he's not enjoying it :tongue_smilie:! My 4 year old wants to be just like his big brother so we do 'reading lessons' (really short ones!) and then of course he's always with us while we read. Other than that I don't think he 'needs' anything. We will probably download some letter-of-the-week type stuff for he and my 2 yr old to play with just to keep them out of my hair (simultaneously letting them feel included) while I'm helping my K'er.

 

I'm reading the book 'For the Children's Sake' and love the idea of kids having tons of free-play (especially since it's much easier than always coming up with ideas and directing everything they myself :tongue_smilie:), but at the same time this leads to constant interruptions as they squabble, get into things they shouldn't etc.. So it's nice to have some 'desk' work for everyone sometimes :)!

 

Hope that mishmash of information helps in some way! I too get intimidated by all the lists of curricula for little ones.

[Radish4ever]

Sounds like plenty! I started OPGTR when my dd turned 4 because she begged me to teach her to read after watching her Letter Factory DVDs... we loosely have done about 100 lessons over 14 months...I'm not pushing it much now because I see how hungry she is to learn and don't want to burn her out. We also just started MEP math because she begs for that - it's really fun and playful, so she stays engaged and begs for more.

 

Now that she is K age, she's already actually breezed through what a normal K kid would be learning locally, so I'm going to have another fun year with her. My plan is to have her do 4-6 activities a day but to go at her pace... So "Literature" might be reading 1 or 2 Mother Goose rhymes or it might be reading long stories aloud.... History might be a page explaining how to read a map or it might be getting out the globe, reading maps, learning about people from various places, and making food from those places. I'm going to go with the flow again!

 

I think that's more than enough. It sounds to me like your DD is getting excellent EXPOSURE and that's really what she needs at that age, imo!!

[kittysmom]

I think it's plenty! And it's pretty much exactly what my ds (who turned 5 in March) did last year. :)

[m0mmaBuck]

Thanks everyone. You know how it goes around here... You start reading posts and then next thing you know you are panicked that you aren't doing things "right."

[StartingOver]

Everyone of my children were different. I have started minimal teaching with my children from age 3 for Quince to age 8 for my oldest son. We are child led starters. If they are asking we give it to them, if they don't........ then we wait till 8. Nothing is truly scheduled before 8. 80 % of what we do in any age of schooling is reading, aloud or themselves. We can do that no matter the age.

[johnandtinagilbert]

I totally understand their desire for school when siblings are working...give her faux school. Coloring, puzzles, audiobooks, building, sit in on story time, allow someone else to read to her, recess, help setting table for meal, etc...but let her enjoy being 4. She doesn't know what's best for her, including doing school. Don't second guess yourself, instead, listen to the vets here, who always say...RELAX.

[StartingOver]

Don't second guess yourself, instead, listen to the vets here, who always say...RELAX.

 

After 23 years of homeschooling and 11 years of TWTM and three graduates. You do not speak for this vet. I believe in child led, that isn't the same as pushing. There are others like me !

 

:lol:

[Pamela H in Texas]

I also agree you don't *need* a curriculum. In fact, you probably *never* *need* one. It's a tool that may or may not be helpful to meet certain goals. But just about anything can be done, rigorously even, without one.

 

However, though I want to encourage you to relax and go on with your plan, I will say that *I* would have a reading program and The Letter Factory, which I think is a must for any pre-reading child despite being highly against videos in general. And I'd defintely follow her interests also. Sometime in the next year or two, she is very likely to *want* to learn certain things and she no doubt is already interested in some topic you can get library books and kiddie websites about. I would follow through with that sort of thing.

[johnandtinagilbert]

DD is 4. I don't see the point in having a "curriculum" for her but then I see all of these other posts about people needing a math or LA's program for their 4yo. So I'm starting to second guess myself.

 

My "plan" for DD this year was to have her hang out with us like she did last year. She likes the coloring pages for SOTW and colors those alongside DS while I read. She likes to help with projects for science and history. She loves books and will usually stick around for readalouds. She does Pianimals by choice. She has various workbooks and manipulatives at her disposal and often chooses to use them during school time. However, she always has the option to wander off and play.

 

So is this enough?

 

 

After 23 years of homeschooling and 11 years of TWTM and three graduates. You do not speak for this vet. I believe in child led, that isn't the same as pushing. There are others like me !

 

:lol:

The OP didn't say the child wanted LA or math; she said after reading posts here she was wondering if she needed LA and math. That is WTM Forum Led -- not child led. I also believe in child led (to some degree, anyways).

[Joyofsixreboot]

I agree with many others that 4yo's don't need curriculum. If you want one and can afford it go for it. My soon to be 3yo will be 'doing' school with us this year but that means just lots of stuff 3yo's play with anyway KWIM? Puzzles, songs, paint, crayons, play doh, stories, etc. My soon to be 1st grader has appointed herself teacher while I work with my 9yo. Trust yourself, every kid and mom is different.

[jlcejb6]

I am fairly new to hsing but this is just what I have been learning recently. I have a ds who is 4. He begs for school and is wanting to get involved so bad. So I knew I wanted to let him, just didnt know what to do exactly. I thought about starting him as and early k at first and have since dropped that idea.

His attention span is very short and motor skills and such need worked on. So for our family, we decided he could do prek this year, family bible time, reading various books from sl p3/4 and wp and working through various workbooks. I am using some from walmart right now and will eventually get the three from Rod and staff. Friday's in our house is computer day, so he will get to use starfall and other websites, and just fun monthly activities and memorizing things like days of the week, months etc. Just enough for him to feel like he is "in school" and not so much that I would feel overwhelmed trying to keep up with all my 1st grader is doing and at the same time chasing a very wiggly, very active, very vocal 2 yr old :D

[Holly]

I purchased a few workbooks for my DS who just missed the K cut-off (turned 5 in November). I picked them up because he was at the older end of the preK range, and because he was begging for books like his big sister. For the rest of the subjects, he tagged along as he chose. I was planning on spending 2 years on the workbooks (ETC primers and Singapore Essential Math) but he flew through them in a year.

 

I think your DD will be just fine with or without a formal curriculum.

[Aoife]

another 4yo w/ curriculum here :tongue_smilie: I don't think it is needed per say but when said 4yo begs to do school like his big sisters and really enjoys said curriculum then hey why not! We used OPGTR alone at age 3 and have added in SSRW and MUS primer. He loves workbooks so we added in MCP plaid phonics which he is loving. other then that tons of arts and crafts and some S EM kindy A&B .

[NanceXToo]

Definitely enough! Don't second guess yourself!!! My son is 4.8 and this past year while his sister did 4th grade, he did no official curriculum. His "preschool" year consisted of:

 

Occasional nature walks and keeping a nature tank where he'd put things he collected into it (leaves, acorns, rocks, pinecones, twigs, a dead yellowjacket once, flowers, shells, etc). He could examine things with a magnifying glass/touch things whenever he wanted.

 

Simple arts and crafts- coloring, painting (fingerpainting, water color painting), gluing, cutting, hole punching, tracing, simple mazes, and so on.

 

Reading- I'd read aloud to him, whatever books he wanted me to. I'd read him poems, too. I ordered him a couple of preschool magazines like "Your Big Backyard" and "Disney and Me."

 

Games- we'd play preschool board games and preschool computer games.

 

TV- we'd watch educational TV shows for preschoolers, and he was welcome to watch the nature type shows I watched with my 4th grader (like Planet Earth, Life and so on).

 

Field trips and outings- we went on many field trips and outings, as a family and with our homeschool group, and he attended most of them with us.

 

We'd have casual conversations about opposites and rhymes and "If you have two crayons and I take a crayon away, how many do you have left?" here and there for fun. We'd practice left and right and days of the week and so on.

 

NONE of these things were on any sort of formal structured schedule. No X number of days per week or X number of minutes per day or any such thing. We just did them when we did them, usually pretty spontaneously for most things.

 

I provided plenty of toys- legos, blocks, pattern blocks, dress up costumes and clothes, a bin full of simple musical instruments, puzzles, a toy kitchen and all the dishes and food that went with it, toy cars and trains, and so on.

 

I'd sign him up for preschool reading and craft programs and other free programs at the library.

 

I'd kick a ball around in the backyard with him, play in the kiddie pool, blow bubbles, look for insects, go for walks, go to the playground.

 

Things like that.

 

I think it was a great preschool year and I have NO regrets whatsoever. I have NEVER thought "maybe he should be doing worksheets or more formal academics or more sit down learning or an official curriculum" or anything like that.

 

In the fall we're going to give a shot to doing Oak Meadow Kindergarten with him- which I love because it's so hands on, creative, story and nature and crafts based, no heavy emphasis on academics- starts out pretty slow paced in the early years- and I'm looking forward to a Kindergarten year that's just a little bit more structured than our preschool year was, but still along a similar vein for the most part- laid back and fun!

[Guest mrsjamiesouth]

DD is 4. I don't see the point in having a "curriculum" for her but then I see all of these other posts about people needing a math or LA's program for their 4yo. So I'm starting to second guess myself.

 

My "plan" for DD this year was to have her hang out with us like she did last year. She likes the coloring pages for SOTW and colors those alongside DS while I read. She likes to help with projects for science and history. She loves books and will usually stick around for readalouds. She does Pianimals by choice. She has various workbooks and manipulatives at her disposal and often chooses to use them during school time. However, she always has the option to wander off and play.

 

So is this enough?

 

My ds6 did not have a formal curriculum last year because I felt he wasn't ready. We sang the ABCs, did puzzles, learned to count, read a ton of books and whatever he was interested in. I didn't make him do handwriting or a formal reading program. On the other hand, I got curriculum this year for my 2yo dd. She already knows all the ABCs and can count to 10. We do puzzles all the time and she loves Dr. Suess books. She wants to do "school" and I want to encourage her love of learning. I will be teaching her to read using Phonics Pathways along with her big brother. She practices writing already too.

 

I think you should not 2nd guess. My 6yo is going to be just fine even with not doing formal K.