K or 1st?

[CrunchyMand]

My son is 5 but will turn 6 in the first week of term. I don't know whether to start him in K5 or do 1st in particular regards to history and language lessons. He cannot yet read but knows all his letters and sounds and can do simple cvc words, he doesn't write. What would be the best use of our time for this academic year?

[bettyandbob]

Is he supposed to be in K? Then just call him K and do the material that suits him best whether or not it is first grade or K material.

 

Since he is not reading, I don't see why there would be any urgency in calling him 1st.

 

Just do what works best with him. If you label him K you will have wiggle room to move him forward later. If you call him 1st, moving back if you need to is harder. Even when you are homeschooling grade retention can have negative connotations.

 

In the end if you proceed all the way through high school at a faster pace and want to move on early at that time, it will be easier to evaluate both your child's intellectual and emotional maturity to move into adulthood at that time. If you move ahead now, you may not be able to pull back when it looks like you need to.

[Chris in VA]

He'd be in K, here, in ps.

I would concentrate on reading and math if he needs those basics. I'd cover holidays and things like that for history for K. Just do interest led science--get the basics under control, then move on. Lots of play!

[stripe]

I'd stick with K. I spent the K year doing reading and math, at my child's ability level not limiting to what I was "supposed" to be doing, and did science as interest led, with minimal history.

[NanceXToo]

I think K would be best. And probably more enjoyable! :)

[Mommee & Baba]

Sounds like K would be a perfect fit for him. But you as his mama would know best.

 

My dd who was registered for K4 last year...this year I didn't want to pop her to 1st as she wasn't writing very well or reading really...so this year she's doing K5 level reading, writing...but she does 1st grade in the other subjects....good thing about homeschooling is you can register them for one level and allowing them to do different level in certain subjects...making the school a fit for THEM. :D

[Dobela]

K. You can have him work on whatever grade he is ready for but I wouldn't have him above ps peers. For one in our state that means they have to start standardized testing sooner.

[Pamela H in Texas]

Kindy. I recently did 1st grade with a friend's child and there was a good bit of reading/listening and writing. Most 5yr olds need that year to develop. However, I would have said the same even if he were a 3rd grade level across the board. We don't need to mess with grade levels for young children. It doesn't matter at all before 12-14 yrs old (if it does then). But I do suggest naming the grade. We didn't and it's been years or trouble. LOL. Take age as of August 1st (or Sept 1st), subtract 5 and you have the grade level (0 = kindy, 1 is 1st grade, etc). Again, adjust as a young teen if you need to but I would have done a whole lot less adjusting had I just waited to do it then.

[jujsky]

It would totally depends on the program you're using. I agree that you can call him whatever you want, but use materials that are appropriate to him. I suggest that you look through the scope & sequence of the different programs you're considering (if any) and see where he fits. It may be that you need to start him out half-way through K and then move to first grade. We switched programs after K, and because they had a different scope & sequence from the previous publisher I found it was initially too difficult for my DS. We back-tracked to the new curriculum's K program and hopped around the program hitting the things DS missed the year before. When we were done with that he was ready to move onto 1st. DD (younger, but working on the same grade level) didn't have this problem and moved into the new 1st grade curriculum without a problem. It depends on the program & depends on the kid.

[naturegirl7]

I would also stick with K. That is the grade he would register for if attending PS - but you can always provide him more advanced materials as you feel he is ready for it.

Kindy is perfect for phonics, early reading, writing, and basic math (like RS or MUS). And artsy stuff too - Kindy is for learning the basics and learning to have fun learning!

 

That said, my own DS is past Kindy - a very strong reader and picking out 3-5th grade stuff for himself (and easily capable of doing most of it) but has had no interest in math what-so-ever. Most kiddos are not on one specific grade level across all subjects, but on grade level for most, advanced for one or two, maybe behind for one. It totally depends on the individual kiddo.

 

desite being obviously advanced, I still have DS registered as Kindy. But I am providing him with 1st + curriculum and tailoring his education to meet HIS needs - one of the many joys of HSing :D I don't know if DS will stay advanced like he is, or plateau at some point...I personally would rather have to justify why my K is doing 1st or 2nd grade skills than justify why my 5th grader is doing 3rd or 4th grade skills. I will have proof that he is capableof the advance curriculum cuz I will have all his work!

Plus it takes the pressure off too - We can relax and have fun while challenging him to his comfort level. I want him to be having fun and being stimulated. The grade # is fluff, just something required by the school.

 

Have fun in Kindy!! :D

[GrassTiger]

I too would say Kindergarten because of the level of reading and writing if nothing else. 1st grade work requires moving pretty quickly in reading and math and requires a good bit of writing. And, as others have said, he can skip a grade later if need be.

[Ellie]

It doesn't matter. Do whichever one he is capable of, because it doesn't matter which grade-level label is on the package.

 

When you have to indicate his grade level for outsiders (and when you have to begin complying with state law), my very strong opinion is that you use the grade level-designation according to the cut-off date in your state.

 

Otherwise, just do what you think he's capable of doing and don't worry about grade levels.

[Penelope]

I don't understand the need to label a kid a grade ahead just because they are doing work a grade (or two or three) ahead. I see it a lot, though.

 

I say call them the grade they would be in in regular school. Then teach them at the level they are. Whether that is K or 1st, or 4th. You can always graduate them early or advance a grade later on. I just see no point in calling them a higher grade level when they are young, other than maybe to impress others. But maybe I am missing something.

 

Edited to say, I agree with Ellie. :D

[eclipse]

Is there a reason you "need" a grade level? If you need it for filing paperwork with your district, I'd just pick one - and it really doesn't matter which one. If you're thinking of signing him up for extracurriculars that have grade designations, then I would go by whatever the cutoff is in your district for grade level and combine that with his maturity and the skill levels required for the class in determining where to put him. For my youngest son (5 next month), we're calling him a kindergartener (because we school with a charter, and if we call him pre-k we can't get any funds until January - if he's a kindergartener, we get them now), but the year will probably be more of a pre-k year for him. Part of the beauty of homeschooling is not having to put your child in a box. Call him whatever you need to for paperwork purposes, but otherwise don't worry about it and pick whatever curriculum will work best for him.

[Cindyz]

just call him K and do the material that suits him best whether or not it is first grade or K material.

 

This is what we do.

[eclipse]

I see that I misinterpreted your question (I think!) and you're trying to decide what curriculum to use. Unless he's clearly beyond the content of the K curriculum you're looking at, I'd start him there, particularly because he isn't reading yet. But even if he was reading at a 1st grade level, I would think it made more sense to start with the K stuff unless it looks so easy that he won't get anything from it. If he moves through it quickly, then you can move on to the first curriculum confident that there aren't any gaps in his knowledge.

[Closeacademy]

I would put him in K and wait on 1st for next year. Hope you have a wonderful year.:001_smile:

[Brenda in FL]

He cannot yet read but knows all his letters and sounds and can do simple cvc words, he doesn't write. What would be the best use of our time for this academic year?

 

Based on the above - I would consider sticking to a Kindergarten plan: learning to read, handwriting practice, maybe starting a Spelling program like Spelling Work out after he finishing his reading lessons (we like 100 EZ lessons).

 

Do math activities but consider skipping worksheets/workbooks. Have a story time, and maybe do some science activities and crafts.

 

Concentrate on the reading and handwriting this year and he'll be ready to start all the fun subjects next year!!

[GrassTiger]

On rereading your question, I had a thought... Of course, you child may be in different levels in different subjects. If he's not writing, then he's probably not ready for first grade language lessons--unless you use verbal ones. Most of the ones I've seen have a lot of copy work. Boys can many times take an extra year than girls to be ready for that kind of fine motor skill. History will probably depend on what level of understanding he has for discussion, linking ideas and events...it depends on the curriculum.

 

For instance, my daughter is turning five this week. She's doing first grade spelling and reading. But she's doing Sonlight's P4/5 literature/history because she isn't ready for their K level literature or history. She just isn't there in terms of understanding. We'll probably be doing the K work next year when she's six. That's ok...different kids use different levels. She's doing K math. So, feel free to go with what you think your son is ready for and if you aren't sure you might want to consult the publisher of the curriculum you are using to see where they think he should be placed. Too easy will bore him, too advanced will make him frustrated. Sometimes, it can take some trial and error to find the right level. We bought P4/5 last year when she finished P3/4...I just thought she'd be ready and she wasn't, only now is she really ready to handle those books.

 

May you have wisdom in your choosing and have a wonderful year!

 

Leah

[angela in ohio]

Another vote for K. No need to rush dc, expecially a boy with a fall birthday, into first grade. :001_smile: