RightStart A for new 4 year old?

[MeganW]

I have 5 1/2 year triplets who are a little delayed, and a perfectly average child who just turned 4. The baby refuses to be left out of anything I do with the big kids.

 

We are planning to do RightStart Math Level A - can I start yet? Is my newly-turned 4 year old going to be ready? She has had all kinds of extensive testing just because the big kids have some issues and we wanted to be sure it wasn't genetic, and her scores are pretty much perfectly average across the board for her age.

[Haiku]

I would not start RS A with a four year old. Both A and B require some fairly sophisticated visualizing and mental math.

 

Tara

[jplain]

Do you have RS Level A already? If so, try the first lesson and see how it goes.

 

I thought about starting RS A with my new 4yo. I went through the first two lessons with her, and found that she couldn't visualize 4 objects without counting the items individually. So it was clear to me that she wasn't ready.

 

Now she's 4y8m, and she's probably ready. I'll probably start with her as soon as she turns 5, unless she demands to start earlier. ;)

[truebluexf]

I think she could tag along, but I wouldn't really require it, kwim? I personally didn't like RS A, and prefer to start with B in 1st grade instead. However, with developmental delays, A may be a better for your children.

[MeganW]

I would not start RS A with a four year old. Both A and B require some fairly sophisticated visualizing and mental math.

 

Tara

 

So for that perfectly typical kid (if there is such thing), what age would you say would be ideal for starting?

 

I don't want to start too early, but I can't wait too long. I guess if I need to wait on the baby, I can, but DH is on the fence about homeschooling, so I need to get going with the math with the triplets. That gives me the chance to prove I can do it, as well as getting basic math down beforehand on the chance that the big kids have to go to public kindergarten next year.

 

I am doing other things (like PK's Games For Math, EB, etc.) with the big kids, but plan on RS being our main thing, so it's the one I really need to get right and do consistently and so on.

[abbeyej]

I'd include her. Worst thing that happens, she doesn't "get" it all this time and has to do it again later. But if she's working at about the same level as the twins, it'll likely be just fine.

[Surlygirlie]

I agree that there is no harm in letting her hang out with the big sibs and see if she can do it. FWIW, my daughter was a newly turned 4 when we started level A and she had no problems.

 

Good luck!

[Haiku]

So for that perfectly typical kid (if there is such thing), what age would you say would be ideal for starting?

 

 

I guess in Kindergarten. We did RS A twice a week in my dd8's K year (we didn't really do much for K) and finished it up/moved into B in first grade. She is now in 3rd grade and finishing up level C. According to RS, she is "behind" in their sequence, but she's learning multiplication and is about to head into division, so I am perfectly fine with where she is. I don't feel the need to rush math. (And she can already do simple division just based on the foundation RS has given her.)

 

Tara

[Guest aquiverfull]

I began RSA with a 5year old and a 4 year old (just made 4 in June) on August 16th. The 5 year old is doing fine and is capable of comprehending all that we have done. My 4 year old however, has not. At first she wanted to be included so I gladly let her participate. It wasn't long before I could see that she was not really understanding and she began to get frustrated, so I'm stopped the lessons with her for now. I'm not sure I would say that my dd is an average 4 year old, she seems really quick and bright in some areas, but not so much in others. She's still having trouble learning the names of the letters in the alphabet.

 

Let her participate if she wants and see how it goes, if it looks like it's too much, just stop and resume later when she has matured some.

[siloam]

I don't see it as a big deal.

 

Heather

[MeganW]

I think she could tag along, but I wouldn't really require it, kwim? I personally didn't like RS A, and prefer to start with B in 1st grade instead. However, with developmental delays, A may be a better for your children.

 

We have one kid who definitely has some sort of processing issue, and two others who would be normal if they were just a year younger! They learn at a normal rate, but since everyone else does too, they never caught up (developmental delays due to premature birth).

 

I would much rather speed through a program that is a little too easy or the steps are a little too small than get into something that is too hard. They need some self-confidence, and they need to figure out that learning doesn't have to be hard. (Preschool was a bit of a disaster when they were with kids who were their age that they couldn't keep up with. Not just academics - the imaginary games were over their heads, they were the slowest on the playground, etc.)

 

So we are definitely going to start with RS A and go at their pace, I just want to start at the ideal time.

[mmpmelmack]

I started RS A with my 3.5 year old last january, he has done very well, and will move into B late NOV/ Early DEC. Try it, she will be ok just listening, she may need to do it again, but it cant hurt her.

[Haiku]

but it cant hurt her.

 

This I disagree with. If you start it with her and she doesn't get it, it could end up frustrating her to the point that she's no longer willing to try. Not saying that it *will* happen that way, but it could, and for that reason alone, I'd suggest waiting.

 

Tara

[siloam]

This I disagree with. If you start it with her and she doesn't get it, it could end up frustrating her to the point that she's no longer willing to try. Not saying that it *will* happen that way, but it could, and for that reason alone, I'd suggest waiting.

 

Tara

 

The hard thing though is if the child insists. It also depends on the personality of the child.

 

My 3rd dd, Honey Dew, would be in tears if I tried to exclude her (this is back when she was 3), thus I did the Pre-ETC books with her orally, and she sat in on all our readings and anywhere else I could I let her slip in.

 

Do think she remembered much?

 

No, in fact she did all the Pre-ETC books again when she was 5. There are little things she remembered like a tomato is a fruit from Apologia Botany, but most of the time was wasted. She ended up being a late reader, in fact.

 

In her case it didn't hurt and she would have been more hurt by not being included. But I didn't really require anything of her, if she didn't have the answer I gave it to her. Made sure it was very low key. It would have been so much easier on me to not do anything, but it would have hurt her feelings to be excluded.

 

Today she is the one who cares the least about how well she does, she is a very happy go lucky child all the way round. But I can see other personalities, like my 2nd dd where it would be more damaging. She is the perfectionist who would have been hurt by not doing well. Despite the fact that I didn't do any school with her till she turned 5 she still has always been hard on herself for not doing as well as big sis. Never mind the fact that sis is older and had a head start. :rolleyes: It could devastate that type of personality.

 

Heather

[give_me_a_latte]

If you already have RightStart I'd go ahead and try with everyone involved. We started RightStart Level A maybe a month or two ago. (My son will be 4 in November). At first he was pointing and counting items instead of visualizing them. But all of a sudden I noticed he didn't have to count the items anymore. We've been moving very slowly, but so far it's a good fit. You'll know if your child is ready for it or not once you get into it!

[EmilyGF]

When I started my 4.5 yos, my barely 3 yod was just required to stay in the same room and not make noise. She picked up a TON from just being there without "doing" the lesson (I realized this when she answered a question from out of the blue). So, if your 4 yod ends up just being around but not sitting through the lesson, you may find that you can add her in when you start level B because she's picked up the basics.

 

I wouldn't start RS with my now just about 4 yod because I think she'll like math more if she waits a year and I'm sure she'll go quickly once she starts. But that's her personality - her favorite hobby is jumping.

 

Emily

[MeganW]

OK, I ended up ordering enough for all 4 kids (extra workbooks & manipulatives), and I'll let participation be optional. And I'll hope she stays with the big kids. She's not the type to be upset if she can't do it - she is more likely to demand that everyone wait for her. :) Quite the little diva!