hscherger Posted February 21, 2011 Share Posted February 21, 2011 (edited) My 5 year old daughter (who will be 6 in the fall) is my youngest and way ahead for her age. Just being present during the read-alouds of her siblings has given her a great attention span and the desire to narrate. She has no trouble with copywork and is beginning to read well. I know AO Year 1 is geared more toward 7 year olds, so I am not opposed to waiting if she would benefit from another year of maturity. Experienced AO moms, give me your honest opinions. :) Edited February 21, 2011 by hscherger Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hscherger Posted February 21, 2011 Author Share Posted February 21, 2011 :bigear: anyone? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaffodilDreams Posted February 21, 2011 Share Posted February 21, 2011 Yes. Dd did ao1 last year and it wasn't a problem. I've heard AO gets significantly more challenging around yr 4. Dd was listening to unabridged classic literature at age 2, though, and requesting more, so the language of AO lit choices is not an issue for her. I do believe many people start 6 yr olds out in yr 1 with much success. You can break the readings up over the course of each week so they don't have to narrate back so much in one day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hscherger Posted February 21, 2011 Author Share Posted February 21, 2011 Thanks Kimmie, that is encouraging! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heidi Posted February 21, 2011 Share Posted February 21, 2011 My daughter won't be 7 until May this year. We are still working on AO1 but it has been just fine. She narrates really well, she understands most of the readings, and we have really been enjoying it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiegirl Posted February 21, 2011 Share Posted February 21, 2011 I did AO Yr 1 with my oldest when she was 6 and we didn't have any problems then nor since. The reason why many suggest waiting to start Yr 1 is that Yr 4 is a huge step up and a 9 yr. old may have problems with that step. Look at Yr. 4 and think whether your child will be able to handle all of those requirements when she will be 9. My dd had no problems in doing Yr. 4 at 9 yrs. old. I knew, though, that my other two children would have difficulty with Yr. 4, so we held off with AO until they were 7. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FO4UR Posted February 22, 2011 Share Posted February 22, 2011 We did most of AO year 1 when my ds was 6. We didn't do Trial and Triumph...and kept a lot of year 0 up (for little siblings). It went well. He still remembers most of it fondly. *I* love the year 1 literature (and can't wait to do again with my youngers:D). I have taken a detour this year...reading parts of year 2, and am tweaking years 2-5 to cut TCOO/CHOW in favor of other history selections before jumping back in. We are in the middle of Robin Hood, and ds8 is eating it all up. His listening comprehension (and ability to narrate) is fantastic! AO really gives meaty portions to chew on...and if you find your dd isn't quite ready, you can put the books up and try later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbosh237 Posted February 22, 2011 Share Posted February 22, 2011 I don't have any BTDT advise but just wanted to say we are in the same situation. I'm starting year 1 with dd this fall. She will be 6 in October. I figured if she starts having any problems we will just put it off for another year and we will keep working on reading, writing, math, and science. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woolybear Posted February 22, 2011 Share Posted February 22, 2011 I believe there is a year 3.5. So, if you start with year 1 and then reach the point where she should be starting year 4, I think you could do 3.5 as an interim year. I'm not sure this is what it is for, but you could check it out. you might also want to check out some of the books online, like Our Island Story and see if they are a good fit for her. I also recommend Milestones Academy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hscherger Posted February 22, 2011 Author Share Posted February 22, 2011 Thanks for the words of wisdom. I think we will see how it goes, knowing that we can always stop or slow down. :tongue_smilie:Seems so simple when you put it like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicianmom Posted February 22, 2011 Share Posted February 22, 2011 I was going to ask the same question! I'm determined to start Year 1 with dd next fall, she'll be 6 this summer. Otherwise I'm not sure what I would do with her. This is a kid who reads Story of the World independently for fun. She narrates (when she feels like it) and she's already read several of the books on the Year 1 free reading list. I figure she's as ready as she's going to be. Even so, it's reassuring to read success stories! I don't see the Year 4 thing as something to worry about now. Who can predict where a child will be 3 or 4 years down the road? I can't even predict how long it will take to finish a math book, LOL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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