Kinder Plan--how do I know what's too much?

[Melodiya99]

My 4.5yo is officially starting k. Other than phonics, we haven't done anything formally yet, so its hard for me to know what to pick and how much to pick. She's well past k level in everything, but I don't want to make her do more seat work than would be developmentally appropriate.

 

Here's what I'm thinking:

 

Singapore 1a and 1b--I printed up the placement test for 1a and orally she can do everything on it, but if she sees it in print she starts getting overwhelmed. Any advice on this is appreciated as I don't want to overwhelm her, but want to challenge her too. Also, I wasn't sure if there was stuff she might miss if we went straight to 1b? I'm getting the HIG for more ideas on hands-on activities.

 

All About Spelling

 

First Language Lessons 1

 

Zaner Bloser K

 

geography and readings on cultures around the world

 

BFSU

 

How long do you think all this will take each day? Too much? Too little? Thanks!

[MissKNG]

Honestly, my big girl was a couple months shy of 4.5 when we started "K" last fall and your plan would have worked just fine. For us, it wasn't about "seat work", it was about having enough resources (and variety) to satsify her academic appetite.

 

We also started SM 1a and whizzed right through it because I wanted to get the number bond foundation. I would work in 1a if I were you.

 

She will let you know if it's too much, just pay attention to her cues.

[Crimson Wife]

So much depends on the maturity and attention span of a young K student. My DD would've been fine with that but my DS really needed to alternate more formal academics with more informal ones. He's doing "transition" this year instead of 1st for this reason. Academically, he's ahead in many subjects but the attention span just and maturity level just isn't quite there yet.

[minuway]

I wouldn't skip 1A unless she is very comfortable adding and subtracting (including larger numbers) and has a firm grasp on place value - all of this is covered in 1A. If she's not comfortable writing numbers I might even start with Essential Math K-B, which does a lot of addition and subtraction. My dd did Singapore Math Essential Math K A-B when she was 4 (A went REALLY fast, B had a lot more meat) and then 1A when she was 5, and it worked out very well for her. I think its better to cover the material faster rather than to skip it altogether. If she understands it, it will go fast, because SM does not have a ton of problems to work through.

Edited August 10, 2011 by minuway

[Runningmom80]

We are doing pretty much what you are with my DS 4.5.

 

 

 

I haven't started yet, so I can't give any experience, but at least we can learn together. :D

[Tracy]

Honestly, there are two ways you can go: (1) Overschedule and then reduced the workload as needed, or (2) underschedule and add to the workload as needed. At that age, you really have to let them call the shots. What you plan is completely doable, so long as you are feeding your dc's appetite rather than forcing them into a particular schedule or curriculum.

[EKS]

We used a whiteboard for any writing, or I wrote for him with him telling me what to write.

 

I wouldn't skip 1A, just go quickly through what she knows.

 

At that age my son did an hour or less of schoolwork per day and until he turned 5 he only did it if he wanted to. After his fifth birthday, school became mandatory. When he was officially in K (he turned 6 halfway through), we worked for about 2 hours per day, an hour of which was at the desk and an hour cuddling on the couch with read aloud type stuff.