Doing favorite subject first or last?

[ksullivan87]

This is for K and we started phonics last week which was a winner! I am concerned after starting with math today. She did not enjoy it as much (and all I can say is I never liked math either). The problem is though that she was bored with it and had a bad attitude which she carried carried into our phonics lesson and made it less fun as well. She finally broke out of it about 15 minutes into the lesson but it just made the day much harder.

 

So in your experience should I stick with doing math first- this was the first day after all- and keep phonics as the reward or move phonics first so that it doesn't get ruined by math or maybe take a break in between? Open to suggestions here! :bigear:

[ErinD]

We try to get math over and done with first, because otherwise my daughter in particular spends the day dreading it. I try to schedule something fun, and a snack, immediately afterwards.

[Heidi]

Try it one way and then try it the other and see which one works out better.

 

My oldest dd hates math too. We do it first because I've noticed that if I push it back further into the day she is too "tired" to do it and it takes longer. Heck, she's too "tired" to do it first thing in the morning.

 

It also helps to break up the math lesson if they are dragging their feet. After 10 min of working on it, take a 10 min break, or whatever works for your child. Then come back to it or do another subject, then break, then go back to math for 10.

 

For K, 10 min. (or less) of math is plenty anyway. And math should be fairly fun during K, working mostly with manipulatives to teach the concepts.

[ksullivan87]

Thanks for the advice and experience with it taking longer and being "tired" if I did it later. I can already hear her!

 

The snack/playtime is a great idea. My kids are all about food! :)

 

And I really wanted to make today fun but it was just an intro and a lesson on how to read the date. After that I pulled out some manipulatives in hopes of turning the tide but it just didn't make it happen. If you have any suggestions on making the bland lessons more fun that would be great- we are doing Saxon. (we do get to play with manipulative tomorrow :))

[NanceXToo]

I think it's MUCH better to start the day off on a positive note with something enjoyable for you both. Like you said, starting with something not so enjoyable just sets the tone for the day. Either start with something you know will be enjoyable, or better yet, give her the choice as to what she wants to start with each day so she feels like she's got some say in her education.

[FairProspects]

I think it's MUCH better to start the day off on a positive note with something enjoyable for you both. Like you said, starting with something not so enjoyable just sets the tone for the day. Either start with something you know will be enjoyable, or better yet, give her the choice as to what she wants to start with each day so she feels like she's got some say in her education.

 

:iagree:We always do the favorite subject first, followed by the hardest/most focus intense subject. This order prevents the dread feeling of having the hard one hanging over your head, but starts us off on a good note and builds confidence since they've already completed some work they enjoy.

[Mommy22alyns]

Do what works for you!

 

Becca loves science, but science involves experiments and the girls get so into it it's hard to get them back and focused on academics. So I do that last. But in your case, it sounds like phonics first is a winner!

[kristinannie]

I almost always start with math. I think it is best when he is fresh first thing in the morning. I do sometimes switch things up though. Sometimes we will start with handwriting (his favorite subject) or a phonics game or something. What are you using for math?

[MerryAtHope]

First, you don't know that what happened on the first new day of a subject will continue--sometimes it's a matter of expectations. I'd give it a few more days. When my kids were in K, I used to put things in a stack so they could visibly see what needed to be done. Often I let them choose the order. Sometimes we did favorite first, sometimes last. Now I use workboxes and put things in order--I usually try to alternate favorites & non favorites, but also taking into consideration my time with each student and how all that fits together.

 

Hope you find your groove soon! Merry :-)

[happypamama]

We do math, which is the least favorite subject, first, so that it's over and done. We do history, which is the favorite, second, and then I try to alternate the subjects DD likes with the ones she doesn't.

[Archermomx3]

We like to mix it up one day to the next.

[Dmmetler]

We do math and LA first-I consider them the must-dos, and if they take longer than expected (which sometimes happens with math, especially), I'd rather shorten the other subjects if DD is getting to the extremes of what she can handle (when she's done, she's done-I might be able to make her sit longer, but it's not going to result in any more learning).

[ladydusk]

I work with one child at a time for their "skill" areas and I let them choose the order of what we do. They must do what is planned for the day, but they get to decide what order to do the different subjects in. Somehow I taught my oldest to save her favorite (math) for last, so now they all do that.