Starting K early?

[Tawlas]

A bit of background: I'm an organizer and a planner. I've been oogling first grade materials since ds4 was a baby lol. :001_rolleyes: One of the reasons I want to homeschool cause I dislike the categories (intentional or not) school slides children into. You know, so and so is "x" age so he should be able to "y". I'm very determined to let my kids set the pace (although not in an unschooling way if you kwim?). My sister kept her son in preschool for an extra year (and this was in a waldorf school!) and I applauded her choice - it was right for my nephew.

 

So now I find myself with a ds who's learning to read well before kindergarten or first grade. He loves to "do school". We've added OPGTR to our former letter games. He's been doing very well and is enthusiastic about it, so I've decided to order ETC 1 to try. We're learning counting and numbers through a daily calendar time - so far he's counting and understanding up to 20, but I sort of expect it to fall in place now (the teens are the hardest!). He can recite the days of the week, the months of the year, most and least, more than, etc. We're reading novels like Winnie the Pooh and The Boxcar Children. He's passionate about dinosaurs and loves reading about the world with my own little geography program I pulled together. Is this kindergarten? Should I go ahead and try some 1st grade stuff next year (as in Fall-ish of 2012 when he'd be 5)?

 

I've been looking through samples and I'm sure he'd be fine with SOTW 1 and FLL 1 if I began doing printing with him this year. He's got the fine motor control (loves mazes, drawing and colouring) I just didn't think it was something a four year old should do. Should I try it? I know if it doesn't work for whatever reason, I can wait. Or draw it out over two years instead of one, etc. I feel like maybe I'm projecting my own excitement to get to the "real" stuff. I'm about 90% sure he could handle it, but is that a good enough reason to do first grade when he'll only be K? Anyone else have this same situation? How did it go? Do you regret it?

[boscopup]

My oldest didn't start accelerating until first grade, since he was not homeschooled until then, though he did go into K already reading at a a 2nd grade level, adding/subtracting, counting to 100, etc. The only thing he wasn't beyond K level in was writing, as he was still working on letter formation (which I had to reteach him when I pulled him from school :glare:).

 

My 4 year old (5 in November) has been doing some "K level" things all this year. I do them on a "when he asks" basis, and I keep lessons very short - 10 minutes is usually plenty. We do phonics (Webster's Syllabary, ETC1, etc.), handwriting mixed with the phonics (done at the white board - I don't have him writing on paper yet, though he's close to ready), and math (Singapore EM K, done with a crayon - his numbers are fabulous, thanks to R&S ABC workbooks!). Next year when he's "K", he'll probably be doing first grade math. He may or may not sit in with older brother on history, and he will sit in on science (though some may be over his head - he'll like the experiments). He already sits in on art and sometimes science. I may do FLL1 with him next year, but I'll wait until actual first grade to do WWE1. He has a speech delay, and I think FLL1 would actually be good for him. He'll probably also sit in on MCT Island, but I don't expect him to pick up much of that.

 

My older child is mostly working above grade level, but I require second grade level output from him. If he were ready for more, I'd ask for more. He's not ready. Writing is still physically a struggle, though it's getting much better!

 

Basically, I work at the level they are at in each individual subject, and I keep developmental appropriateness in mind (while my son reads books at a 7th grade level, he is not ready to study the same types of books that a 7th grader would study, nor is he ready to write about those books at all). He's still in "grade 2", regardless of what numbers are on his various books.

 

There is a balance to be had, and it sounds like you're finding it. :) When we get done with one level in a subject, we move on to the next. I don't tie it to our school year. We've changed levels in writing 2 weeks ago, math this week, history in October, etc. Just "do the next thing". :D

[SorrelZG]

How about just .... ignoring the numbers? I mean age and grade and level. You're valuing the liberty to be out of the box but not really out of the box. Yes, you really are allowed to progress at your child's pace, fast or slow. You're the mom. You're the teacher.

[RahRah]

My opinion, for what it's worth....

 

In some states your DS would be going into K as he turns five, on others, depending on date of birth, he'd wait and start as he turns six. To me, neither matters more than *is he ready* for the work and the material and the concepts?

 

IMHO kindergarten is laying a broad foundation of concepts and skills that will provide the base to build upon learning in first and beyond. When my DS's birthday came and he turned five, he missed the so-called cut off by days - not months - so I started him with K at home. We didn't do anything particularly formal - and he learned everything he was supposed to learn in K, so the next logical step was first grade....except in our district, he'd be K, so no skipping ahead to first, no siree bob!

 

So, we continued along and did first at home and we're now doing second....and will continue along on our merry way homeschooling into the future.

 

What's happened?

 

Well DS is reading on grade level (second) - this after struggling for a while, then it clicked (yeah!).....his handwriting is coming along - he's doing better with it now that he's older and we'll start cursive later this year.....he's doing third grade math.....science around a 4-5th grade level....and history in the normal WTM rotation.....we're starting to add in grammar now that his reading is up to speed too. Later in the year we'll start French (want some more building of reading fluency first).

 

I'd say start your DS when you feel he's ready - pay attention to how he's doing, take it easy, make it fun.....stay with where he is and accelerate if needed, or slow down if needed....or just pace along. The great thing about homeschooling, IMO, is that you get to meet your child where they are at any time - you're not in a box, you're not under pressure to keep moving forward, nor are you stuck doing work that's mastered - you set the pace and the schedule and your kids get to keep moving along as they're ready!

[coffeefreak]

I started my now 12 year old early (Sept Birthday, started K at 4) for the same reasons you're giving. Here's my word of caution. If you're truly starting because you don't believe in grade levels, and you truly want to run your homeschool according to your child's needs, never worrying about what level he's at, GREAT! GET GOING!

 

HOWEVER, children's learning ebbs and flows. DD started reading at 3, was flying through A Beka's K work, Saxon's K, and FIAR at 4. We. were. rockin! Then, the following year, about December/January, she came to a screeching halt. Her reading comprehension did not match her reading skill, she was not ready for 1st grade math, and the amount of work I was requiring of her made her melt down. We took a break, did some Galloping the Globe, some Explode the Code, and relaxed. Then, the following year, when she was 6 turning 7, I restarted "1st grade." I also put her in with her age appropriate peers in all her extracurricular activities. Best thing I ever did.

 

All too often, I see parents like me who say the things you are saying, and then are upset when their child hits a learning wall later. We freak out, can't figure out what happened, they started so strong we thought they would just keep plugging along. And some kids do! But not most.

 

Definitely start. Definitely do school with your interested child. But remember as he gets older that he might have "setbacks" that have to do with his age and development.

 

Blessings!

Dorinda

[hellen]

I had an accelerated five year old and decided to hold off last year on serious stuff. Our school year was mostly spent on geography. I saw a lot of advice on these boards to enjoy the kindergarten year and not do too much. It was really hard to understand until I had been through it. I don't think it negatively impacted his education and having that year of geography is helping with SOTW this year.

[SorrelZG]

I agree with being sure that at this young age you really are moving with the child's pace. DS taught himself to write and picked up basic beginner reading before 4 but stalled out there purely due to maturity for a year and a half when he progressed from 4 letter words to reading almost anything in just a few months. Also, if you are somewhere that requires some official reporting, I wouldn't start that ahead of time or "skip grades" on paper right at the start. I have no idea where DS is going to be academically and maturity wise next year let alone 12 years from now so I give him work at his level and I call him what the system would according to age.

[chicagoshannon]

We started K with my DD this year. She's 4. She is advanced in math and reading but her handwriting isn't at the same level. So we keep going at her learning pace with math and I help her out with writing the numbers when needed. We'll be starting 1st grade math by December but are still on K4 level handwriting. We also don't really study history yet but she loves geography. That's what I love about homeschooling you can do things at your child's level.

 

We do keep her in her age group at church for Sunday school and things, although sometimes I wish we could move her up cause her friends are all almost 6 or older.

 

I also agree with being prepared to slow down. She was speeding through everything at one point and then she just stopped progressing. Usually when this happens we have to wait about a month or so and then she starts zooming ahead again.

[Tawlas]

How about just .... ignoring the numbers? I mean age and grade and level. You're valuing the liberty to be out of the box but not really out of the box. Yes, you really are allowed to progress at your child's pace, fast or slow. You're the mom. You're the teacher.

 

You're so right. Thank you. I think I knew this on one level, it's nice to have it confirmed. I'm that type of girl:001_rolleyes:. EVeryone else, you've also made some very good points: Stick with my principle of following my child's lead. Be prepared for stalls in progress in different areas at different times. Keep it light and fun, cause he is only four. And if we're not enjoying it, change it! I'm lucky to live in BC, there are practically no requirements, so what things look like on paper are not an issue.

 

Thanks so much, your thoughts and experience are appreciated!

[RoundAbout]

My son sounds a lot like yours - excellent fine motor skills, starting to read (we're on lesson 60ish in OPGTR), and great attention span for read-alouds.

 

I work to my son's ability but label him according to the state cutoff date. As such we're doing a mix of preschool and K level material starting this year for my 4.75 year-old. I call it Pre-K. I don't see any advantage in skipping a kid into K, especially if you want (or must) put them in school later.

[ALB]

We had a very similar experience. I continued to call what we were doing "preschool" and then K at 5, just because those are what grades her age places her in. I'm not especially eager to have dd graduate early, either! However, we pretty much did a typical K year at 4 and use many first grade materials now for K. I am holding off on SOTW until dd is 6 because I like the 12 years of repeating 3 cycles, and I want to do US history first. But, math, grammar, writing, spelling and science are all first grade level.

I think it depends on how much your dc is ready and willing to do! My dd wanted to learn to read at a young age and loves writing for fun, so school has not been a burden for her. I definitely do not regret starting early!

[island-mama]

I did Kindergarten phonics with my daughter when she was 4, and she was ready for it. She could read and write easily at 5. However, I don't know that I would jump ahead with SOTW. Just my opinion. We did it in first grade at 6 and I thought it was perfectly suited for that age. We used the year she was 5 to do in depth science units on local plants and animals, our community, American History, basic world geography, and famous artists. We also studied French and Horizons K math. I felt that this was perfect for K, but I know that everyone has their own opinions. Do what your child is ready for, and what you two are interested in. I really don't think that there is any "right" way to do school.

[MusicMama]

Tawlas, you sound just like me! I joined the boards when my daughter was 2, I was SO excited to teach them at home. :tongue_smilie: I agree, just teach her. Advance when she is ready. Just remember, just because she is ahead now, doesn't mean she will always stay that way. So when the inevitable wall comes, let her slow down. You are already ahead! Then, she may or may not pick up speed again,. but she will always have the benefit of a mother who let her go at her own pace.

[Tawlas]

That is something I have considered. With him starting some of this "stuff" early, it gives him lots of time to get it all down pat. If something doesn't click at first, I will feel completely at ease if we do it over a different way or take it much slower and give it more time (without the fear of my ps teacher MIL shaking her head at his lack of forward motion LOL!). Additionally, I know there will be times when school becomes more laid back than it is now (not that I would consider what we do demanding:tongue_smilie:). Right now we just have one 2yo sibling, but there will be more coming in the next few years. If it works, it would make me feel less guilty if (when) a newborn puts school on hold for a few months.

 

On top of that, we live on a cattle ranch. At age four, there's only so much he can safely do with his dad. At age eight or twelve or sixteen, there's a whole lot more! This would give him breathing room academics-wise. While I wouldn't plan it this way, if it happens, that would be an added benefit!

 

I think I'll go ahead and start some of my so-called "K" plans, call it preschool to keep it simple and just follow his lead.

[skueppers]

My philosophy is that it's fine for young kids to be engaged in academic activities, but I prefer not to require any type of academic work until they are official K age. So I would certainly have academic activities available for the interested child, but I would not say, "OK, it's time for a reading lesson!" I would wait for the child to come and ask me for a reading lesson. I basically don't require a child to learn anything academic as preschoolers, not even letters and numbers (though mine both did learn these things anyway).

 

Once they are official K age, I believe in required schoolwork, at a level that meets the child where they are.

[KristenR]

 

HOWEVER, children's learning ebbs and flows. DD started reading at 3, was flying through A Beka's K work, Saxon's K, and FIAR at 4. We. were. rockin! Then, the following year, about December/January, she came to a screeching halt. Her reading comprehension did not match her reading skill, she was not ready for 1st grade math, and the amount of work I was requiring of her made her melt down. We took a break, did some Galloping the Globe, some Explode the Code, and relaxed. Then, the following year, when she was 6 turning 7, I restarted "1st grade." I also put her in with her age appropriate peers in all her extracurricular activities. Best thing I ever did.

 

Dorinda

 

Thanks for the thought. My oldest daughter was also very interested in learning and doing school at a young age. She started reading at 3 and loves writing and math. So I just went with her desire and now-she would officially start K this month and all of our curriculum is past that point. I'm glad you mentioned your dd learning ebbs and flows. I'll keep that in the back of my mind so I don't just chalk it up to laziness or stubbornness if it comes up. Sometimes its easy to forget how young they are . . .

[Pamela H in Texas]

JMO:

 

1) Do whatever the kid needs. 3yr olds can be on a 4th grade level (ask me how I know?). 9 yr olds can be on a 2nd grade level (ask me how I know?). Just educate your individual child.

 

2) Learning isn't linear despite the number line schools use for defining grade levels. Kids often learn a grade or two worth of work in a few months then spend months processing.

 

3) Most of the time, it is better not to alter the official grade level, but to use the child's age-based grade at least until about middle school. This is something I *really* wish I had done rather than trying to figure out what grade to call my kid each year. Silliness. By about 12 or so, where the child needs to be is more obvious. Also, you're not tied into any decisions made at 5 that way. But in our case? My dd wasn't nearly as far ahead as she seemed she might be based on what happened at four. My son wasn't nearly as behind as it seemed when he was 9. In fact, my daughter graduated early but not THAT early and my son will graduate a little early afterall!

[Mrs.MacGyver]

Ebbing and Flowing is a great description and something to always keep in mind even as the child gets older. DD12 was early with everything as well, wanted to be challenged all the time, but now as we are hitting puberty and the middle school years, she is just "done" with everything. So, we really had to slow down, rethink things, and just try to make school "fun" again.

 

For all my little ones, who are all motivated from an early age, our goal is just to simply make them enjoy the process of learning things and making it fun to work hard for something if you want it bad enough. At this young age, you really can't fall behind - so FUN and JOY are the key words. If you can instill that in them early, it will make everything else flow so much more easily.

[LisaKinVA]

Meet your child where s/he is... Just don't forget that at some point the age of your child is going to come into play, and adjust those expectations.

 

My oldest three all learned to read (and read well) before K. They were doing "real" artimetic, not working on opposites, or concepts... they were adding & subtracting in columns, multiple digits with carrying... and one was doing multiplication in his head (informally, just LOVED figuring out stuff like that).

 

However, just because my 5yo could "do" 3rd grade math, did not mean he could "sit" regularly for lessons with the maturity of an 8yo. There were days he would do four or five lessons, and there were days we couldn't do "one." When your child is "done" -- don't push, just close the book and do something else. Don't get discouraged if your child flips from wanting to read Magic Treehouse, to looking at picture books. These are all normal, age-appropriate behavoirs.

 

And, by all means, don't make school at this age about some character-building battle (by doing all of their work, you have planned).

 

Breathe, enjoy the additional freedom you have to explore different things. Don't be afraid of "falling behind your mental schedule." Each year, month and even day will have it's own challenges, and children do not necessarilly grow on a steady, linear path -- especially across the curriulum. Sometimes they will, other times they will spurt ahead rapidly in one area, but then get "stuck" for awhile. This is all "normal."

 

Lastly, don't do anything "official" with grade levels. Declare at the overall appropriate grade if you must (taking into account ALL facets of development, maturity (both emotional and social), physical readiness, as well as academic level.

 

I have two boys who were not emotionally OR physically ready for K, despite being academically advanced. The local school would NOT have accepted my children in the K program. Those issues did not go away,and ignoring them can really make for ugly issues and huge struggles, frustrations, and be HUGE confidence killers in upper elementary/middle school (ask me how I know...;)).

 

FWIW, my accelerated children do a lot of work orally. We have a minimum, age-appropriate amount of time I require in math, reading and penmanship... that is all *I* require. Anything beyond that is 100% completely optional. (I also have older children, and they have more non-optional activities... the littles are with us, and are learning informally, because they are just in the room when the lessons are happening.)

[blondeviolin]

My experience has been the same. My oldest is starting kindergarten, but most of her curriculum is at a 1st grade level. She was reading at just under 4, but not really what I would call fluently for about a year. She'd ask for lessons, we'd do it for a month, then hit a wall and stop for two weeks. Then around 4.5 something clicked and she asked for reading lesson everyday and stuck with it!

 

My suggestion, though, is really make sure you are having fun with their interest in learning. Do some fun unit studies and have fun with it! Don't worry so much about curricula (I think reading could be the exception here). My oldest has done nearly all her learning on her own. Very often I ask her, "Who taught you that?" (Yesterday I asked her that very question when she showed me a series of triangles and told me they were all scalene triangles. And KNEW what scalene triangle was!)

 

I believe, at such young ages, if a child is ready to learn and provided with the right materials, he will learn regardless of what you do or don't do to facilitate it. (By materials I mean not necessarily lessons or the proper curricula, but more like lots of read-alouds and good learning toys mand opportunities.)

[ChandlerMom]

In one breath you say the grade label doesn't matter and yet you are asking about starting K (a label). :confused:

 

The level of ds's work is irrelevant. Lots of people will list their kids as K4 or K5, so Kindie is often 2 years (or more). Learning does not START in K.

 

I would not consider your child K or start K officially yet. I don't see any advantage to doing so, and developmentally your dc may have fits and starts. IMO K-2 is about exposure to materials, adjusting to their interest/pace, and helping them develop the maturity to work consistently. A lot of 1st grade+ materials will be too rigid and dry for a 4yo, so if you use them keep it fun.

 

In my case, my eldest did K12 for K and 1st, starting shortly after her 5th bday. By the time K started she was reading well (2nd grade level chapter books) and they started her in 1st grade math (she tested into 2nd, funny since I hadn't introduced addition until the week before her placement testing, so I opted to start with 1st). Within 3mo she had completed the K LA curric and 1st grade math, by the end of K she was halfway thru 3rd grade math and had completed ins grade LA. Did that make her a 2nd grader or 3rd grader? No, IMO she was still a K'r. :D Now she's doing 5th grade LA and math curric in 3rd gave, but that doesn't make her a 5th grader IMO. Basically because I see NO benefit in skipping he grade since I am already adapting her curriculum.

 

Why does it matter? Because early accelerators may peter out or need to dawdle, which can feel like "falling behind" if you've mentally skipped them ahead. We spent 18mo on 4th grade math. She *could* have kept pace, but I wanted her to play with math because the tedium was killing her love of math. We dod more games, more rabbit trails, instead. For LA, I'm not moving her forward in GUM, etc this year -- I'm having her focus on creative writing and journaling, reading, and analysis (oral).

 

Also, some states have funds for hs'rs to take CC courses between 16-18 until they graduate HS. If she skips grades now she might not be eligible for free college credit at the end.

 

My 2.5yo is starting to read and I've started using the ETC books and using 100EL with him (his sisters didn't start reading until closer to 5, but he's been obsessed with letters and sounds since before his 2nd bday). He also counts everything to 20. But I'm not starting preK or K. It's a maturity thing. As long as he has fun and has interest, we work on phonics and math, sing songs, etc. But I don't want to put the expectation for consistency of "school".

 

IMO "playing school" is PERFECT regardless of abilities until they are consistent in their maturity to DO school, usually sometime between 5-7. Use whatever curric you like and he enjoys, but don't think of it as starting K until you've been doing it consistently for quite a while. :lol: Or call it K4 and plan on 2 years. In a year he's doing 1st grade+ materials consistently, go from K4 to 1st grade.

 

Sorry if I'm rambling -- got a migraine. :(

[chepyl]

My son missed the cutoff for ps kindergarten by 22 days last year. They would have placed him in preschool. At that time, he read at a second grade level, knew addition and subtraction, and understood the concept of multiplication and division. He could sound out and spell very large words and count to 100. He wanted to learn more. He requested to Homeschool last year. There were many days that we skipped bevause he needed a day and I did not do 180 days. I did label him kindergarten. That is the type of work we were doing, and the label let him take a musical theater class he really wanted and put him in Sunday school with his friends.

 

I left him in his preschool dance class, because he had danced with them for two years and he was still that age.

 

This year he is first grade. He will always be labeled a year ahead of where he would be in ps. He is actually doing all second grade work, but for dance, theatre, and Sunday school I want to keep him in first grade. We will not "skip" another grade. We will just do work appropriate for his ability level and label him by age to do activities with his friends.

 

He does have an activity he want to do that is for 3rs grade and up....he asked if we could work really fast to get to third grade :) I said no.

[eloquacious]

My son just reached the half-year mark (3 1/2) and he has started reading, is doing K and some 1st grade-level math, and has started himself on a dual unit study of bugs and farm animals. Mainly, with the reading and math, I try to keep it fun and move him ahead without speeding through it. Sometimes my desire to slow him down is detrimental, I think, other times I get too excited thinking of doing too much upper-level stuff with him. The math is all manipulatives and iPad, so he isn't writing numbers yet, but the iPad apps he is doing involve 1st grade math, so I know he can do it. I don't "assign" them, though. To him, they are "games." I like it that way, and he does, too - if I assigned them, he'd probably resist.

 

Who knows how long we'll be here? I don't know. We're doing K level SWR/WRTR with huge HUGE letters and enrichments involving stamps and phonogram tiles. So he is "writing," but not in the traditional way. Perhaps next year he'll have progressed to smaller, paper-scale writing, but perhaps not.

 

When all the "shout out if you've got a preschooler" and "Kindergarten roll call" threads come up, I never know how to respond. We just do what feels right, in some sort of order, but with no timetable. He is far too young for actual content studies, I think, but we do that informally by getting library books about whatever he's into. (Lately, bugs and farm animals, as I previously mentioned) and he just picks things up as we go.

 

I think perhaps next year we'll get more "serious" about curriculum, not necessarily because I think he has to at 4, but because my husband and I need to decide if homeschooling is something we wish to consider, and to do that I need to prove that I can make a coherent plan and stick to it. I need demonstrable results, ya know? ;)

[Tawlas]

In one breath you say the grade label doesn't matter and yet you are asking about starting K (a label). :confused:

 

The level of ds's work is irrelevant. Lots of people will list their kids as K4 or K5, so Kindie is often 2 years (or more). Learning does not START in K.

 

I would not consider your child K or start K officially yet. I don't see any advantage to doing so, and developmentally your dc may have fits and starts. IMO K-2 is about exposure to materials, adjusting to their interest/pace, and helping them develop the maturity to work consistently. A lot of 1st grade+ materials will be too rigid and dry for a 4yo, so if you use them keep it fun.

 

In my case, my eldest did K12 for K and 1st, starting shortly after her 5th bday. By the time K started she was reading well (2nd grade level chapter books) and they started her in 1st grade math (she tested into 2nd, funny since I hadn't introduced addition until the week before her placement testing, so I opted to start with 1st). Within 3mo she had completed the K LA curric and 1st grade math, by the end of K she was halfway thru 3rd grade math and had completed ins grade LA. Did that make her a 2nd grader or 3rd grader? No, IMO she was still a K'r. :D Now she's doing 5th grade LA and math curric in 3rd gave, but that doesn't make her a 5th grader IMO. Basically because I see NO benefit in skipping he grade since I am already adapting her curriculum.

 

Why does it matter? Because early accelerators may peter out or need to dawdle, which can feel like "falling behind" if you've mentally skipped them ahead. We spent 18mo on 4th grade math. She *could* have kept pace, but I wanted her to play with math because the tedium was killing her love of math. We dod more games, more rabbit trails, instead. For LA, I'm not moving her forward in GUM, etc this year -- I'm having her focus on creative writing and journaling, reading, and analysis (oral).

 

Also, some states have funds for hs'rs to take CC courses between 16-18 until they graduate HS. If she skips grades now she might not be eligible for free college credit at the end.

 

My 2.5yo is starting to read and I've started using the ETC books and using 100EL with him (his sisters didn't start reading until closer to 5, but he's been obsessed with letters and sounds since before his 2nd bday). He also counts everything to 20. But I'm not starting preK or K. It's a maturity thing. As long as he has fun and has interest, we work on phonics and math, sing songs, etc. But I don't want to put the expectation for consistency of "school".

 

IMO "playing school" is PERFECT regardless of abilities until they are consistent in their maturity to DO school, usually sometime between 5-7. Use whatever curric you like and he enjoys, but don't think of it as starting K until you've been doing it consistently for quite a while. :lol: Or call it K4 and plan on 2 years. In a year he's doing 1st grade+ materials consistently, go from K4 to 1st grade.

 

Sorry if I'm rambling -- got a migraine. :(

 

Sorry to confuse you! I rambled a little myself I suspect! (sorry about your migraine). I'll try and explain myself, hopefully I don't confuse you further :tongue_smilie:. I feel like I've spent the last ten years of my life (since I got my Early Childhood Education and began working in group daycares) telling people to relax, their child is doing fine. "They don't NEED to know how to read before K, they don't NEED to be able to count to 100! No, we DON'T teach reading while the littlest ones are napping."

Then there's the new all-day K movement that's happening in my province. This fall every K class will be all day, no more half days. And that's fine for some kids, great for working parents. But what about the kids it doesn't work for? It's not right for them all!

I did a practicum for three months in a K class and loved every minute of it. But a few things disturbed me. the fact that kids were pulled out of class in September for "special assistance" because they couldn't write their name didn't seem right. It set them up negatively in how they viewed themselves and how their peers viewed them, no matter how well it was handled.

So that's my even longer back story! And now here I go, teaching my four year old to read. Even though he's ready and even though he asks for it, I feel like a hypocrite some how. That's why I was asking if anyone else regretted starting their eager little beavers early.

And while grade level doesn't matter to me (even less now that I've read these posts!), the part of me that LOVES planning wants to know . . . :001_rolleyes::blush:

 

Again, thank you all for your replies! I really appreciate you sharing your experiences! I feel so much more confident about this . . . and it's really quite simple: KEEP IT SIMPLE. Meet your child where he's at in whatever he's doing. I guess I knew that :tongue_smilie:

[Ellie]

But you're not "starting kindergarten." You're teaching your young child the things that he's interested in learning.

 

How could someone regret that?

 

You don't "start kindergarten" until the year your dc would be going to kindergarten at the local public school. For us homeschoolers, grade-level labels are only meaningful when we're talking to Official School Types or grandparents or Sunday school teachers. It's just easier to keep it that way than to think of "starting kindergarten" "early."

[blondeviolin]

But you're not "starting kindergarten." You're teaching your young child the things that he's interested in learning.

 

How could someone regret that?

 

You don't "start kindergarten" until the year your dc would be going to kindergarten at the local public school. For us homeschoolers, grade-level labels are only meaningful when we're talking to Official School Types or grandparents or Sunday school teachers. It's just easier to keep it that way than to think of "starting kindergarten" "early."

 

:iagree:

 

You may say you are teaching him to read or you're working on numbers if asked, but I wouldn't say you're doing kindergarten.

[kalanamak]

 

Definitely start. Definitely do school with your interested child. But remember as he gets older that he might have "setbacks" that have to do with his age and development.

 

 

:iagree:At K4 I made it all fun, never forced finishing a page, etc.

[bttrflyvld]

I agree with just following your childs lead. We'll be starting k next year even though my daughter will be 4 turning 5 in November. I have what i want to try picked out and plan to go at the speed my daughter wants. If she's not wanting to do school I won't push her, but if she wants to move faster I'll go with that.

[Mrs Twain]

nm.

Didn't realize this was an old thread.