To K or not to K?

[roanna]

Two weeks ago I started Kindergarten with my 5 year old. I am excited mom that likes to teach, maybe a little too excited :)

 

I am just wondering if any of you have just not done kindergarten and just start at 6 years old?

 

He's at 2nd-3rd grade reading and 1st grade math skills. Handwriting is painful so I just stopped that. Part of me just intuitively just wants to wait a year. But people ask me all the time "so he's starting school this year right?"

 

In his free time I feel that he is educating himself for a 5 year old with reading on and off pretty much all day. The other day he did a sticker book for about 4 hours. He reads it , organizes them, sticks them again, makes categories for them etc.

 

So have you waited for "school" until 6, even though they mentally can at 5? He does not beg for school. The only thing I consistently do is Bible lessons. He memorizes very easily. He is quite interested in Bible things.

 

Thanks so much,

Roanna

[SKL]

For my 4.5yo DD, I'm doing mostly practical stuff like counting money and telling time, brief fun writing activities, and taking turns reading before bedtime. Also field trip type stuff with discussions (e.g., yesterday we compared different animals at the zoo). Later in the year, I plan to start working in some workbooks. So right now, it does not look much like "school," but I'm trying to ensure she is making some progress in a range of areas.

[Greenmama2]

Waiting till 6 sounds perfectly reasonable to me. The only thing I insist my 5 year old does everyday is music practice (and this is mainly to tackle her perfectionism). She has a big list of mainly 1st grade curricula available but we only do it when she wants (which is currently science every day, other times maths every day, other weeks LA).

[regentrude]

In my home country and many other countries in the world, formal academics does not start until kids are 6 or 7 years old.

I have not seen any data that convince me that the push for early academics in the US translates into any measurable advantage a few years down the road.

So, IMO waiting a year sounds perfectly fine.

[roanna]

Thanks everyone.

[chepyl]

My son begged for schoolwork. So we did K last year. If we had a really off day, we skipped it. It was low key and I tried to have fun, he loved math so we did a lot! Had he not begged, I would have held off. You might wait a couple of months, he might start asking about it.

[Tracy]

My dd was an advanced reader, like yours, and I, too was an excited mom. Don't get me wrong--we had a great K year. But I tried to do too much. Based on that experience, here is my plan for my next one:

 

1. FIAR

2. Lots of pre-handwriting activities to strengthen hands and arms, including coloring, play-dough, wheelbarrow game, bear walking.

3. Only gross motor writing practice--white board, sidewalk chalk, salt boxes, shaving cream, etc.

4. SWR phonogram games and activities; no more than 2 spelling words per day, all in gross motor activities.

5. Math games from Games for Math by Peggy Kaye

 

I am not going to do any science, history, geography or math, except for what is in FIAR.

[boscopup]

I like Tracy's plan. :) But yes, you can wait until 6 and just start with whatever level work your child is at at that point. They won't stagnate just because you aren't teaching them officially.

 

I *would* work fine motor skills - prewriting activities. That's one thing I wish I'd done a little earlier with DS1, since that's his weakness. Just doing something to exercise those muscles would have been good.

 

For the people who ask, just say yes, you're doing school. Even if "school" really means just going to the library, it's still learning. ;)

[Tracy]

 

For the people who ask, just say yes, you're doing school. Even if "school" really means just going to the library, it's still learning. ;)

 

:iagree: And it is great to actually call what you do "school" so that when people ask him about it, he can confidently answer, "Yes! I love school!"

[roanna]

oh I loved all the things that were just said.

 

I know to a certain extent we HAVE to do school by age 7 in my state but I just felt that he wasn't ready to have me do real school yet. I am not one to succomb to peer pressure but I just didn't know how to explain to friends and family that I thought it best to wait. Since his friends are in school now too I didn't want him to feel weird not doing school.

 

I do think I need to focus on the skills mentioned. He dislikes art so I'll have to get creative.

 

Thanks again!

[kht2006]

DD is 5 too. We are calling this kindergarten. DD is a summer baby and she is beginning to read, doing almost all K math. So this year doesn't matter We are doing formal reading/math and lots of great read a louds and calling it school.

This is how I answer that question every day.

Next year she can either be a Kindergartener again or a first grader. I really don't have to decide until next year. We'll know what she's ready for after we've had her at home for a year (big smile.) Thanks for your concern :)

[Tracy]

I do think I need to focus on the skills mentioned. He dislikes art so I'll have to get creative.

 

 

My dd didn't like art either. But for some reason, she loved the FIAR art lessons. They were very practical and easy for her.

 

Also, if I couldn't get her to do art, I do think that I would have been able to get her to practice gross motor writing for just 5 minutes per day. And if you are using things like shaving cream, that might be enough fun to make it work. And my 3yo, although he does not like art either, he will happily spend 30 seconds at a time coloring as an assignment from his speech therapist--just a 2" x 2" picture to color about 6 times in an hour. He has to color the picture and say the word in order to take his turn in the game.

 

Last, when my ds was in developmental therapy, they wanted him doing anything that required strength in his hands and in his core. Things like legos where they have to push on the blocks with their whole bodies. All those types of activities have an effect on handwriting.

 

This is a bit rambling, but I hope you find some usable ideas buried in here.

[boscopup]

My son is liking art now that we're doing Evan Moor's How to Teach Art to Children. It's mostly been learning about lines, curves, angles so far. We've drawn stuff and cut and pasted stuff. He's NOT an artist, but these have helped him get into it more. Also, just plain old maturity has helped him enjoy art more. At 5, he really wasn't into art. He couldn't draw much of anything recognizable. He started getting into drawing when he realized he could draw Star Wars scenes. They were stick figures, but hey, it was drawing! He didn't color them, but he'd draw them.

 

I noticed yesterday he drew a Star Wars scene and not only did boxes for body parts instead of stick figures, but he also colored them in! Progress! He's 7. :)

 

For handwriting practice, I made a salt box recently. He LOVES that, as does his younger brother. It's fun to write in salt! I took an old photo box, stuck the lid on the bottom and traced with a marker. Then I cut the box to that point (so the box is now just a tiny bit taller than the lid). Paste some black construction paper in the bottom, fill with salt. All done. Very easy to make. :)

[LittleIzumi]

We did very casual, occasional school when dd was 5. We didn't really start regular work until this summer (she turns 6 this month). We're now starting a 1st/2nd combo year with daily work. So we didn't really "do" K, but she learned it all anyway.

[Runningmom80]

I would just follow his lead. It sounds like he has most if not all of K down anyways, maybe be a little "unschooly" this year and then pick up the pace next year.

 

 

(This is coming from someone who has homeschooled for 1 day, so take it for what it's worth. :lol:)

[catz]

To me, it sounds like he's doing "school" on his own terms. I think working at small motor is a good idea, but otherwise if backing off formal curriculum seems like a good idea now it sounds like he's doing great anyway! :) He might change his mind on his own too.

[roanna]

Since my post I have just found out that he needs his tonsils pulled --the negative

 

the positive-- a friend emptied out 20 years of homeschooling stuff and told me I could take what I wanted YAY!

 

Along with a bunch of reader books, maps, etc., I took a box of complete cuisenaire rods and the how to book that goes with it. He has not stopped playing with them all day long and was instructing my husband how to play with them. He has memorized what each is worth so maybe he'll like doing some fun math.

 

I also took a book called Casey, The Utterly Impossible Horse and he read the first chapter to me and giggled so hard he got the hiccups. I am sure this book is out of date it's so old (1965). Fun day today.

[Calm37]

Two weeks ago I started Kindergarten with my 5 year old. I am excited mom that likes to teach, maybe a little too excited :)

 

I am just wondering if any of you have just not done kindergarten and just start at 6 years old?

 

He's at 2nd-3rd grade reading and 1st grade math skills. Handwriting is painful so I just stopped that. Part of me just intuitively just wants to wait a year. But people ask me all the time "so he's starting school this year right?"

 

In his free time I feel that he is educating himself for a 5 year old with reading on and off pretty much all day. The other day he did a sticker book for about 4 hours. He reads it , organizes them, sticks them again, makes categories for them etc.

 

So have you waited for "school" until 6, even though they mentally can at 5? He does not beg for school. The only thing I consistently do is Bible lessons. He memorizes very easily. He is quite interested in Bible things.

 

Thanks so much,

Roanna

 

Roanna,

 

That IS school for a 5 year old. You are doing great. My son did Lego kindergarten. He practiced reading and built the most incredible Lego creations. Was I surprised when he learned all his math facts from that! I guess Legos are math manipulatives! Who knew? :) We also read some fun history and science books together.

 

So feel free to tell everyone that you have started school.

 

Blessings,

[roanna]

oh thank you for the encouragment.

 

Now I am dealing with smell issues. I feel at my wits end that everything is too stinky for him to eat.

[serendipitous journey]

1. FIAR

2. Lots of pre-handwriting activities to strengthen hands and arms, including coloring, play-dough, wheelbarrow game, bear walking.

3. Only gross motor writing practice--white board, sidewalk chalk, salt boxes, shaving cream, etc.

4. SWR phonogram games and activities; no more than 2 spelling words per day, all in gross motor activities.

5. Math games from Games for Math by Peggy Kaye

 

 

:iagree: that sounds great for your situation; the Family Math books (here's the one for younger children; we're doing this one now) worked much better for Button than Peggy Kaye's books, not sure why. I also like the Ambleside Online/Charlotte Mason focus on outdoor time; if you can, two hours of outside play a day has a lot going for it.