Tanikit Posted May 21, 2013 Share Posted May 21, 2013 What age would you recommend starting MEP reception with a bright child? My 2 year old is wanting to join my DD(5.5) for math (and everything else) - the other day my elder DD was doing a word sum - Susie has 7 kittens and Jane has 3 kittens - how many kittens do they have altogether and DD(2) pipes up 10, before DD(5.5) had written the answer. DD(5.5) should not have been doing a sum this easy, but Horizons word problems are not great so we get to them sometimes. Then in the same page DD(5.5) read 5 + 3 and got 8 out of DD(2) as she finished saying it - it could be a fluke as those numbers happen to be her favourite anyway, but I thought she might like her own math time too. If anyone has done it this young what are the things I would have to take into account doing it with a toddler? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boscopup Posted May 21, 2013 Share Posted May 21, 2013 I tried it with my 3 year old, and he liked it at first, but then it started making him think, and he didn't like that. I've found with my preschoolers that they want "school" that is easy, mostly stuff they already know. So instead, I mostly gave him random workbooks to do on his own, and that was his "school". He'll work on workbooks for as long as an hour sometimes - copying words, circling things, etc. My 3 year old does memorize math facts easily, so he has sometimes blurted out an answer to questions I know he doesn't understand how to do - like 3x3=9. He doesn't know what multiplication is and hasn't discovered it yet ( my other two discovered it at age 5, so I know what it looks like when they do... he's not there yet). Anyway, you can try it. We used it on my tablet to make it more fun (some pages need to be printed though). He still has the bear game in a Ziploc baggy and loves playing it. We just went through it until it was apparent that he was no longer having fun, then I dropped it. He'll do Singapore EM K this year as a 4 year old, and I think he'll like that and be ready for a tiny bit more challenge ( but still not much). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kerileanne99 Posted May 21, 2013 Share Posted May 21, 2013 I am quite certain that your 2 year old could start MEP Reception as it is such a kind and gentle introduction...especially at a nice slow pace, with plenty of extra manipulative work and things pulled in from experience with big sis. I think you may find that progress may not be in a strictly linear fashion at this age, as I did. If you use it as a spine It is a great program for littles. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanikit Posted May 21, 2013 Author Share Posted May 21, 2013 Thanks - I think I'll try it and see and stop if it doesn't work. We do play with manipulatives a lot and will keep doing that. To be honest the things my 2 year old seems to like are anything that involves one-on-one attention with cuddle time and since she sees DD(5.5) getting attention when we do school she also wants to do it - she is more into workbooks though than DD(5.5) ever was and pulls out her file just to find something she has not done (I keep colouring pages and worksheets in a file for her for her to do during DD(5.5)s school time along with games and toys and she often chooses the worksheets over the toys.) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
junepep Posted May 21, 2013 Share Posted May 21, 2013 A friend is currently 1/2 way through MEP Reception with her 2.5yo daughter and it's going very well :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fractalgal Posted May 22, 2013 Share Posted May 22, 2013 My son started MEP Reception at about 3.8 and finished at age 4.5. The mental calculations get more complicated towards the end, but you could slow down for awhile if you need to. Here is a review I wrote about MEP Reception that you are welcome to read. Good luck. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanikit Posted May 22, 2013 Author Share Posted May 22, 2013 Thanks - I did start it with her and she likes the one on one time - I will probably have to do each lesson over two days (or even more) though as her concentration is a bit short for a full lesson - she got so involved with drawing her family that I didn't have the heart to stop her and move on - no one would even recognise they are people, but they do have a head and body and she made me write everyone's names under them so has been telling everyone at home what she has drawn all day (I didn't know she could read all the names she made me write - this was an extended family picture - so cute) She definitely knows more than I expected, but gets too excited to colour only 2 sails or one house so will probably stick to pointing and then let her scribble over the entire page later. She seems to have a good understanding of quantity but is still battling to count accurately (fine motor to move counters one by one and count at the same time only once for each object) but its getting better very rapidly. Like any program I suspect I will be adding to it and adapting it. Thanks for the review - I haven't looked all the way through and it does sound like it may get too much at some point, but I'll just take it as it comes and work as slowly or as quickly as she needs/wants. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shoes+Ships+SealingWax Posted January 10, 2016 Share Posted January 10, 2016 My DS will be 3 next month & is flying through it so far. He did 6 lessons in a row today & only stopped b/c I had no more printed! Hopefully we will hit a point where he will actually have to think a bit, but in the mean time it is solidifying skills 😊 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah0000 Posted January 10, 2016 Share Posted January 10, 2016 DS flew through it too right after he turned three. I think its a great way to introduce the habit of sit down math time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted January 10, 2016 Share Posted January 10, 2016 I wouldn't force him to sit through it, but if he does why not? It is very gentle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bakpak Posted January 11, 2016 Share Posted January 11, 2016 My DD loved those Kumon workbooks at age 2. Writing, math & mazes. She was all over them... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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