preschool or kindergarten?

[Heather in Neverland]

My ds is 4.5yo and will be five in February. I know in the public schools he would be a preschooler but he is already starting to read pretty well (about half-way through 100 ez lessons and reading Bob books), is whizzing through MUS Primer, writes his letters better than my 10 year old, etc.

 

I have a general outline of curriculum k-12 for my kids (especially since this my second to homeschool and I made plenty of mistakes with my first) and so I am wondering...should I consider this year kindergarten and proceed next year with 1st grade material?

[Kidlit]

I have no idea because I have two preschoolers and am very new at this, but I'm keeping my eye on this thread because I want to know, too. I can see this happening in our future, especially since my girls are only 18 months apart in age.

[snickelfritz]

We are going through Sonlight LA 1 and she is doing well with it. My mom, who taught 1st, is amazed at how good her handwriting is. She'll start Singapore primary 1A around January (we are alternating Singapore/Horizons and the Singapore EB is about to be finished.)

 

I still call her K. Her church, dance and even homeschool activities are grouped by age. Our homeschool group is VERY specific about placing by birthdates. To me, when people ask what grade they are in.....they are really referring to age. They don't want or need to know that she is working at a 1st grade level.

 

For her studies, we just keep trucking along. I figure that it will be easy enough to let her start taking college classes early, if she keeps on being ahead. On the other hand, it would get tricky if she hit a wall (or was immature) and we wanted to keep her back a year.

[rockermom]

I have no experience whatsoever, but I think that what I would do is to relax and follow his lead. I wouldn't worry about labeling it as PK, K or any grade level. Just use what fits his interests, academic and maturity levels. You can still call it PK if he's doing what you or others consider K or 1st grade work. As long as he's not overstressed or feeling pushed at that age, let him progress at his pace. I simply would not stress over what school year to consider it.

 

Again, I know nothing. It's just my gut reaction.

 

ETA that I agree with Snickelfritz about the age thing. Age is how children are grouped in most activities. If RockerTot is doing 2nd grade work at 5, I would still tell him and others that he is in kindergarten. The opposite would also hold true.

[dhudson]

I put all three of mine into K at four which was fine for them. A couple of considerations though -

 

What will you do when they are ready to graduate at 16 or 17?

Social and sport events are usually by grade levels, so you might want to have a plan for that.

If you ever plan to put them in a traditional school how will you handle the academic level verses their emotional level?

 

I ask these not to dissuade you (as I stated above, I have done that will all 3 of mine) but to just make sure that you have thought through all these.

 

I have a friend whose four yr old is doing K and she just says he's in preK but doing K grade work.

 

My oldest is 10 and in 6th and my 7yr old twins are in 3rd because I put them in K at 4. As my oldest gets older it gets a little trickier socially but he is doing very well both socially and academically. It helps that he is very tall for his age so fits in with his grade level at church and sports.:001_smile:

[Tess in the Burbs]

mine were 4.5 and 4 for our "K" year. If the child is moving on, keep at it!

 

I keep in mind come later we may need to slow down and have a school year be 18 months....until we get there I don't know. But I think it should be K. :D

[Lovedtodeath]

My DD was reading at 3. She was reading at 3rd grade level when she turned 5. We are still easing into first grade work. I would not start your first grade plan next year. To be truthful, I would throw it out altogether. A child can be way ahead in one or two subjects but not all, or be ahead all around and not be ready for the workload that comes with the next grade level.

[EKS]

My 6yo was doing kindergarten work at 3 and 4 and by the time he was actually of kindergarten age he was reading at a 3rd or 4th grade level and doing 1st and 2nd grade level work in math and LA. We still called him a kindergartener. For the activities he is in, being grouped by age is appropriate. And if he is still ahead in high school and early college is appropriate, then he can graduate early.

[yslek]

My oldest ds has a September birthday just after the cutoff. (Everywhere we've lived so far has had a late August or Sept. 1st cutoff.) I started him in K right before he turned 5 because he was ready.

 

Around 3rd grade things started getting too tough for him. He seemed to hit a plateau, and we had a stressful year where I was trying to get him to fit my "mold" of a 3rd grader, especially since we'd "fallen behind" in math. (He was still reading way above grade level, but that was all he was "ahead" on.) Dh & I discussed this, and we decided that if relabeling him a 3rd grader the following year meant that I'd be able to relax and let him learn at his pace, then it would be a positive move. I'm glad we did this.

 

I know not everyone needs to do this in order to do what's best for their child. Even though I knew that the whole grade level designation is pretty arbitrary, it did affect the way I approached my ds.

 

So, if you're anything like me, I'd recommend you call your ds a preschooler, but work at whatever level he's at. You can always re-evaluate around 7th or 8th grade (so you know when to start counting stuff for high school).

 

Kelsy

[anissarobert]

We are going through Sonlight LA 1 and she is doing well with it. My mom, who taught 1st, is amazed at how good her handwriting is. She'll start Singapore primary 1A around January (we are alternating Singapore/Horizons and the Singapore EB is about to be finished.)

 

I still call her K. Her church, dance and even homeschool activities are grouped by age. Our homeschool group is VERY specific about placing by birthdates. To me, when people ask what grade they are in.....they are really referring to age. They don't want or need to know that she is working at a 1st grade level.

 

For her studies, we just keep trucking along. I figure that it will be easy enough to let her start taking college classes early, if she keeps on being ahead. On the other hand, it would get tricky if she hit a wall (or was immature) and we wanted to keep her back a year.

 

 

:iagree: We are coming out the other end of this issue and now I am facing it again. My oldest is in 9th grade, but the main reason I began to homeschool was because she came out of her private Kindergarden reading at a 3rd grade level. I started homeschooling and just let her work at her pace. Now as a high-schooler she has more options for AP etc. I have mainly done this for two reasons. I don't want my children to go to college early, and they are never at any one level for all subjects.

 

My son would technically be a 4th grader in our state, but because his birthday is 1 day before the deadline I have him as a 3rd grader, mainly because I don't want him to always be the youngest in the group. That being said, he is working at different levels for each subject. I let him work to his ability and only worry if he is behind grade level.

 

My youngest will be 5 in Dec., so she would not be in K until next year, but she is blowing through all of the K level work we have and asking for more. Again I will let her work at her pace and only worry if she is behind, but I will not call her a Kindergardener officially. When she asks I just tell her that Kindergarten lasts for two years. Both of my older children did K for two years, and she really has no frame of reference, so it will not occur to her that this is different. Likely by the time we reach 1st grade she will be working at a 2nd-3rd grade level, but it has been my experience that these early gains do level out somewhat for many children. Also it is nice to have a cushion if something big happens. When my dd14 had major surgery with a long recovery time in Jr. High, we didn't have to worry about her falling too far behind.

 

HTH

[Ellie]

You can do whatever you want :-)

 

*I* would not actually *call* it kindergarten, though, until the year my dc would actually start kindergarten in school. Believe me when I tell you it's just simpler that way.

[LauraL]

I think that what I would do is to relax and follow his lead. I wouldn't worry about labeling it as PK, K or any grade level. Just use what fits his interests, academic and maturity levels. You can still call it PK if he's doing what you or others consider K or 1st grade work. As long as he's not overstressed or feeling pushed at that age, let him progress at his pace. I simply would not stress over what school year to consider it.

 

:iagree: My children have all been early readers (like fluent at age 3-4), which is one of the reasons, initially, we decided to homeschool. I just couldn't stand the thought of sending them off to ps to be bored out of their minds. We went ahead and jumped right in with introducing them to a lot of other things as they seemed ready. We've done FLL starting quite young. (I think that the key is to make it like playtime with you rather than "now we are doing schoolwork".) I believe that young children need lots of playing, but I didn't see why our playing couldn't be teaching K, 1st grade, 2nd grade, etc. topics--whatever they were up to. (They still had plenty of time in the day for other "imaginative" play.)

 

I'll tell you the only "down" side was that when I started looking at curriculum providers such as Sonlight, I had a hard time figuring out which core program to go with. But, with my oldest technically in 8th grade now, I look back and wouldn't have done anything differently.

[FO4UR]

I wouldn't call him Kindergarten until he is of legal age LOL.

 

I would keep him going with reading and math at his pace no matter his grade, so long as it doesn't interfere with plenty of time to play and run.

[mom31257]

I have had 2 children who were doing well early, but we didn't start K early. My dh has been in private education for 16 years and public for 3. He saw a lot of parents want to skip grades, and in the end it was not usually good for the child later.

 

I am doing some 1st grade work with ds and some 7th and beyond with dd, but they are "in" K and 6th. I had people try to influence me to skip ahead with dd (she was in private school through 2nd), but I didn't want to socially. I didn't want her to be a year younger than her peers or graduate early. Where would she placed in church classes and things like that?

 

By homeschooling, you can enhance what would be a normal K education in so many ways that when you do officially start, your dc won't be bored. So, I guess my advice is don't start it yet, but to wait until the right age.

Thankfully, true learning happens over an entire lifetime, not just the prescribed time of K-12.

[Reya]

I just meet the kids where they are. So that means that they can have a huge grade level gap subject to subject, and I don't sweat it.

[Julie in Monterey]

I'm in a similar boat. I love that we are sailing through phonics and I have a strong 2nd grade reader on my hands. I also love that I don't have a rush and we can take our time and study what interests us. If by the end of the school year, we are entirely through state standards and what I would like to have accomplished prior to first grade, then we'll move on to first.

 

For sports purposes and to other kids, my kids always say what grade they would be in for the local public school. My dd could have started this year or next for K, I just say we'll know in the fall what next year holds.

 

If you are looking for fun playful games for reading, writing and math, check out Peggy Kaye's books; "Games for Math," "Games for Reading," and "Games for Writing." They don't feel like school and are filled with all kinds of, "Why didn't I think of that?" ideas.

 

Julie in Monterey

[Closeacademy]

I have found and been advised by others and have read that it is best to keep them in their age grade but let them work on the material that they are ready for.

 

So I would call it pre-K and let him read on his level. If he is doing 3rd and 4th grade work in K that is OK.

 

:001_smile:

[JudoMom]

I've got one that'll be 5 in January.

 

I call him K4. Next year will be K5. Even if he's working on a 1st grade level.

 

My policy with my boys is to keep them in the same grade as their age-mates, but teach them on whatever level they're one.

[Heather in Neverland]

Thank you for the responses...they really have given me a lot to think about. I think the main thing I am concerned about is in 1st grade I typically introduce history and science whereas K is just reading, writing, math and bible. So I am trying to plan for next year...do I do another year of just the basics? Or add in the history and science? After reading your posts I think I may let him continue to work ahead in math and reading but hold off on the other subjects for one more year.

 

How does that sound to all of you?

[AudreyTN]

I didn't read all of the posts, but I determine my kids grade by their age. What grade would they be in if they were in Public School? My ds is in 2nd grade but he's working equally with my 3rd grader (except math, but he will surpass her soon, I know it.)

 

This way, if he needs to slow down for any reason we will be at an advantage.

[AudreyTN]

So I am trying to plan for next year...do I do another year of just the basics? Or add in the history and science? After reading your posts I think I may let him continue to work ahead in math and reading but hold off on the other subjects for one more year.

 

How does that sound to all of you?

 

You could go ahead and introduce History and Science if you think he's interested. Or you could even try it. If he's not interested, don't worry about it.

 

Your plan sounds good too though! :D

[rockermom]

After reading your posts I think I may let him continue to work ahead in math and reading but hold off on the other subjects for one more year.

 

How does that sound to all of you?

 

I think that sounds like what I would do if presented with your situation.

[serinat]

i posted about this a few months ago, as well. my oldest is five, but will be six at the end of october. we "did kindergarten" last school year, and she is now reading at a 3rd grade level or above. i wasn't sure whether to call he a k'er or a 1st grader this fall.

 

it came down to labels. i got some good advice, here and elsewhere, about calling her what she would be in public school (kindergartner) and continue challenging her with whatever level of work is appropriate. i knew that i would teach her at her level no matter what grade i assigned her, but part of me wanted to label her a first grader so that i could prove to the world that things were going well. (and they are! but a label isn't going to prove anything to anyone, and i certainly don't need to flaunt how well things are going. they could become more difficult later, you know?)

 

in addition, keeping her labeled a k'er but giving her more challenging work now gives us a little wiggle room, should she struggle with something in the future. because she is ahead of the game academically, if we need to slow down so she can grasp a subject, we won't feel the pressure to "hold her back" a year or make her repeat a grade, as she will still be level or head of other kids in her grade. again, the label stays the same, but the work matches her needs.

 

also, she knows that she was studying kindergarten materials last year, and it kind of confuses her that we're still calling her a kindergartner this year. i've explained to her that she'll be learning new stuff, but the label will allow her to be with kids her age in church and sports activities. she seems satisfied with that.

[anissarobert]

This year, we'll call it K4 for short, I'm not specifically planning History and Science for my dd4, but she is involved when her brother does his. Yesterday he was illustrating a cell for biology, and she looked at his book and drew one by herself. I told her to label it A Cell. I'm going to let her do what she wants in the content areas, but no formal curriuclum. When we come around to this again in a few years she will be able to use different materials. She loves listening to the SOTW tape. (Who wouldn't as it is such a well written story.) Still 4 years from now she will like listening to it again and we will add Kingfisher or Usborne books to flesh it out.

 

We are going into our 10th year of homeschooling and it becomes increasingly apparent to me each year, that you can't plan ahead too far. Each of my children is so different in when they are ready to learn a certain thing and how they need to learn it. I like the WTM approach with 4 year cycles, but I base them on what my oldest is doing for my own sanity. So since she is in 9th, everyone is doing biology and the ancients. This is the beauty of homeschooling, but it does make planning ahead more difficult.

 

HTH

[Amanda_Jo]

We are doing "two year kindergarten" like many others who posted. Right now it's K4, next year it will be K5. My daughter meets the date to go to school this year (here it's Oct 15th and she was born early in Oct). But I would never dream of putting her in public school as a 4 year old, though academically she is more than ready for K, emotionally/socially she would not be ready for the public school setting. If she went to public school she would not be starting until next year, for that reason we're calling her K4. She's doing all K level work and will do first grade work next year though she'll be considered a Ker. I may hold off history until her actual first grade year and do an overview or more Galloping the Globe next year because she is a sensitive child and I think delaying history may work better for her.

[magistramom]

I would proceed...

 

I could be making a leap here, but I'll run with it...

 

Seeing that you are homeschooling a 10yo, you probably already have your "bearings" down. It is sooo much easier to bring up the second child already knowing what to look for, and having experience with some (or many) resources. Your older child is an example too - and could be used to also teach the younger. (I have my 11 yo read SOTW to her younger brother. She does outlining and timelining while he enjoys the stories and works through some of the worksheets.) With experience, I feel it is easier to let go of pre-conceived age and developmental expec1tations (especially those set by PS). I say - run with it while he is "lit"! Just remember to keep the fun in all you do at that age. Remember, you can always make adujustments if the pressure becomes too much for your youngest.

[Aloha2U]

I think the main thing I am concerned about is in 1st grade I typically introduce history and science whereas K is just reading, writing, math and bible. So I am trying to plan for next year...do I do another year of just the basics? Or add in the history and science? After reading your posts I think I may let him continue to work ahead in math and reading but hold off on the other subjects for one more year.

 

How does that sound to all of you?

 

My suggestions for you, although they may not worth much...

 

By all means, continue to go at his pace in the basics even if he is a bit advanced in those subjects. I would consider him K4/Preschool until your next school year. As far as extra subjects... I guess it just depends on how much time you have and if your ds is interested in more than just the basics. If he is, then maybe you could find/use other appropriate science/history materials for what he's interested in for K5 (possibly covering them informally utilizing the library) and hold off on using your first grade materials until you officially considered him a first grader.

 

I just started what I consider K4 (Preschool) with my ds (who turned 4 in July) and like you, we are doing the basics... Bible, Math, Reading/Writing... but also adding in Art and Science (these are considered K5 materials - listed on my blog). He loves it! Although this was only our first week, the schedule I planned is running rather smoothly... only my ds wants to learn all day and I have to end our formal lessons as planned so as neither of us become burnt out - LOL! I have him doing Saxon K, but I forsee that we're going to fly through it and add in MUS Primer or start SM1 sooner than planned (next year for K5)... however, I'll still consider him K4 until our next school year (September, 2009). Although I believe my ds is a smart cookie, I have science/history plans for 1st grade that I would not use for K5. So for K5 next year I may repeat our science schedule from this year again to compare/reinforce what he's learned (it's gentle, informative and fun), use the next level on the same topics, or use something entirely different for science, but I will add in some geography/people/history by using Galloping the Globe.

 

As you may have already gathered, I'm new to this myself so what do I know, but I just thought I'd see if I could help anyways. :tongue_smilie:

 

Sincerely,

 

Melissa

[JenParrish]

My Daughter will be 5 in January and we are doing Kindergarten this year. She was ready and willing to do it so she is. We are reinforcing Pre-K skills but guess what, they do that in Public schools too! With the advantages of having a one to one ratio classroom, public schools can not compete.

[Mommy22alyns]

To me, when people ask what grade they are in.....they are really referring to age. They don't want or need to know that she is working at a 1st grade level.

 

 

 

:iagree: Although Becca did inform someone the other day that she was in first grade (not K)... :001_huh: