Timing K student.

[bluejay]

Hi.  I'm new here.  I'm homeschooling my two kids age 3 and almost 6 years.  I was wondering if a 45-60 minute limit each day is okay?  We focus on reading, writing and math with our older child.  He knows his alphabet and reads well despite showing symptoms of dyslexia.  He writes words and letters often.  He counts up to 100, does simple addition and skip counting.  We teach math with formulas and charts, but also with objects like toys.  Outside of the "formal" teaching, of course, we encourage the kids to read, count and speak all the time.  I am not aiming for a strictly classical education but I have found the Well Trained Mind book very helpful (especially the reading lists!).  I was just wondering if other parents here have found a 45-60 minute long teaching time sufficient for K level?  Our 3 year old studies practically all the time -- she is preoccupied with reading.  LOL 

[Ellie]

For a little 5yo person (or 6yo, for that matter), an hour is fine. 

[HomeAgain]

Do you mean sit down work?  An hour is more than fine.  I find we experience more when we're up and moving, anyway. :)

[barnwife]

Well, I have a 5 yo and 3 yo (and 2 yo), and we don't do anywhere near that much formal, sit-down work. To be totally honest, we don't do any at this point. Yet, the oldest can identify letters and their sounds, count syllables, count (rote and one-to-one correspondence), add and more. Anyway, clearly I think you are fine!

[bluejay]

Thank you for your  replies, Beekeeping Professor et al!  HomeAgain, if by "sit down" is meant "doing lessons alone," then no, not entirely.  My son can spell letters and simple words on his own and he can spell out simple addition formulas like 2+ 2 = 4 on his own.  But I still supervise him in a lot of them.  We do a lot of problem-solving math using familiar people and objects as examples.  We also alternate betwen reading to him and letting him read aloud to us.  I was just a bit worried about possibly not being "on track."  :)

 

barnwife, I think too much "formal schooling" at this point might do more harm than good for many kids.  But my son benefits from routine and structure.  It's like he feels better when he knows what to expect and for how long.  He will even volunteer to do his ABCs and his math when school time comes around.  And yes, like some other parents, I get told "This is your lesson tday" a lot too. LOL 

[FO4UR]

It sounds like things are going very well.  Don't change a thing until he hits a growth spurt in his learning. 

 

Read aloud to them both above their reading levels for storytime outside of school lessons.  Give them plenty of unstructured time to play outside.

[bluejay]

4blessingmom, thanks for the advice.  I totally agree.  I was homeschooled and I always enjoyed reading and being taught a little above my level.  I am a big fan of Usborne and DK books, by the way.  I want to get them started on some Usborne stuff for older kids, but I'm worried my 3 year old would tear them up as she takes the whole "food for thought" thing literally.  :D  Will be browsing the library soon for books on classical mythology. 

[barnwife]

Thank you for your  replies, Beekeeping Professor et al!  HomeAgain, if by "sit down" is meant "doing lessons alone," then no, not entirely.  My son can spell letters and simple words on his own and he can spell out simple addition formulas like 2+ 2 = 4 on his own.  But I still supervise him in a lot of them.  We do a lot of problem-solving math using familiar people and objects as examples.  We also alternate betwen reading to him and letting him read aloud to us.  I was just a bit worried about possibly not being "on track."  :)

 

barnwife, I think too much "formal schooling" at this point might do more harm than good for many kids.  But my son benefits from routine and structure.  It's like he feels better when he knows what to expect and for how long.  He will even volunteer to do his ABCs and his math when school time comes around.  And yes, like some other parents, I get told "This is your lesson tday" a lot too. LOL 

Oh, we definitely have routine and structure (I'd go crazy without it), but no formal, sit-down stuff yet. So, for example, counting syllables in words happens while jumping on the trampoline. And it just happens spur of the moment. I don't plan out what language/phonics stuff I'll be covering each week. 

 

So we might talk about rhyming on Monday, segmenting/deleting sounds from words the next, rhyming the next, whatever they seem interested and is easy to fit into whatever we are doing. Today math consisted of counting chocolate chips as we added them to the oatmeal/egg bake muffin things we made. 

 

As another poster said, if what you are doing is working, keep doing it! 

[HomeAgain]

Thank you for your  replies, Beekeeping Professor et al!  HomeAgain, if by "sit down" is meant "doing lessons alone," then no, not entirely.  My son can spell letters and simple words on his own and he can spell out simple addition formulas like 2+ 2 = 4 on his own.  But I still supervise him in a lot of them.  We do a lot of problem-solving math using familiar people and objects as examples.  We also alternate betwen reading to him and letting him read aloud to us.  I was just a bit worried about possibly not being "on track."  :)

 

 

 

Oh, goodness, no!  I just meant sitting!  LOL  I have a squirrelly 5yo.  Today started with a bike ride, followed by a sit down writing lesson (10 minutes) and calendar time (3 minutes in my lap), to math being spread out all over the floor and him hopping from activity to activity: mental math, balance scale, mystery box...before sitting again for another 10 minutes to do the corresponding written work.  Add in a bit of science later and him reading a book to me, and I think we may have hit an hour total today where he sat quietly.  Not all at once, and definitely not for long stretches.  The only things I did not supervise completely were his writing (copywork).

 

I think you are definitely on track. :)

[bluejay]

It's reassuring to see different styles working here!  I was under the impression we had to follow a strictly schedule since each State (for those US-based) have mandatory subject requirements and minimum hours.  I don't plan lessons in detail either, but I use K and First Grade workbooks as a guide to make sure we cover everything.  My son focuses in the details a lot once he gets into something, so that's one of the reasons we hit the 50-60 minute mark with jsut a few subjects.  I feel better learning how you have all different approaches and it all works out!  Thank you again!

[SilverMoon]

My 5yo kindergartner usually only spends 20 minutes on seatwork. That includes a gentle phonics/penmanship book and a math book. He's my sixth and last homeschooled kindergartner, and this laid back kindy year more than adequately prepared his older siblings for a TWTM style first grade.

[Sk8ermaiden]

We only did sit-down math and phonics last year. It always took less than an hour. Everything else was from our fun co-op or museums or life. We did add an Egypt unit study in the second semester (she picked the topic.) 

 

I was concerned about the state standards too - until I looked them up. DD had hit 90% of the K standards by 3, and she's just your normal, curious, kid. Every time I got worried, I'd just look up the standards again. It always made me feel better. :)

[abba12]

The guideline often mentioned is an hour per grade level. A lot of people interpret that as 30 minutes for K. But the range varies from no K at all to a full morning. 

 

We have about two hours in the morning between my two who are 'doing school', BUT, that includes art and craft, read alouds, motor skills and logic games. We do cutting skills, sticker books, logic puzzle toys, and drawing as 'school subjects' because a. I want school to be fun, and b. I want those things to happen regularly and intentionally for motor skill development, brain development, and drawing is a required subject for our family, so that spreads our morning out a bit. My older one probably spends about 45 minutes on reading/writing/math/logic, my younger about 20 minutes on reading/math/logic (no handwriting for her yet). 

[73349]

I think DS's sitting-at-the-table (with me) work was only 20-45 minutes most days in K. That was plenty.

[MeaganS]

DD5, who I guess is Kindergarten age (although misses the cutoff here) enjoys book work. She usually spends 1.5 to 2 hours a day doing sit down work with me. This includes 15-20 minutes for phonics, 45-60 minutes for math, 10 minutes for memorization, 10 mins for piano (just started and which she wouldn't be doing at this point if we didn't homeschool) and 15-20 minutes for spelling and handwriting. It doesn't count history, which she listens to and colors a sheet and does a short verbal narration for me once or twice a week. We average 4 days a week. She is fairly mature for her age and if she's having a rough day, I cut it short, but this is what she usually does.

 

This isn't all at once because I also school her older sister and switch them back and forth a lot, combine them for some, and teach them concurrently for math, but it is done almost exclusively in the mornings. 

 

If she wasn't as academically inclined, I'd cut back on the math, and possibly the spelling, but most everything else would be the same. So for me, about an hour is probably minimum of what I'd do for Kindergarten. My first/second grader has a little more of a load, but not significantly, maybe an extra half hour or so of work a day.