lulalu Posted September 12, 2016 Share Posted September 12, 2016 I have been debating begin phonics instruction beyond abc and saying letter sounds pointing letters out etc. I think I am leaning towards waiting closer to 6 (so a year from now). I am wondering what types of learning people do to build up the brain, body, and soul for the years before 6/7. We are currently still learning a second language and will be adding in another in a few months. We work on fine motor skills through art and handcrafts. We do lots of memory work. We just began narration. I would like ds to develop the skill of storytelling to help think through ideas and speak well. We do many field trips a great perk to living overseas near ancient historical sites! Just wondering what others do in these years if you save formal lessons in math and phonics to the 6 or 7 years old. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted September 12, 2016 Share Posted September 12, 2016 Ambleside Online Year 0 https://www.amblesideonline.org/00.shtml Ella Frances Lynch Bookless Lessons https://books.google.com/books?id=lqs9AAAAIAAJ&dq=bookless+lessons&source=gbs_navlinks_s Waldorf Essentials Kindergarten frequently goes on sale. Watch for a sale. http://www.waldorfessentials.com/kindergarten/ Free East African Waldorf Curriculum. The child development pdf and some of Grade 1 http://www.zukunftsstiftung-entwicklung.de/spenderinnen/download/ Eclectic Manual of Methods Year 1 Arithmetic https://books.google.com/books/about/The_Eclectic_Manual_of_Methods_for_the_A.html?id=FMkKAQAAIAAJ Prang Primary Art is so much more than art. https://books.google.com/books?id=KnUoAAAAYAAJ&dq=prang+primary+art&source=gbs_navlinks_s Charles McMurry on Fairy Tales https://books.google.com/books?id=5UgBAAAAYAAJ&dq=mcmurry+charles+literature&source=gbs_navlinks_s 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted September 12, 2016 Share Posted September 12, 2016 The Primary Plan Books https://books.google.com/books?id=N_0AAAAAYAAJ&dq=editions%3AAujWG-ick0sC&source=gbs_similarbooks https://books.google.com/books?id=O60yAQAAMAAJ&source=gbs_book_similarbooks https://books.google.com/books?id=Eq0yAQAAMAAJ&dq=editions:AujWG-ick0sC&source=gbs_book_similarbooks Kindergarten at Home https://books.google.com/books?id=50UBAAAAYAAJ&dq=kindergarten+at+home&source=gbs_navlinks_s Peter and Polly series https://books.google.com/books?id=WkwXAAAAIAAJ Sunbonnet Babies and Overall Boys https://books.google.com/books?id=eZpUAAAAYAAJ&dq=Sunbonnet+baies&source=gbs_navlinks_s Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lulalu Posted September 12, 2016 Author Share Posted September 12, 2016 Hunter you are always a wealth of information! And more reading for me 😂 Thank you I will look those over 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted September 12, 2016 Share Posted September 12, 2016 (edited) Dutch Twins, Japanese Twins and Eskimo Twins https://books.google.com/books?id=WriQTVrPhEMC&dq=editions:-5c20E2M8JkC&source=gbs_navlinks_s Boxcar Children the original, where Benny is 5 years old. http://diyhomeschooler.com/the-original-box-car-children-free-ebook/ Bobbsey Twins 4 years old https://books.google.com/books?id=wKM6AAAAMAAJ&dq=bobbsey+twins&source=gbs_navlinks_s All in the public domain: Velveteen Rabbit, Raggedy Ann, Beatrix Potter, Hurlbut Bible Stories, Old Mother West Wind and Burgess Animal series, Burgess Flower Book, Lang's Blue Fairy Book, Aesops Fables, Hiawatha's Childhood, Brownings Pied Piper, Mother Goose, Seed Babies, Dooryard Stories, Among the Farmyard People and the rest of the series. Payne's Geographical Nature Studies https://books.google.com/books/about/Geographical_Nature_Studies.html?id=PMAXAAAAIAAJ Not in Public domain, but readily available here: Little House in the Big Woods Winnie the Pooh James Heriot Treasury for Children Edited September 12, 2016 by Hunter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneStepAtATime Posted September 12, 2016 Share Posted September 12, 2016 For language arts: Lots and lots of reading. Read to your child. Discuss with your child. Listen to audio books with your child. Play lots of games with words. If you want them to have a rich experience with reading/writing, expose them to words. Even if they aren't reading a single word yet, they can still absorb language (grammar/concepts/vocabulary/stories/settings,etc.). For math: lots and lots of games with numbers that emphasize subitization skills not rote memorization of algorithms or math facts. Interest led anything. If they suddenly want to study frogs, study frogs. If they suddenly have an interest in the color brown, study the color brown. Support their interests. (But don't run those interests into the grounds with overkill :) ). 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bethben Posted September 12, 2016 Share Posted September 12, 2016 Watch Leap Frog Letter Factory often . It is phonics, but it really helps speed up the learning to read process when they get there. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HomeAgain Posted September 12, 2016 Share Posted September 12, 2016 I would probably add lots of puzzles. All different sorts: jigsaws, part-to-whole, gradient, mind teasers, sudoku..things that stretch the mind and gives the chance to make mistakes, but have it self correcting. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted September 12, 2016 Share Posted September 12, 2016 The Moore Formula might give you some ideas. :-) 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MistyMountain Posted September 12, 2016 Share Posted September 12, 2016 I would work on phonemic awareness skills and get those really strong. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homeschoolmom3 Posted September 13, 2016 Share Posted September 13, 2016 Read widely...that helped my kids more than anything!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdventuresinHomeschooling Posted September 13, 2016 Share Posted September 13, 2016 You might consider Five in a Row. Lots of read alouds and enrichment discussions and activities to go along with the story you read. There is no phonics or math, but there is literature and social studies, character development and some science and geography extensions. Great for kindergarten! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lulalu Posted September 13, 2016 Author Share Posted September 13, 2016 Thanks everyone! Ellie- thank you for the link to the Moores! We do read a lot about an hour or more a day depends on what the day holds as far as chores. I think on the phonemic skills and pre-reading skills we are good. My ds did two different kindergarten readiness tests and was high into the ready. He really probably is ready just not to the point of having the discipline to do a lesson each day. Which is why I am leaning towards waiting and focusing on some other skills especially speaking well (no speech problems just answering in one word or talking fast etc) I think I would best spend my energy this year building a strong foundation before adding in formal math and phonics. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terabith Posted September 13, 2016 Share Posted September 13, 2016 Lots of time outdoors, lots of creative play. Swimming and gymnastics, music and art/ craft activities. Practical life, both chores and Montessori activities. Listening to lots of books read aloud, singing songs and reciting poems. Anything that promotes concentration and deep involvement by your child. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gstharr Posted September 13, 2016 Share Posted September 13, 2016 Why are you waiting to age 6? letter sounds followed by combined letters sounds (phonics) is pre-reading. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted September 13, 2016 Share Posted September 13, 2016 Waiting until age 7 to start phonics is a sound and proven educational method. It is the standard in many European countries that continually outperform the USA at the high school level. Early reading is not indicative of future ability, especially for boys. I had a child that didn't read until 8, but at 16 was putting himself through college including paying for his health insurance. At barely 19 he was totally financially self-sufficient, had no loan-debt, and was living on the other side of the country, employed in a job that required his degree. I taught myself how to read at 4 years old and it really would have been nice if someone had cared enough about me to spend even 10 minutes a day helping me. Instead I was literally risking a beating asking for just a single word to be read to me. I used to take that one word, study it, and apply the sounds to new words. I was desperate to learn. More desperate than afraid of being hit. I have lived both ends of the spectrum of early and late reading. I trust parents to make the choices for their own children. The OP asked for ideas used my people that choose to introduce phonics later. There are other threads to discuss the pros and cons of early vs late reading, or ideas to introduce early reading. Ellie, thanks for linking the Moores. I'm trying to reread my way though all the oldchool classics. I need to add them to the list. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lulalu Posted September 13, 2016 Author Share Posted September 13, 2016 A lot has lead to me thinking this may be best to wait. First we are not in a country that speaks English so all the words we see out and about are close sometimes but so different (taksi for taxi, restaran for restaraunt) I even get tripped up sometimes lol! Second looking at the schooling here has been enlightening. school is offered at 4 but reading instruction starts at 7. Only the international schools start earlier. And the schools offer a lot kids to really build a whole child and foundation. Folk dance is offered! Third I am noticing some character issues that need working on first. My ds hasn't been told what to do much.... he really has had a lot of free play of his choice his whole life. So I think it might be best to hold off on things that feel restrictive to him and try to build the habit of being told at this time we are doing x in a different area so he doesn't hate learning skills. I have no backup to homeschooling 😊 (unless I want him to be the only infadel during religion classes) He loves to cuddle while I read so that is a plus! Just telling him he can't just play all day. Also- my experiences in the middle east have opened me up to the beauty of strong oral culture. I just love that my neighbors can tell such vaptivating stories for so long! And these traditional stories aren't written down much. So I feel like Conrad Gessner might be right about the printing press😠But I do think that building of the mind should be worked on before reading. But these are just my thoughts and ideas without research...... 15 years ago working on my thesis of education I would have told a different story. But we get older and learn different things. For me living in 4 countries changed my view of education a lot! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted September 13, 2016 Share Posted September 13, 2016 Yes, jumping from culture to culture changes one's ideas on education! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiara.I Posted September 13, 2016 Share Posted September 13, 2016 Lots and lots and lots of outdoor play, and climbing, clambering type play. If you want to do something targeted, "Growing an In Sync Child" might have some game ideas for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cabritadorada Posted September 13, 2016 Share Posted September 13, 2016 "What Your Kindergartener Needs to Know" by E.D. Hirsch Jr would be a pretty great resource for you, I think. It's not a full curriculum for Kindergarten by any means and it assumes no formal instruction is taking place--it's essentially stories (non-fiction and classic fiction), games and songs. You get some history, geography and science, literature and folktales, number and patterns games. In my experience, 5 year olds are sponges and *love* learning about the world almost as much as they love free play. Just think of all the questions they've got for us! There can be value to holding back on phonics and numbers for a while, but go ahead and pour on knowledge about weather systems, ancient Egypt, ecosystems and animals, dinosaurs, food, human anatomy, the solar system, maps, Great Explorers, the Old West, and so on, through books, conversation, experiments, films, etc. It can be light--you're helping him construct information and vocabulary scaffolding that he'll build on extensively later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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