Abeka

[ReadingMama1214]

My son will start a preschool program next fall. He's 3 and just had a birthday last month. The school uses abeka K4 for preschool. I was looking over the curriculum and it seems very writing intensive which I don't love for preschool. Does it really expect them to form all letters in preschool? My son is bright but not into writing or drawing and I am worried this will be too much for him. We could do a different preschool.

[maize]

I would not send a child to a preschool with a heavy writing emphasis; that is not a developmentally appropriate skill focus for 3 and 4 year olds.

 

I would look for something play and discovery based, or a good Montessori type environment. The child should have some choices in what activities to focus on most of the time.

[OneStepAtATime]

I would not send a child to a preschool with a heavy writing emphasis; that is not a developmentally appropriate skill focus for 3 and 4 year olds.

 

I would look for something play and discovery based, or a good Montessori type environment. The child should have some choices in what activities to focus on most of the time.

What she said.  

 

SOME kids are ready for writing at that age.  Most aren't.  Forcing them to perform extensive writing before they are developmentally ready can be harmful.  Find another school.

Edited February 25, 2017 by OneStepAtATime

[justasque]

My son will start a preschool program next fall. He's 3 and just had a birthday last month. The school uses abeka K4 for preschool. I was looking over the curriculum and it seems very writing intensive which I don't love for preschool. Does it really expect them to form all letters in preschool? My son is bright but not into writing or drawing and I am worried this will be too much for him. We could do a different preschool.

 

I would tour a couple of other preschools to see which one seems like a good fit for your son.  I would be looking for age-appropriate, mostly hands-on, play-based activities at that age.  I would want time to work on large motor skills (like riding toys, climbing apparatus, playing with balls, running, dancing), pretend play (play "house"/kitchen area, perhaps a "store" area, "community workers" items in a dress-up box), construction toys ideally with a math component (wooden unit blocks, Cuisinaire rods, pattern blocks), items for more quiet, thoughtful play (like puzzles and picture books), story time (where the teacher reads aloud), art time (practicing small motor skills with writing implements and scissors, cut-and-paste projects, crafts), science time (nature walks, "experiments" like seeing which objects float in a tub of water and which sink), and music time (ideally including classic American songs such as collected by Ruth Crawford Seeger in American Folk Songs for Children, as well as songs appropriate to local or school culture, plus songs relevant to other curricular content).  

 

I like a "unit studies" approach which might include, over the course of a week or two, finding caterpillars on a nature walk, a caterpillar craft, a caterpillar story, learning a bit about leaves (which caterpillars eat) or birds (which eat caterpillars), pretending to be caterpillars and doing some movement about it, and perhaps a craft involving pictures of caterpillars and leaves and birds connected by yarn showing a food chain.  

 

Letters and their sounds can similarly be introduced at story time, through learning the alphabet song at music time, through craft activities, using "letter of the week" themes, and at "teachable moments".  Cubbys can be labeled with students' names, and a simple "word of the day" can be added to a word wall for those who are at a level to benefit from it.

 

Counting and other number activities can be taught through science (how many caterpillars?), play with unit blocks and pattern blocks, setting the table for snack time (how many children are there?  how many spoons do we need?), and other practical applications as well as "teachable moments" that arise through the day.

 

None of this requires a formal or purchased "curriculum" per se.  Rather, an interested and involved staff as well as access to age-appropriate materials and a well-stocked library can create an environment and programming that will catch the interest of the students and help them engage with and learn from the world around them.

 

I would be somewhat wary of a staff which relies so much on a purchased curriculum that they describe their school by invoking the name of that curriculum.  I would prefer a school which has as their framework an educational philosophy rooted in the developmental needs and abilities of preschoolers, and which has a staff that is knowledgeable and creative enough to select and create their own activities based on the needs and interests of their students.

 

Preschool is an excellent time to lay foundations for later, more formal study.  Students will differ in their readiness for more formal work, and for specific levels of study and achievement.  I prefer a preschool that provides opportunity for students to learn academic content and skills through hands-on, play-based, child-focused activities rather than more formal seatwork.  Although it's not as easy to see or quantify as a completed worksheet, a lot of very important foundational learning can be gained through such an approach.

 

I would much rather have an Algebra student who has played with unit blocks and LEGO, a literature student who has had extensive pretend play time, a science student who has done nature walks and water play, a history student who has had to negotiate play with peers, an art student who has had access to materials and mentoring to make what they are envisioning, a music student who has danced or drawn what they heard in different songs, a health student who has had access to healthy snacks and time for active play.  These foundations are what inform and motivate later, more formal work.

Edited February 25, 2017 by justasque

[maize]

If you want an idea of what a good preschool designed around research into the healthy development of children looks like, Bing Nursery School at Stanford is a stellar example.

https://bingschool.stanford.edu/programs-children/nursery-school-program

 

Notice that paper based academic skills do not feature prominently in their program description.

[purpleowl]

I have used A Beka K4 with both my daughters and plan to use it with my son as well. Both DDs used it before age 4, but I did not require them to do all the writing. It worked fine for us. DS is a few weeks from turning 3...right now he's absolutely not ready to do A Beka K4, but he seems to be a "big cognitive leaps" learner, so I can't really predict whether he'll be ready for it in a few months or not.

 

I would suggest finding out how rigidly the school uses the program. If they demand that the students complete every page, I would choose something different for your son. If it's just "we use this to provide a general structure for our days, but kids who aren't developmentally ready to write can move along to the next activity," it could be absolutely fine. 

[ReadingMama1214]

Thanks everyone!

 

We do have several preschools we are looking at. This was one recommended by a friend and I was really hesitant once I heard they use Abeka. I will have to find out how strictly they follow it. My friend did say that when she enrolled her 4 year old (he will be in K next year), they told her that by the end of the year they promise he will be starting to read. I found that a bit absurd and it made me even more hesitant to consider the school. Promising things that are not developmentally appropriate is a pet peeve of mine. The other schools we are looking at are play-based and not as focused on academics. Which I love!

Edited February 26, 2017 by ReadingMama1214