PLEASE help me: How hard do you push your child?

[AuntPol]

know CM says this, but the state of NC says children have to know numbers up to 30....

 

 

Both of my kids went to NC public schools for kindergarten and I just checked the newly revised standards.

 

They have to be able to orally count to 30 by the end of kindergarten. That is 1,2,3 not adding, subtracting, etc. They have to understand 1:1 correspondance for 1-10 and be able to write the numbers 1-10. This is all by the end of kindergarten.

 

I am not saying it's not good to work ahead. Both of my kids could count beyond 100, understood adding and subtracting, etc before K with us playing games, singing songs, and having fun and no formal curriculum. However, I would not be stressing because a preschooler can't grasp a first grade concept.

 

For me I found that the harder I pushed at that age, the more my daughter resisted. She hates to read now and I think it's because I pushed her. I didn't push my son and he loves to read.

[MitchellMom]

know CM says this, but the state of NC says children have to know numbers up to 30....

 

 

Both of my kids went to NC public schools for kindergarten and I just checked the newly revised standards.

 

They have to be able to orally count to 30 by the end of kindergarten. That is 1,2,3 not adding, subtracting, etc. They have to understand 1:1 correspondance for 1-10 and be able to write the numbers 1-10. This is all by the end of kindergarten.

 

I am not saying it's not good to work ahead. Both of my kids could count beyond 100, understood adding and subtracting, etc before K with us playing games, singing songs, and having fun and no formal curriculum. However, I would not be stressing because a preschooler can't grasp a first grade concept.

 

For me I found that the harder I pushed at that age, the more my daughter resisted. She hates to read now and I think it's because I pushed her. I didn't push my son and he loves to read.

 

 

I thought kindergarteners had to be able to recognize and write numbers to 30, not just count them....

[Lovedtodeath]

Well, it does not matter that much does it? You have your DD doing more than that already, and she should be over a year older by the end of K.

 

As to your original question... I think that everyone is telling you that you don't push a 4 year old. TWTM says that learning phonics for 5-10 minutes a day is like eating vegetables. Not doing an advanced program in any other area. Just thought I would spell it out as best as I could.

 

I know how easy it is to get caught up in thinking your child needs to do x and y at such and such age when you start to read these boards. Go back to TWTM. Jessie and Susan are not telling us to do this!

[momsquared]

I am sure others have given input, but I have a 4.5 year old and we do Saxon K for math. Considering she is not even Kinder age I thought this was the right place to start and it totally was! She loves math and all the manipulatives.

 

Another good question. Actually it is Saxon Math 1. It's supposedly for first grade but I've read a few reviews that say it is best for kindergarten. I let her take the placement test and she placed into it. I just decided to go ahead and start with kindergarten. However, we don't do nearly as much science as I'm sure everyone else out there does. We do science about once a week.