Do you have to label your kids by grade? Advancing to K too soon?

[HFClassicalAcademy]

Currently, I'm homeschooling my almost 6yo ds and we are finishing up with Kindergarten. As for my dd, she just turned 4 (a couple of weeks ago) and is really way ahead of what I thought. I wasn't going to do anything formal until she reached kindergarten age next year (09). But she has been reading CVC words for a few months now. Last week she started spelling on her own...sounding out simple words like "mat, cat, can," etc. I have not taught her any handwriting and she can print all the letters pretty well.

 

I was curious so I took out our Saxon K book and she is flying through the lessons...we are on #60 (all that in about a month).

 

Question is...should I start her on kindergarten work? Does it matter that you even call it kindergarten? I imagine that it would be fine to do all the work she wants to do and advance on her own and just relax if she gets tired or stressed. I've been advised to hold off on doing any "school" work with her until next year; but it seems to me that she is already doing all this on her own, so it would be silly not to feed her need for knowledge. Am I wrong?

 

Any advice would be greatly appreciated! I really want to know if I am going to have to schedule teaching 2 kids as opposed to teaching 1 and keeping the rest occupied with "play school."

 

Liz in NC

[frogpond1]

things do even out as the progress toward Junior High and you wait for the logic brain to get working. My 6 year old gets very little of my time at the moment because I'm running a two day school etc, but he's reading at a grade level or two above. I just keep trucking on with his reading, meeting him where he is at. My other son was this way in math. In a public classroom the teacher would meet them at their correct levels too- ideally. Just go for it and remember "grade level" designations are more for group settings where maturity comes into play. My first grader may read like a third grader, but I wouldn't expect his body to behave like one, or his attention span. So, when you join in on group classes etc. you really have to take ability and maturity into consideration.

[FloridaLisa]

Liz,

 

Your instincts sound reasonable and you should trust them! If she's ready for early reading and math work and *wants* to do it, by all means go ahead. Saxon K is great for PK-4, IMO, and there are many that start their official K year off with Saxon 1.

 

As for labeling her as a Ker this year? I would advise you to use the grade level that she would fall into if she were in school, even if she's ahead. It will allow you a margin later should you need it. My oldest is 16 and I can name half a dozen moms I've spoken to recently who wished they had an extra year with their young graduates. My view is that it's better to be able to not have to use that year later (i.e. graduate early), than try to add it back in after she's been labeled a year ahead for so long.

 

Hope that makes sense. Getting late for me!

Lisa

[Dawn E]

I wouldn't worry about calling it kindergarten, but if she is ready and wants to do the work, I would schedule some for her. My dd is in K5 this year, but we are doing a lot of 1st grade stuff because she is ready for it. I plan to continue her "grade" with her age, though, while using material that will challenge her without pushing her in other areas where she is not so ready.

 

Dawn

[ArwenA]

If she wants to do it then go ahead!!

My youngest two are 6 and 3 and both love "doing school". I've heard lots of people saying don't start to early but when your kid come to you with a phonics book and says "Please mom" are you supposed to say no??:confused:

It doesn't matter about being in a certain grade. My eldest is all over different grades, I tell people she's in 4th because that's what she would be in if she went to school. If she's happy then go. There will probably be the days where she hates it and then I wouldn't force her. Learning should be fun!

[Brenda in FL]

I don't think you need to label her as K already. And I would be careful not to start too much formal school work. I would continue with reading and doing fun math stuff if you have time. But spelling and handwriting might soon become too tedious!

 

If you have other activities where the kids are lumped by age/grade - you will want to consider that when you designate a grade.

 

It sounds like she is in the range for a foru year old. I'd just keep things light and fun. No sense stressing yourself or her out when she still has a year until Kindergarten and then even that year should be fun and light with an emphasis on reading and beginning math concepts.

 

My youngest "officially" begins K in the fall. He is finally interested in doing some "school work." He's working thru the Bob Books, doing R&S preschool (K) workbooks, and having fun with Kumon workbooks. But I don't have him on a schedule or plan yet with school work. He's having fun and it's not stressing me out yet!!

 

So my advice - "play school":rolleyes:

[Tonia]

My dd is also four and she is doing what you describe, reading, etc. Right now I keep a bunch of workbooks accessible - the Rod and Staff preschool series, the Never Bored Kid book, Explode the Code, Total Math and some kumon workbooks. When she tells me she wants to do her work, we grab a pencil, crayons, scissors and glue stick and do a few pages in each book (usually, I have to take them away from her and get her started on something else, or she would sit there all day with them!).

 

The only thing I've scheduled is science for two days a week. We are using an evan-moor book All About Animals Around the World and reading library books, etc. Basically just reading books and doing some crafts.

 

I've got a schedule but it is light and we don't get to everything everyday, and that is okay with me, but it gives me something intentional to do when she says she wants to do some work.

 

I say just do what works for you. Keep some workbooks and activity books handy, plan some learning activities, keep a box of art supplies, puzzles, etc. handy and just use those whenever the mood strikes! :)

[WTMindy]

I didn't call it Kindergarten until that was their age even though both my kids were through with K curriculum before that time. I figure a grade is just a label to let people know how old they are. We progress at whatever level is appropriate despite their grade.

[Laura Corin]

I call them their grade by age, whatever work they are doing. I would follow your child's abilities and interests but wait until kindergarten age to use that label.

 

Laura

[Ellie]

is for the sake of Sunday school teachers and grandparents. In that case, my recommendation is to use the grade level that the dc would have been in if they'd been in school.

 

Otherwise, you teach them at the level they are capable of. That your dc is capable of doing kindergarten-level work does not mean she is "in" kindergarten. It does not mean you are "advancing" her. It means that you are allowing her to learn as much as she can.

[5wolfcubs]

It is better to have a child who feels "I'm a successful 3rd grader" rather than one who feels "I'm a struggling 4th grader" -- I'm with the ladies who suggest keeping grade w/ age while working at your child's level! There are exceptions to this, of course, just check the accelerated board!:D

[GraceinMD]

One big regret I have about hsing is that I started K when ds was 4-almost-5 (he was in pre-K program in the afternoon, and I figured, why not do K in the morning?). Well, that was fine, but then, of course, he was in 1st, 2nd, etc., when he would have been in K, 1st, etc.

 

(Need tea! That was a convoluted sentence!). My point is that I *really* wish that someone had said, "What's the rush? Do whatever work you want, but don't call it (Grade X) until you have to." He is 11.25 now, and in 6th grade - that is, has a late birthday, and some of his friends who are actually older are in 5th grade. I think it would have been easier on us both if I hadn't set the bar so high, since he gets easily frustrated, and I think I do, too!

 

It would, imo, be much easier to do whatever work you want, and just not call it school until you have to. Then, when your child is older (middle school, say), you'd have an easier time "skipping a grade" if you must.

 

They are young but once, and there's ALWAYS time for school - it's easier to jump forward later, than to try to slow down once they're in groups/Sunday School/clubs, etc., that are segregated by grade level.

[KAR120C]

I think I'm usually the dissenting voice on these threads... lol

 

We did start DS early (not super super early, but depending on the school he would probably have missed the cutoff), AND he was doing kindergarten work before that year anyway... And we've skipped him another year since then.

 

I think what I'd generally suggest is that if you can get away with it, don't bother calling it kindergarten even if it's kindergarten work. If it gets completely ridiculous to keep pretending that she's working at any one grade level, then feel free to change. I think you have to take each year as it comes -- you may find that it's easier to explain to your kids that they work on different levels at different times and that because you can plan for just exactly what they each need, you don't have to follow a grade level that changes every September like public schools. That means that if they're done early they can keep going and if they need extra time they can have it.

 

The other thing is that I don't really stick with a single grade level for everything. He tests as a 4th grader, he participates in the science fair as a 4th grader, but he attends Sunday school as a 3rd grader and the public library book group as a "homeschooler" (with no grade designation) in the 1st-3rd grade group. That book group is ridiculously easy reading, but it's fun and his friends are in it and who cares if he's reading Amelia Bedelia there and Macbeth at home? And then when one of his friends at dance class asked me what grade he was in I just said we didn't do grade levels quite the same way as public schools did, because I didn't think she really wanted to know academic levels, just whether he was about her age or not.

 

So anyway short answer is I wouldn't call it kindergarten if you don't have to, but I'm not opposed to grade skipping on principle -- I'd just wait a bit to see how it's going to fall out first.

[Jenny in Atl]

I love the expression on my 7yr-old dd's face when someone asks her what grade she is in. There is always this dead-air pause... "Um, ah, I think, mom what grade am I now"?

 

Poor kid, no wonder she is confused, we use a number of levels with her, ahead in some and grade level in others. It really doesn't matter, but the rest of the world thinks it does. :rolleyes:

[Canada_Mom]

I just wanted to thank you all for the great advice! I'm in the same boat with my dd3 who is reading and capable of working through most K level workbooks that I put in front of her. She INSISTS on doing school each day (especially math) and will sit (still!!) for 1-1/2 to 2 hours and do "work."- whether that be a colouring page, activity sheet, math page or craft project. To be truthful, her attention span weirds me out!

 

I had no idea what to do with her and was riddled with guilt about putting her in "K" this coming fall as she'll only be 4 in July. Now, thanks to all of you, I can feel good about my decision to meet her where she's at and not feel like I'm pushing her. We'll just keep going with what we're doing and call it "K" when it's supposed to be that- in another year and a half!

 

THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU.

[kalanamak]

The labels are for the outside world, but they do also remind me even though kiddo is doing much more advanced things than I was at that age (I went to school when Kindergarten had none of the 3 R's) he still is a K'er, and to stop early if he's twitchy, to slow down, to stop to laugh, to hand out the stickers and stars after a good job, to skip a day if there is an adventure to be had.

[Myrtle]

I've been advised to hold off on doing any "school" work with her until next year

 

Liz in NC

 

I have a child that has some serious language issues. I was advised by "the" leading expert in his particular disorder, a researcher, to hold off doing school with my child in K and 1st grade and to absolutely hold off teaching him how to read. I had absolute and complete faith in this expert. Within a few weeks of that my son walked up to me with a book open and read it to me. How did he learn these words? I have no idea. Against the expert advice I began formal reading instruction although I did it only with the complete cooperation (he was begging for it by this time) of my child. The lesson I learned was that the expert was an expert with the disorder but not with my child!

 

I think a lot of people advise to delay seatwork and workbooks unfil 1st grade or even later because they imagine that you will push an unwilling child into something that she's not ready to do, and perhaps that is true for some people, but if your child is an eager learner and happens to enjoy workbooks I don't see how it hurts anything at all. Also, there are folks out there that if you question them carefully turn out to be completely against any sort of seatwork. They think that all of education should be one long series of hands on projects and would extend the crayola curriculum into high school if given the chance. They too will reap what they sow.

 

By the end of K I was doing 2nd grade arithmetic with my oldest son; we still called it K.