I am a bit concerned how "needy" my daughter is when we are doing school work. She is in Kindergarten and unless she is just writing her name or her numbers, she needs me right by her side. For example, we did a worksheet that shows a picture of a hat. Well, it gives her H_T and she has to pick the middle vowel from an A or E. I find that I have to walk her through sounding out the word, giving deliberate cued sound before she gets it. She know all of the sounds the letters makes, just needs that extra boost. I could never just give her the worksheet and expect it done. Is this normal?
I really wouldn't worry about it too much. Mine was in Kindergarten last year, and was like that sometimes. You might think about buying her some learning games to enforce the letter sounds. Does she have a Leapster? I think they are wonderful, and have great games. They have a couple that enforce learning letter sounds, etc. I don't allow video games in our house, but will allow learning games. Mine loves her leapster, and it enforces what I'm already teaching her. She has fun learning. About the needy thing, maybe it's just her nature, mine is a bit needy too, I don't think she needs me there anymore, she just wants me there. Some children just require a bit more of our time, mine is one of them. I don't mind, I take it as a compliment, the day will most inevitably come, when she doesn't need me around, and I will wish she did. Don't fret about it, it'll work itself out. Blessings, Dianna
I would expect a kindergraten kid to need someone right there and I'd also, if I were expecting that kind of work from a kindergartener, expect myself to right the with them. What my kids and I did at that age, when we used workbooks, was to snuggle up on the couch together and do them.
isnt that what kindergarden is, one on one, in homeschooling, then you send them to play with Legos or do art pictures for a while then do more one on one walking them through it? Thats how you teach K garden.
Hi I really don't have a solution for you and your daughter (just sympathizing). I have heard that there are ways to help get the child more independent, but I haven't tried anything yet. I have a 1st grade son that is needy. My son doesn't think he can do his work alone and if I do leave him alone only half of the work will get done. Most of the time my 4 y.o. daughter is more independent than he is! I guess that's what's great about homeschooling is that you are able to work one on one. I figure this is one of the reasons why I decided to homeschool in the first place was because my son seem to need more help and attention. Last year in public school my son begged his K teacher for help all the time, so it became a problem at school. The teacher was very frustrated with him because she had 22 other kids to deal with. Good luck to you and your daughter!
Don't worry about it. My dd and ds did the same thing. To them it is just as much about interacting as learning. They see no real reason to learn these things but they do love the praise and interaction we give them. In time, she will learn to work on her own. For now, that is what Kindergarden is.
I found that K and even 1st were very "hands on" and needing to be present...even if I was just guiding. We would block out our day and it was school, I didn't answer the phone, I wasn't on the computer, anything. Of course, I was only doing 1 at the time. My eldest would do as you say - you KNOW she knows it...but she plays the "student" so you have to sit there with her to be the teacher. I would do one with my daughter and sit with her and have her do the next one alone. Then we'd do one together and then alone again. After a while, she would say "I can do it myself, Mom" and I would just check it when she was done. 2nd grade was definitely more indpendent. I'd sit right next to her but be planning the next week, working on grading, prepping stuff for my son or doing his Kinderwork...so I was "there" but she was doing a lot of the work independently. And now, 3rd grade...she is very independent. I still need to be nearby, but she does all of her work on her own and comes to me when she hits a snag. I schedule it out...she knows she has to start by 9:00 - but most days she starts earlier on her own - and again...just when she gets to a new thing, new concept, etc. do I step in. It was actually a hard adjustment to not be AS hands on with her...now she's learning without me! WAAAAAA!!! In 2nd grade when I was doing Kinder with her brother, it worked out nicely, she was more independent, but I could do the Kinder work with him and be near her and he still got the individual attention. It comes, with time, working with her now - giving her the opportunites to do a few on her own, but being there to do when she needs you, helps her be more independent. Just hang in!
Thanks. I don't mind sitting right there with her doing it. That wasn't the point of my post. Rather, that in ABeka, the teacher's guide specifies that the child should work "independently" and my daughter isn't to that point or even close. I almost felt like we were cheating. Obviously, if I see her marking the wrong answer, we go over it until she gets it right. Thanks for the support.
It's possible your daughter isn't a visual learner and can't put it together when she's looking at it but needs to hear it before it clicks. Try having her say what the picture is and then sound out the letters herself. Amy
I agree with everyone else.. that's pretty normal for K and 1st grade. I'm working very hard, with variable success, to get my daughter (age 6) to be somewhat less dependent on me so when I start with my little one this summer, Joy can do some things alone. So she's working on her math, and I have my back turned to her, typing this. LOL
My K son is very similar too. He can work alone but gets distracted and doesn't focus on getting it done with the distractions of his sisters getting their work done. If I sit by him (even without saying a word), he tends to stay on task better. I'm not worried at this point, once he's a more independent reader and has a bit more maturity, he'll be able to do more by himself and maintain a few more minutes of focus. Just know you definitely aren't alone!!
Now I understand what you mean. We also use abeka, I assume you use program one? I think alot of what the video manual tells you is for the video teacher, even when the class is working independently, they still ask her for help. We do the same thing with our daughter. It's just so you can keep it structured. I still help my daughter through things when she has questions. You aren't cheating at all. In Kindergarten , I was with her constantly, and she had many questions. There is nothing wrong with the way your'e doing things. Thats the good thing about homeschooling, the one on one attention. Just be there for her, she's going to get better, believe me. Blessings, Dianna
Abeka doesn't know the first thing about your daughter. Curriculum is just a guide and you can feel absolutely free to completely disregard the parts that don't work for you and your child.
Well said Dawninns. As I said, we use Abeka as well, I don't think the manual is a stringent rule book, just a guide to help you through the days lessons. Blessings, Dianna
