over whelmed and then scared! I get so excited to see all the free stuff for teaching younger ones. Then I look at so much and want to do it all I get over whelmed and then scared that I will over whelm my Kinder. or that I will completely leave something out. Then I think I should buy a full curric. that I teach him with, that way he gets what he needs and he isn't on over load because I want to use all. Please, HELP!!!
I think you need an outline and set of goals for what you want to teach or what is expected for a child to learn in K. That way...you can pretty much "plug and play" your curriculum and materials. There is NOTHING wrong with buying a boxed set or a full curriculum if you think that would help manage the situation. We all worry we are not teaching enough...of course we do..we are teaching our children. But...really it is not that complicated. There are a ton of things out there because people want options. You do NOT need to use everything. Just concentrate on the basics and then add a few fun things.
Math and Reading...that's all that is really important academically at this age. If you find a list of objectives for Kindergarteners you can create a check list. The check list will make you feel like you are covering everything, and if you child should start to seem like she/he is stressed over school or not enjoying it, then you can look at the list and say, do we really need to do this now? I think it is better to not cover everything than to stamp out their natural curiosity and love of learning. (This from the woman who practically tried to put her first born through college in Kindergarten! Fortunately, she tolerated me and I did no lasting harm but had that been my second born, he may never recovered!)
I agree, math and reading. I also love Ava's suggestion of setting your goals of what specifically you want your child to learn. The rest is just icing on the cake, If he loves fire trucks, study about fire fighters and trucks and take a field trip to go see one. Just have fun with it, and relax, you'll do just fine!
Yep. Agreeing here. Math and Reading. You COULD add a little handwriting, too IF they've got good fine motor control. My youngest has had next to NOTHING formal for teaching and she's reading, and adding. She also learned quite a lot this year about American History and some of the Science we did on our own (butterflies, plants). I call her a "crumb catcher". I read with her, she is around while we're doing other stuff, etc. She just catches the crumbs from the table.... Next year, which would be her official Kindergarten year, I'm doing official Math, and probably Reading/Phonics type stuff with her. She'll also continue to catch crumbs from our Geography and Science. Deep breath. Learning neeeeeeeeeeds to be fun! They have plenty of time for "formal" stuff....let the early years be fun. Children are NATURALLY curious and learn sometimes without being taught!
Kindergarten really doesn't need much. Here's what my son learned in PS K-it was basically just reading, writing and math. They sent home reading/handwriting and math daily, science and SS like 10 things all year! Formally reading/LA Phonics and handwriting Math counting, more/less than, simple one digit addition and subtraction, how to use a ruler and read an analog clock. SS - basic knowledge no need for curriculum, holidays and customs based on seasons as they come through the year. Then they learned a little about community helpers (Post office, police, fire, safety, ect) For geography just their address, city, county, state and that they live in the US. Science - Common animals and plants. Learned about plant and seed parts. Senses and body parts. Weather. ETA: I did the same as you -- scared one minute, excited the next. Then a wise woman who has graduated two kids told me something that put my mind at ease. "What does a 1st grader need to know that you can't teach him???" That's also when I decided not to try and scrape up money for a formal curriculum. It would probably be a waste of money for us anyway as I'd pick and choose and supplement so much we wouldn't use 1/2 of it. I'm kinda....ummmm... what's the word....indecisive I guess. LOL If something's not working or he loses interest, I don't want to feel tied to a curriculum for the rest of the year cause I spent X amount of dollars on it. I very much want him to have some control over what he is learning, follow his lead, his interest....
You got some excellent advice here! I will say that even now ( 13 yrs later) I go through changes with what I order or plan will it be too much, too little etc so don't worry you wil do great with whatever you are using, and like they said if its too much slack a bit, if it is not enough then go with the flow
