I'm completely lost with my 5yo. I've tried a couple different programs/curricula with him and nothing is sticking. Right now we're doing ETC and after a week of studying one letter when I ask him "what letter is this?" he answers with "I dunno, what is it mom?" GAH! seriously. I'm not sure what to do. He does the same thing with numbers. I read to him and work with him but obviously am missing something. My husband and I are contemplating putting him in public schools because I feel like I'm failing him. Help. Please. just for referance, things I've tried: letter of the week ETC Little Leap Frog video different kinds of workbooks flash cards TIA Melissa
Melissa, he is young yet.. I would back off, play alot, read to him alot, and let nature take it's course. You are not failing him, homeschooling is about them learning what they are ready for when they are ready, so if he is interested in creepy crawly things, then so be it, read books about them, go outside and look for them and what ever his heart desires.. eventually it will all start coming together and he will find an interest in reading and writing and letters and numbers and when he does he may just poof take off on you and you will be like "how did that happen... I didn't teach him to read!". Read the tread that just came up today about being normal or not.
Hi Sommer :lol: you're right maybe I'm playing the "he should know....." game. I'm so stuck in the public school mentality. And my 6yo is doing so well and catching on so quickly that to see him kind of struggle is a little disheartening.
Don't give up! Your son might simply be testing your limits. Take it easy and don't let it get you frustrated. I would recommend Hot Dots flash cards. You get this pen, and when your child puts the tip of the pen to the right answer, the pen gives positive reinforcement with lights and sound. http://www.fatbraintoys.com/toy_companies/educational_insights/hot_dots_jr_card_set_the_alphabet.cfm http://www.fatbraintoys.com/toy_com...hts/hot_dots_jr_card_set_numbers_counting.cfm I used Hot Dots with my son for multiplication over the summer, and he did really well.
Also, maybe try just talking and narrating things to him, and telling him what letter this and that starts with. Make games and sing songs about letter sounds. I'm sure you could find some online.
You know.. 5 years into this adventure, I still have to fight the public school mentality. Even like this year I planned out the Garrett's school.. the way I WANTED to educate him (games, videos, FUN) and instead we are using textbookish workbookish crap that we both hate.. why because I get scared to let go... grrrrrr. We all need a kick in the butt sometimes to remember why we are doing what we are doing... and a good dose of confidence that we are doing fine!
I agree with Sommer. He might be too young. I pushed letters with my 5 yo dd right before she turned 5 and she did the same thing your ds. couldn't remember them to save her life. I finally stopped and within a few months (maybe 3-4) she taught herself. She now knows all the letters and their sounds and she is 5 and a half. He will learn when he is ready.
I had to learn this lesson myself. He really could just not be ready for it. I agree with others, just read to him, watch fun educational videos, do projects together like baking, painting, playing with clay. he'll learn from that and then be better off when he is ready for formal learning. Also FWIW, I have two boys schooling right now one is 6 and would be 1st grade in PS, one is 7 and would be 2nd grade PS. My 6yo is reading 2nd/3rd grade books and working out of 2nd - 4 grade curriculum, my 7yo is reading 1st grade books and working from 1st - 4th grade curriculum. I work with them where their strengths and weaknesses are, I don't force them to fit into a cookie cutter mold of grade level. We use what works for them and that's that.
When I was doing preschool for my son (now 5), I would get so frustrated because he could never tell me what a letter or number was. All of a sudden, when his friends were telling me the letter, he would tell me the sound. I let it go because eventually he got the names of the letters, but the sounds were more important for reading. As for numbers, he couldn't tell me what they were for the life of me, then one day he asked why his 2 year old friend had a 5 on his diaper, or why the kid at the park had an 8 on his shirt. He sure new the numbers, just not when I wanted him to tell me. We had the same battle with colors, where I thought he may be color blind he struggled so long to be able to identify them. It was just his personality, he knew the information, he just never wanted to share it. I also love (very sarcastic here) when I know he knows something but he won't tell my husband when we ask him to. Makes me seem like a horrible teacher who teaches him nothing.
This sounds so much like my almost 5yo ds. He seems to know hardly anything, I thought maybe he was color blind, too, and then he seems to go to bed one night and spit it all out the next. "He knows the information, he just never wanted to share it." He seems to be slowly out growing this, now he is starting to let everybody know that he knows "everything." LOL
Wait 6 months before even trying again. it's easier to teach an older kid to read than it is to re-inspire a kid for whom the love of learning has been killed by over doing it. who's to say what age a kid needs to learn to read? I know, easy to say, harder to do!
I just wanted to chime in...my 5 yr old son did very well with sing spell read and write. It was given to us so i'm not sure on the cost, however the daily singing his letters and sounds gave him a very strong phonics foundation. We are now using cle however I am glad we started with the former.
