I know what I'm doing is right, I just still have those little naggings in the back of my head! Can you give me some reassurance? I have a 2 and 4 yr old. They have been having so much fun playing together that I've just been letting them be. All of my plans for the year have fallen by the wayside- we do very little school unless the 4 yr old ask me for some. They spend more time playing then anything. I know this is right- this is what they are supposed to be doing! They are still little and they are still learning! I'm just feeling guilty- like I should be doing more- it is college degree coming back to haunt me. I can hear my college professors talking about lesson plans and how you must have specific goals and assess them.
You are doing fine! Play is such an important part of learning. I planned to have my 4yo (5 next month) do K this year, but my big plans have fallen away, too. We still do some lapbooks (she thinks those are fun-her latest pumpkin one is on my blog), and occasionally, I get an ETC page or 2 out of her. Dh and I were talking the other day, and I still think she'll be ready for 1st next year. You are doing nothing wrong. Let them be kids!
My two didn't do anything resembling school work (unless they wanted to) until they were almost 6. I allowed them to play, do crafts, and read to them ALL the time. We also didn't (and still don't) have video games or watch much TV. I also made sure they had a ton of outside play time...running, climbing, riding trikes/bikes, throwing, etc. My dd ended up teaching herself to read at almost 5 and my son is currently 4 years ahead in math. Your kids' educational "job" right now is to learn through playing. You are doing just fine! Enjoy this time! Carol
I have a friend whose granddaughter just started K. They didn't want her in preschool, so the child entered K nowhere near the level of the other kids. They let her play, 'be a kid', and do crafts while she was home. The school is working with her, to help her get where she needs to be. Just something to think about, a you decide how to keep going..
Hi, I have a 3yr old dd and 17 mnth old twins. We are not hs yet but plan to. We have opted out of preschool bc we plan to homeschool. My kids just play and we take them to organized actvities, gymnastics and there is a preschool like program available here but the child is under the supervision of the parent. I don't plan to do any real "school" work unless dd wants to until she is 5. I find myself sometimes questioning what my kids do, but for me it comes down to listening to my gut and not looking outside to see what others are doing. There are so many years of school work ahead, just let them be kids . I have also spoken to a kindergarten teacher about the preschool thing and she told me that the kids that don't go to preschool soon catch up w the others (if they go to school obviously ) Kat
We just started Kindergarten this year and my son is already reading 1st. grade material and doing 1st grade math.....no preschool. My dd may or may not start k next fall (she'll be 4 in Jan.), I haven't decided yet. I think if you are playing with them, reading to them and going over basics like the abc's as well as colors and numbers they will be fine. And all that stuff I just mentioned can be learned by them through play!
I am sure they are learning plenty during the daily routine! I agree with the others, this age is great for play, that's how their little minds soak so much up! Trust me, there'll be plenty of time in the future for workbooks and structure! Enjoy it now!
Thank you guys! Sometimes you just need to hear it all over again from those who have been there and done that!
LET THEM PLAY! How can it be wrong to let them be children???! Someone not being at ps levels doesn't bother me one woot! My oldest and youngest LOVED learning letters and numbers and writing and reading. They were advanced when they were that young compared to ps standards---is it wrong for them to be advanced? If not, then why is it wrong to be "behind"? My middle child was plain NOT interested in that stuff. He needed lots of sleep and enjoyed playing and being outside and doing things with his hands. If I would've sent him away to school at 5 or even 6, he would've been considered "behind" as well! "Behind" is relative. Some kids have brains that are just not ready to function in school capacity at those ages. That doesn't mean they're behind. It means that they are growing and learning at their pace! My middle child suddenly had a lightbulb moment and then he couldn't absorb the knowledge fast enough! It was amazing to see! If he would've been in school getting "special" classes because he was "behind", I don't think he would've advanced like that! But, I'm pretty sure he (and others) would have thought he was stupid, or at least not very smart. Interesting that he would've been labeled for not being able to read at 5 or 6. But when he was 7 he was reading the sports page, and he and dh were discussing the statistics of the players and calculationg who would do well that season based on those stats. He LOVES reading now, and has a wide knowledge of information/knowledge, from reading books from a spectrum of categories! I don't think he would've enjoyed it so much if forced into a "special", "behind" category! Becky, I feel sorry for that child you mentioned! She's not being allowed to be herself. She's being fed information that is not true---that she's dumb and needs special help! It's too bad some arbitrary line is drawn that says if you learn something by this time you're "normal" or "smart". But, if you learn it later, then you're dumb and need help! If they would've kept that girl at home and continued on the path they were on, she would have had her moments and learned just as well or better than everyone else. Forcing her in to school when she was not ready has now labeled her! Please let your child grow and mature at a rate that is best for them! They DO learn by playing, they WILL learn when their brain and body are ready! Noone should force (which is a world of difference from encouraging them when they're interested and ready) a child into a situation they're not ready for and then label them as stupid, or at the very least, behind, for not performing well!!! Sorry, hit a soapbox moment. This is an issue that is a trigger for me!
Deena, no one called her dumb! From what her grandma said, the school was very kind to her and wants to help her catch up. But it's true- if the other kids have been taught at least basic things by the time they entered K and she hasn't been, she's behind her classmates. What matters is the school's going to help her get where she needs to be.
reading and playing is the best thing for that age. I used to take my 2 dds to story time till they were almost 2nd grade. list to mother goose rhyme songs. enjoy them .
just for a different point of view, my two eldest were "ahead" for kinder (both did preschool) and were BORED TO TEARS... So I specifically did not "push" the boys. But in this house we can't not read! So they did know numbers and letters by kinder. one is "behind" and one is "ahead" whatever that means. (and for ps it means they are both "trouble".)
But the other kids know she's being helped, and they're often not too nice about it, and it often makes children feel dumb to have to have "special" help---that's what I mean. She really isn't "behind" is the problem. Pushing her to do something she's not ready for yet isn't really being that great of help, and often causes frustration on both sides. I hope her situation is different. I'm just saying what often happens to a child who "needs" that special help, when if left alone they'll pass that hump on their own and learn better and faster when they're mentally ready to!
I bet as Kers they're not taking too much notice if she gets extra help. This girl is alot like Jeannie in personality and how she carries herself. I bet if anything, the other kids are helping her as she goes along. I'll be anxious to hear how her year went, when school ends.
At the point that a kid cannot enter Kindergarten cold and still be successful, then they need to make preschool a known and required prerequisite and offered at the tax payers expence. THen they will have to have tutors in the delivery room so they do not waste that time either. You just dont realize how many pre pre pre pre pre pre school skills that are supposed to be introduced into a structured OB delivery environment.
You children are learning a lot through playing. My two older girls went to preschool and struggled through school. Ems never did and she is thriving.
:lol: I would laugh harder if I didn't worry that someone might come up with this for real. Public preschool is coming...and there will be testing with it. mark my words. Maybe pregnant women will be required to place speakers on thier abdomens for at least 3 hours...the fetus' will have a curriculum based on the latest in brain development...classical music, foriegn language, liturature. (of course if you want to get a waiver to skip this you can, but only if you promise you are going to abort the child prior to viability.)
Let them play! Play play play. They learn so, so, so much from playing. Playing is a child's work. Or, at least, it used to be...until more work-type work got dreamed up for them. Read to them - I say both when they're actively listening and when they're playing (coloring, eating, whatever). Also - play music and sing to them. My experience (with my own and other children) is that they probably won't sing along...but that you'll come upon them singing by themselves later. When I was teaching, parents would tell me about this all the time. For some reason, I thought **my** children would sing with me. Nope. Imagine my surprise (and this happened with both my almost 6yo and almost 4yo) to find them quietly singing while playing and that they knew all the words. The 6yo is just starting to sing with me, but my 4yo still won't. At least I'm motivated now. Do messy art projects. Okay, do some non-messy ones, too, for your sanity. Playdough. Paint. Washable markers. Eyedroppers with food coloring. BTW, my kids are happy to paint/draw/cut the newspaper. They don't need fresh paper. They don't care. Speaking of which - we have a big box called the scrap box. I started it for paper, but now it has fabric, too. Sometimes the rummaging makes a mess, but these boys surprise me with what they make from the trash, um, repurposed materials.
eyeofthe storm, I love yr scrapbox idea, can I borrow it? . I got to thinking about this thread long after I posted it and I thought about my 3yo dd who is not and will not be attending preschool; She can count and read all numbers 1-10, she recognizes all letters of the alphabet, knows all her colours and shapes and knows the words to a couple of songs and does sing with me. We read, read, read and read and sing lots of mother goose songs and we have a leapfrog phonics magnet set on our fridge, that's it. I hate to admit that she watches far too much t.v., but I have 17mnth old twins and t.v. sometimes saves my sanity. Sometimes I think we are guilted into having to send our kids to prek and it has been my experience that some mothers want a break and prek can be babysitting in a way (yes just like I use t.v. I admit ). I have found this thread very interesting. Thank you. Kat
Thanks girls! My 4 yr old can count to 29- she gets a little confused with having to move up to the next 10's. She can count by 10's to 100, she knows all of her letters and there sounds, she can write all of her letters and can write sentences with help, and she can read a few sight words, helps with chores, makes things for others at church, knows her colors/shapes, and is learning how to bake. This is all done with us playing. My 2 yr old can count to 13, has memorized several books, knows at least 8 songs that she sings with me, is working on her colors and shapes, tries to comforts others with her lovey, is learning how to make salads, helps bakes and is learning how to use scissors. This is all through playing! They are not behind- they are doing awesome and we enjoy our days! There- I feel much better now. I think I'm going to have to look at this thread when I start to doubt myself!
