Or is it too early in the school year to be concerned since school just started four weeks ago for us?
I can't believe I'm asking this question because on one hand I don't feel it's right to assign a bunch of homework to Kindergarteners but on the other hand my daughter loves getting & doing homework and practically begs for it =) I feel it’s important for children to run and play and she does do that. We also play board games, do puzzles, read a lot, visit the library, she watches educational TV and some not so educational TV, loves to help cook/bake, etc. I’m at a total loss and hoping for some help here.
I didn't send my daughter to preschool but instead loosely homeschooled her by using workbooks (she loves them), flash cards, learning games, etc. She appears to be better prepared for school than the majority of the other children and so the homework she is getting isn't challenging enough for her. Her homework consists of learning some sight words, memorizing a book, and doing some easy activities (i.e., matching the upper case letters to their lower case partners). She is able to memorize the words & book in no time at all (5 minutes a day x 3-4 days; she usually has them memorized in 2 days but we throw in the extra days just to make sure she has it down). We read together, I read her a book & she reads me a book. But it still doesn't seem like enough. She begs for more homework. On Sunday, I pulled out one of her old workbooks that we hadn't yet completed and she spent 3 hours doing the pages!!! I kept saying "we don't have to do anymore if you don't want to" she would respond "I want to do some more, please". Finally, after three hours I kinda had to say "okay, that's enough for today let's go outside and play". The next day, I got up and took a shower while my daughter played with her toys (or so I thought). Later on, I picked up the workbook to see if there were very many pages left to do (wondering what we're going to do once she finishes this book) and discovered that the bookmark had been moved and about ten more pages had been completed! I questioned my daughter and she said she did those earlier in the day by herself while I was taking a shower. So now that book is pretty much completed (it was really too easy for her as well, esp. since she was able to do it by herself).
I know some of you will say “talk to the teacher about it” but I don’t think the solution is necessarily for the teacher to assign out more homework or harder homework because the other parents are already complaining about what little homework there is so they’re not going to be onboard. I don’t know what I want so I don’t know what to “talk to the teacher about”, does that make sense? I don’t really want the teacher to “assign” homework but maybe I’m looking more for “suggestions” on things to do with my Kindergartener when she breezes through the homework and is looking for more homework? Do teachers offer those sort of suggestions?
I want to make the learning fun for her so I guess I’m looking for fun ways to supplement her Kindergarten homework? Does anyone have any ideas? I’ve heard about making games to teach them addition/subtraction so maybe I’ll try that.
Please offer me some suggestion as to what I should be doing in this situation. Like I said, I’m so lost here :0) Thank you!
BTW, she is four years old.
Thank you ALL for the advice, whether I agreed with it or not. A lot of it varied and I got the sense that some people thought I was trying to advance my child so she would stand out from the rest. That’s not my motive. I’m not labeling her as “advanced”. In fact, I never used that word in my post. Some of the responders used that word, not me. I simply said “she appears to be better prepared for school”. I'm simply trying to foster her love of learning & not hold her back. I know some on here got that point (no rudeness intended) :0) I love the suggestion about going on the school website and researching their standards/benchmarks & links to websites. I had a “duh” moment and thought "why didn't I think of that". So I promptly went to their website, reviewed the standards and found that she knows the majority of them. They also had plenty of links I'll have to explore when I have more time so that could be a wonderful tool for my daughter if she is interested. If things don't get more challenging for her in a month or two I'll ask the teacher for some suggestions (not homework). I don't feel there is anything wrong with letting her learn at her own pace whether or not she is at an advanced pace or not. Otherwise I would be guilty of holding her back and not allowing her to learn. That itself could cause her to lose interest in the love of learning & how sad that would be. I’m sorry, I really didn’t get the point about teaching her now could make her lazy later? I just don’t feel that’s true. There are always G.A.T.E., Excel, and other advanced classes. I know I was always a grade level ahead in reading and so they would send me to the next grade level for reading. If they had held me back I would have been bored and it wouldn’t have been fair to me. I can’t imagine my parents not encouraging my love of reading just because I was getting too far ahead of my peers. I fully agree with not pushing a child but to hold a child back from learning?!? Also, the comments about it coming too easy for her and it will make her lazy weren’t fair. This is exactly why she is asking for more/harder work. She WANTS to be challenged.
On another note, I would love to homeschool her but she really does love school and the interaction with the other children (she has great social skills) and I work FT so it really isn't an option. I really admire you homeschooling moms, I think it’s awesome that you put the time & effort into teaching your children at home and at their pace :0)
I’m not going to spend too much time on this point but I’m sorry to say I got the impression maybe some were jealous (suggesting parents want bragging rights?) and thus tried to imply she was being pushed or that she was lacking skills somewhere. Please, let us remember this site is to support one another. She is not being pushed, I don’t want bragging rights. I want what is BEST for my child. And yes, sometimes parents push and that’s a sad reality but not all parents who have children working above grade level are guilty of pushing. Let’s be reasonable and not jump to conclusions.
I also wanted to add that I have a 14 year old so I'm not new to the whole school thing but my older daughter doesn't like homework so I never created any for her.
I suggest you get workbooks for 1st grade for her. Most children that age have a limited attention span and they have to follow certain guidelines. I think its important for ALL parents to teach kids outside of school as they are home more often than anything else
Let's not ruin the idea of homework for her this soon please. I know 4th graders who have enough homework on a daily level they are not able to go to bed until 10pm. That is w/out time to play and only time out for dinner (45min) and they are not struggleing with the homework either, it's just that much. I suggest you allow her to do her thing for now and add what you feel is right at home in a fun way.
The girls in my office just had this conversation about our teenagers. We gave them a good foundation, so when they got to school and were so far ahead of the other kids, it taught them to be lazy and complacent! Not saying that's what you are doing by any means! Just sharing our experience as older moms. Everything was so simple and beneath them that it led to laziness. Why should I have to do ths? I already learned that 2 years ago! Well........eventually everybody hits a wall at some point. They get to a subject that doesn't come easy to them and they have to put in a lot more effort than usual. That's when the work of learning begins, rather than just skating by on your intelligence. I am that person, so, I know how hard it is when you finally get to something that doesn't come easy. It shakes you to your foundation and causes you to question your worth and identity.
I would not keep putting her ahead and teaching her 1st and 2nd grade work. You are setting her up for boredom in 1st and 2nd grades. I would still challenge and enrich her thirsty eager brain, but in differant ways. For instance, learning a differant language or sign language. Learning to play a musical instrument. Taking dance classes. Art classes. Stimulate other areas of her little brain.
I was a math teacher in a public school before I had children. My husband and I strongly believe that school is to supplement what we are teaching our kids at home. Start challenging her with more hands on activities. Give her a recipe and have her help you figure out how to double it. If she isn't already reading, start working on those skills with her. I taught middle school, and I know at that level, the trend it to get away from worksheets and rote memorization and into higher level skills. Start that now. I imagine she can easily count to 100, but can she represent it to you? Does she know what 100 REALLY means? Those kinds of higher level activities will really help her in the long run. Try reading higher level books to her with big vocabulary...teach her how to use context clues to determine meanings. There are many things you can do at home to challenge your daughter. I am glad to hear you are looking into an educational outlet for her.
Check your schools website. They usually have lots of links to sites that have fun do-it-at-home math games, reading stuff, etc. and definitely ask her teacher for some 'challenge' work!
You can also buy K or 1st workbooks for her to do some extra practice sheets.
Kids really tend to level out in K. You'll see a difference in a few months.
I've always said that you can send your kids to public school with a homeschooler's attitude. What is a homeschooler's attitude? Simple: you, the parent, have primary responsibility for your child's education. The teachers do what they can, and you are appropriately appreciative of and supportive of their work. But you don't expect the teacher to be the alpha and omega of your child's education.
Obviously you need to intervene if the teacher is doing something that is actively interfering with and/or undermining your child's education. But if your child simply wants more, provide that yourself. It's okay if school is primarily an exercise in developing patience and social skills, with most of the academic work happening at home.
In future years/months, if your child gets so far ahead academically that she starts to get seriously bored/disruptive, talk to the teacher/principal about your child doing some volunteer work within the school. Perhaps there's some sorting work in the office she could help with. Maybe she could start a project like a school newspaper, and go do investigative reporting while the other kids are working on something she's already mastered. Perhaps she could help do some intensive one-on-one work with children who are struggling academically.
If you decide to pursue the peer tutor option, remember that teaching others with respect and patience is a powerful skill that takes a while to master. It's very easy for talented kids to think they are helping by giving the struggling child the right answers. This is not helpful! Make sure you give her some specific instruction in how to be a good teacher.
For the academic supplementation you are doing now, her teacher may indeed have some ideas for advanced work she could do. Or you could look up what she'll be studying in first grade and start moving on to that. Or you can do some work in an area that will not be covered by school, like botany.
Whatever you do, please be kind to the teacher and nonjudgmental of the other parents. The same work that is so easy for your child is causing hours of tears and serious family stress for some of the other kids. Kids are different. You happened to get a child who is unusually talented in areas of traditional academics. I've got one too. I've also got one who struggles terribly with traditional academics, though he has many other strengths. Two kids, four years apart, same parents, and the four year old is the better reader. This is life.
Good luck and have fun. Sounds like you have done a great job so far in providing her the resources so that she can excel in her areas of strength. It also sounds like you're making sure she keeps a balanced life. Keep it up.
Yes, I felt the same way in the beginning of , but as the school year went on it went at a faster pace and the work was divided up depending on the needs of the individual students.
Remember in a homogenized classroom. there are children there that have never been in any type of learning situation.
Some can read on a second grade level (there was a boy reading on a 5th grade level in our daughters class)and some are just learning all of the letters.
Our daughter continued with the workbooks we had at home and also played with puzzles games and reading at home.
Soon the teacher will be handing out different types of work for different types of students.
The homework in kinder is an answer to the parents requests.. I promise.. Most Kinder teachers do not feel they need homework.. They need to decompress after the long day. Having your daughter happily do her work, is awesome. I bet she will always be willing to do her work all through her school years.
For questions, make an appointment and meet with the teacher
I never did homework in kindergarten. I was kind of surprised that they assign it now, but from what I understand, it's really just to get the kids in the habit of doing it. There are lots of websites with fun learning activities for kids. Or just encourage reading!
Kindergarteners usually don't HAVE homework.
But if you're really concerned, head to Barnes and Noble and pick up some workbooks. I'd not worry too much about her being ahead of the other kids. Just let her enjoy learning and do it at her pace.
Exactly what Tracey K said.
I completely agree with Tracy K. I was that kid growing up too. Everything came easily to me, until that one class in high school that didn't (trig). SHOCKER!! My kids are 7 and almost 9 and well ahead of their peers, but I don't want them to fall into the same trap. We focus more on reading interesting books (all genres) and practical science. Do science experiments or get a telescope and look at the stars. There are many ways to enrich your child without "making them so smart" that they are bored or shocked later.
Create your own 'homework' sheets for her and have them on hand. Have each worksheet be a different activity or focus on a different subject. One day might be writing her letters and numbers with chalk on the sidewalk. Another one might be doing a few workbook pages. Still a third could be spending time working on stuff on the computer. It sounds like she is advanced for her age so if the Kindergarten stuff is too easy, move onto the 1st grade stuff and have her work on that!
I would purchase 1st and 2nd grade workbooks for her; sounds like she's ready. Go to amazon.com and search books>1st grade workbooks and books>2nd grade workbooks. There are tons of them.
Kindergarten at 4? They won't let us do that in Chicago. They have to be 5, no exceptions.
Good for your little brainiac! I was also super excited to be in K and loved doing my "homework" it was much different back then. You can try working on things that they don't always have time for in school anymore like handwriting and social studies (learning about your city/state/country and things as basic as learning about your neighborhood.)
funbrain.com and starfall.com are fun free educational games sites you can try as well.
I would keep offering her extra enrichment. Consider getting her workbooks that cover things besides the basic concepts of K. When my oldest was four, I bought her workbooks about science, history, reading comprehension, art, etc. Barnes and Noble has a great selection of these. Also, addition and subtraction workbooks can be great, and fun, depending on which you get. I personally DON'T like Kumon for math, because they are boring.
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Karen is right on. As a homeschool parent, I would add that you are a natural homeschooler whether you decide to do that for your daughter full time or not.
I do agree that she could use multi-sensory learning, especially during these early years. Our children give use so many cues to what they are ready to learn.
Remember any moment can be a learning/teaching moment. That is from going to the store and figuring prices and change to taking a nature walk and looking at shapes and critical thinking.
You are doing great so far and congrats for raising a child who is exciting about learning.
You should seriously consider homeschooling her. You can go at her pace, and it sounds like she would be an eager student. Why hold her back by the system? It sounds like you have a great grasp on how to motivate and teach her. You've been doing it since she was born, right? I think you both would thrive at it!
I would be sure she is doing a lot of hands-on learning, not just workbooks. I liked workbooks and reading and traditional schoolwork as a kid, but I lacked social skills and had limited practical hands-on ability. We all like to do what comes easy for us. What else does she like to do besides workbooks? Expand on that, or expose her to more new things. As someone else suggested - a foreign language, piano or violin, science experiments, crafts, etc. I would limit the time she spends doing workbooks, as that is a limited method of learning. I'd also be concerned that she is spending three hours doing workbooks because she is getting much good feedback from you (?) or she is avoiding other things (?). I was this kid...
It is just kindergarten so I wouldn't worry about the homework too much. See what she is bringing home in classwork. If after a while you think she still isn't being challenged talk to the teacher. Keep doing what you're doing with the workbooks but don't push it, follow her lead. I would also find something that doesn't come so easy to her, even if its not academic, and have her work on that. That way she has to learn how to work hard to accomplish something. Its a good skill for later on. Knowing how to study and using common sense is more important than being smart, at some point most likely the other kids will catch up to her. The kid who was reading at age 3 wont be so far ahead of the rest of the class by the time they are 8. Let her be a child. They learn things, mostly life skills, just by playing and hanging with friends at that age. You don't want to slack in academics but you don't want to make that everything either. Expose her to lots of things...books, nature, museums so she can just experience that and she will become more rounded. You're trying to help your child become a good person and to succeed. Teach her the skills needed (ie good studying, work hard, be kind, etc) so she can do that.
Our school system doesn't allow kindergartners to get homework. I try to get mine to do a page in a skills book while his sister does hers. I call it his homework. Get a skills book and give her a page each night.
Great advice Tracey K.!! But most parents do not want well rounded children who have experienced a lot and enjoyed a lot. They want "advanced" kids. They want to brag that their kids are ahead of the other kids. They think they'll get them into a better college if they can read at age four. Read "Want to get your kids into College? Let them Play" and "How Not to Talk to Kids"
