| Author | |
Angel
Forum All-Star
Joined: April 22 2006
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 2293
|
| Posted: Oct 15 2007 at 3:42pm | IP Logged
|
 |
|
I need to define for myself what it is I'm actually doing with my 4 yo.
With my older 2 children (now 11 and 8), I did not consider "preschool" a formal time. With my oldest, I just supported his interests (which was essentially like holding on for dear life), did a lot of art, and went outside a lot. When my dd was 4 yo, we did things like reading lessons and math, but that was because she wanted to do what her big brother was doing.
There is a 4 yr age difference between my dd and my current 4 yo, so he's not really trying to be just like his older siblings (at least in that way). My older two also seemed to pick up academic concepts like the alphabet by osmosis, but this child doesn't. (He has more social skills in his little finger than the rest of the family combined, but -- not so interested in letters right now.)
Lately I have been wondering if I need to "do" preschool -- as in, if I need to set up a formal time and call it "preschool" instead of informally showing him things during the period of time when the older kids are working. And in that case, would I say that his work (even if it's freely chosen work, in the Montessori manner) is required and that he can't go play cars if he wants to? He can be quite stubborn when he wants to be, but then we have mornings like this morning when he *finally* seemed receptive to our table top red and blue rods and he asked, "Can I do them again?)
I'm not sure this question makes much sense, but just wondering how others handle 4 yos?
--Angela
Three Plus Two
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
AndreaG
Forum Pro
Joined: March 25 2007
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 326
|
| Posted: Oct 15 2007 at 4:22pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
I'd like to hear too! I don't "require" 4 year-olds to do any sort of school, but I do offer many preschool learning opportunities! My current 5-year-old sounds much like your 4-year-old, not really interested in doing school. This year (Kindergarten) I do require him to sit for a brief (and I mean about 10 minutes!) math and phonics lesson, but he is used to his older brother being required to do school so is pretty amicable about it. I had tried to do prechool time with him at age 4 (as I had done with his older brother who sounds like your oldest) and he just wasn't interested, so I did what you are doing- just showed him things here and there. He is picking up the Kindergarten material fine now so my advice is, if he doesn't want to do preschool, don't bother and use your energy for something else! I am doing those preschool lessons with my daughter now, and she just eats it up!
__________________
Andrea
GrayFamilyCircus
Read Through the Catechism in a Year- For Moms!
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Erin
Forum Moderator
Joined: Feb 23 2005
Location: Australia
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 5814
|
| Posted: Oct 16 2007 at 6:12am | IP Logged
|
|
|
With a 4yr old, I would have activities prepared if needed. I am really guided by what they want at this age. We have days where they just want to play and then other times they want to join in and I may need something age appropriate ready. To be really honest I find that my boys are not ready at this age, often it is more like 7  although my girls are keen far earlier, my dd3 is keen.
What I always try to make happen on a continual basis is reading. Read, read and read more of high quality literature.
__________________
Erin
Faith Filled Days
Seven Little Australians
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
cajunpowermom
Forum Newbie
Joined: Aug 02 2007
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 17
|
| Posted: Oct 16 2007 at 11:19pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
We are very much doing the read read read suggestion but i often find my dd who is 4 often gets bored with me reading to her. She loses interest in the book.
I try to get her to pick it out and that somtimes works but she usually is bouncing all over the couch or me while i read to the 7 yr old.
As far as school I follow her lead IF she wants to do somthing formal then I have it ready --If she wants to color that is fine to--If she wants to sweep my floors with her back and hair while we do school and she seems happy and is leaving brother alone then that is fine too 
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
vmalott
Forum All-Star
Joined: Sept 15 2006
Location: Ohio
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 536
|
| Posted: Oct 17 2007 at 7:55pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Well, if giving your 4yo something to do keeps him from being disruptive while the others are working, then I'd say go for it. Otherwise, I wouldn't push it. Not right now, with those toddler twins and new baby of yours. 
That said, I have a 4yo who is way more interested in doing paper-and-pencil work than his older 6yo brother. For a while I tried getting him interested in the Montessori stuff--pink cards, moveable alphabet, teens board, etc.--but he wanted to put pencil to paper while the bigger kids were doing their work! He quickly blew through the Little Folks workbooks I had on hand, though I'll readily admit I wasn't a stickler for him doing everything, or doing it all correctly. It was just stuff to keep him busy.
Now he asks for addition worksheets every morning, so he's working on adding 0, 1, and 2 to numbers 1-9. It's just stuff I got off the internet. Yes, he sits and asks me to confirm his answers while the big kids are working. I think he just likes being a part of things for a little while. Then, when he's done, he goes off and plays, satisfied that he has done "work."
His 6yo older brother really has no interest in sitting a doing much work. He enjoys math more than anything, and I will occasionally give him some phonics worksheets, but even at this age I'm not pushing it. This boy would much rather play with the pink cards and objects, or work with the HWT wooden letter pieces. More of a hands-on kid, though not really self-motivated yet. 
Anyway, that's my $.02,
Valerie
__________________
Valerie
Mom to Julia ('94), John ('96), Lizzy ('98), Connor ('01), Drew ('02), Cate ('04), Aidan ('08) and three saints in heaven
Seven Times the Fun
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Theresa
Forum All-Star
Joined: Dec 27 2006
Location: Minnesota
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 1042
|
| Posted: Oct 17 2007 at 8:35pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
My 4 year old wants to do everything the older children are doing. When we do Bible, he get's his little Bible out and pretends to follow along. He has the first 6 books of the NT memorized now but only because he wants to be like his siblings. When we do science he is right there with us putting together our paper models of the ears and eyes. He likes his own copy and is content to color and work at his own pace while I am teaching (a big leap from last year).
We do 15 minutes of reading together in the morning and I have the two older kids play games with him like his grouping and sorting game, a number match game, a listening lotto etc. Then he and I have another 20 minutes during the day where we work on writing his name and learning a phonics alphabet song. Sometimes he works with his funtastic frogs or the unifex cubes for math time but it is more play than structured learning time.
We do crafts or other activites that correspond to the books we read or a theme we have been using.
__________________
Theresa
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Martha
Forum All-Star
Joined: Aug 25 2005
Location: N/A
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 2291
|
| Posted: Oct 17 2007 at 9:44pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
I do kindergarten VERY relaxed and we progress along until they are ready for the next "level".
penmanship involved in phonics/reading materials
MCP K
that's it
everything else is purely spontanious or need decernment at the time or "osmosis" learning with siblings
we like this. the work is simple and we can amble along without feeling rushed or over-whelmed with academics too early or all at once later.
__________________
Martha
mama to 7 boys & 4 girls
Yes, they're all ours!
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
ozlouise
Forum Rookie
Joined: July 06 2007
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 51
|
| Posted: Oct 17 2007 at 10:00pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Thankyou for posting this. It makes me stop and think about what I am about to start with my 4 1/2yo. Am I starting something coz that's what her older brother did? Am I doing it because she will enjoy it? For me, I started thinking about aiming something at her level because she likes to join in on school but some goes completely over her head. I thought it would be nice to have something special for her given that she has to wait for attention while DS does maths etc. Thanks for the prompt to give it some more thought.
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Barbara C.
Forum All-Star
Joined: July 11 2007
Location: Illinois
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 882
|
| Posted: Oct 20 2007 at 9:19am | IP Logged
|
|
|
I just want to say that my dd(4) has had fun with some of the Kumon workbooks, especially the Number Games ones. She's learned a lot about number order from the dot to dots and color by number puzzles. The Mazes are good, too. Avoid the Cutting one, though. The pages aren't perforated so by the time you cut out the tenth page for them to cut on there is so much fringe from the previous pages that you can't help but veer into the picture. She's also been enjoying the Singapore Early Bird kindergarten workbooks.
We don't have mandatory school time or a minimum number of pages, though. I follow her lead on this, but she is usually pretty up for it. We also do educational computer games like Reader Rabbit, Freddi Fish, and such. We've also tried some reading lessons, but again we try a mix of stuff and go as far as her patience allows.
__________________
Barbara
Mom to "spirited" dd(9), "spunky" dd (6), "sincere" dd (3), "sweet" dd (2), and baby girl #5 born 8/1/12!!
Box of Chocolates
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
|
|
Forum Locked) 
4Real Forums : Nurturing the Years of Wonder
Topic: Doing "preschool"
