This week I had one of those moments when as a mother I felt like "oh, shit I've screwed up his life already?" A girl in my office who has a daughter born the same month as Ryan came in to ask if I heard that the public schools in our area were moving to a full time kindergarten this year (five full days). I said that I hadn't heard anything about it and then we exchanged small talk about our kids starting school in just a few short months.
Because this woman's daughter has been in pre-school for the past two years and Ryan has never been to pre-school, I was curious to know how they compared academically. She said that her four year old was able to spell her name, mom, dad, cat, dog and also pick out all letters of the alphabet and write them when asked to. Like she can say "draw me a lowercase b" and her four year old can do that.
Oh shit.
When I got home I decided to draw some words on the dry erase board to see if he could copy them, I thought that would be a good start because I know he can't even pick out letters on command. He has always been interested in spelling his own name and he can spell it out loud so I tried something new on the dry erase board. In looking at the photo above I really need to watch how I write my words, do you see how my D had an overhang to the left and how he very intently tried to copy it?
It's just that we never seem to have time to sit down and do homework but I only have a few months to get my act in gear because these kids have to get tested in order to get into school! He can say his alphabet and count to twenty (always skipping the number 15) so I thought he was all set, but now I'm not so sure.
It's just that we never seem to have time to sit down and do homework but I only have a few months to get my act in gear because these kids have to get tested in order to get into school! He can say his alphabet and count to twenty (always skipping the number 15) so I thought he was all set, but now I'm not so sure.
Nothing got me worried more than when she said "He still takes naps? Oh, he's really going to struggle when he's made to sit in school all day long if you don't take the nap away from him now." When this child doesn't take a nap, he turns into hellboy and that can't be good for learning!
The only thing making me feel somewhat okay right now about my decision not to send Ryan to pre-school is that I taught him his ABC's in one day. Sure we had sang a little here and there and he knew about half of it but when I decided it was time? We learned it in a matter of hours and he retained it.
Kids little brains are like sponges and Ryan loves to learn new things, I bet he will be awesome in a classroom setting because he'll want to learn and I have eight months to teach him the letters so I'm not going to freak out just yet. So what that other girl is practically writing children's books at four years old, I'm sure there will be just as many who won't even know how hold a pencil.
Oh wait, Ryan doesn't know how to hold a pencil...no matter how many times I've tried to show him.
8 comments:
Don't worry about it he will be just fine when he gets to school, my grandson Blain couldn't read or write or knew his alphabet but at the end of his first year of school he knows all of those things.........
Forget the dry erase board and sit him at a table with paper and pencils as often as you can. Singing the alphabet song is fine, but can he recognise each written lower case letter when it is down on paper in front of him? Sing the son while pointing to each letter, that will help. Also, don't panic, you have eight months and he will learn a lot in that time, including weaning off his nap. (becoming hell-boy might mean you have to make bedtime a little earlier until he adjusts). What he doesn't learn by then, he'll pick up very quickly at school. He's certainly smart enough.
I mean sing the song, not sing the son...a bonus is that haylee can sit and learn it and her letters at the same time. Numbers too.
My favorite thing the girls used in pre-k was "Alphafriends" if you google it you can hear the crazy songs, but they are addicting... and you can have him circle the letters (like B for Benny Bear) on the print outs... also, starfall.com is great for whole letter activities and letter sounds.
Monica's kindergarten teacher bought pencil grips to help the kids who don't know how to hold a pencil... but at 29 i still don't get how the grips work lol... but that sorta stuff works it self out. :)
Alot of boys don't even start kindergarten til they are 6 so I wouldn't worry. He's smarter than you think...some of these tips are a good idea though...it will work out fine.
As a preschool teacher and mommy, here is what he needs to know to start kindergarten: recognize some letters (it doesn't have to be all), count items up to 10, cut a straight line with scissors, write his name, trace and, if possible name, some basic shapes (triangle, square, and circle) here they also ask them if they know what their first and last name is. My youngest wouldn't tell the teacher doing the testing his last name because "my brother goes to school here too and they know his name so they should know mine too" Which actually makes sense!
He's smart! I think he'll be fine!!!!!
How crazy that Kennedi skips 15 too...
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