What to teach a preschooler?

[ebwy]

I went into nursery (aged 4) able to read. The staff there didn't believe me, and were quite scathing about it.

So make sure your child's kindergarten teachers etc know what he/she's learned already. Other than that, if the child is ready to learn something then I think you should teach them it - the knowledge that you don't need to wait for someone official to teach you when you can learn for yourself is a GOOD thing to have.

 

[The Chicken Lady]

DH and I were both reading by kindergarten. I read the book Roots in fourth grade (my teacher didn't believe that I could read it, and I admit some of the things that happened in the book were a bit over my head comprehension-wise, but I could definitely understand the majority of it!).

Look up some things about reading strategies online... Kids today are being taught "what good readers do" -- things like asking questions, making predictions, making connections between what they've read and other things they've learned, inferring, and synthesizing. See if you can find the book "Strategies that Work," and learn how to do "think alouds" for your child as you read together so that she can see your thinking made visible. It's very important to model what you're doing as you read (as far as thinking) so that your child can learn that reading is much, much more than sounding out the words.

I agree with working on the manual dexterity, too. Make sure there is time for her to be active...running, doing jumping jacks, somersaults...things that will increase her strength and flexibility. Art and science are important, too.

 

[warmfuzzies]

Quote:

My ONLY regret, is that our homeschooling didn't teach her to

1. Sit in one seat for an hour or several hours at a time
2. Walk in a single file line
3. Not to speak out of turn
4. That she wasn't the center of the universe
5. It's rude to question your teacher
6. Follow a schedule whether you like it or not

I think that if a homechooling parent wants their child to attend college then at some point they should teach all these things.

My daughters have never been to either public or private school, but they do go to Sunday School. Sometimes my youngest will raise her hand to ask me a question. So even a little exposure to a regular Sunday School classroom should teach your child all these skills.

I would agree, I was homeschooled all the way through. I cannot see what child would not have learned how to do all of the listed things, except maybe walk in a line. All of those other things are frequently used/taught on our home. (we are also homeschooling our children)

You diddn't mention the age your daughter was when she transitioned, and I can see how that would make a difference. At a young age (kindergarten) I can see how they may not be as good at sitting still for an hour, ( I dont think they should have to either

) but any older then that and I would think it would be something they would learn through normal life.

But, I do realize you were issuing warnings, so people would not make the same mistake you did.

I just think in a lot of homes that type of teaching would come pretty naturally, so we shouldnt dont get obsessed about it. Just think about it.

 

[OrpingtonManor]

DawnSuiter and louloubean had some fantastic thoughts. It seems like you are spending a lot of time developing left brain skills, so make sure you also give time to developing the right brain. It is how children gain an emotional connection to the world, and learn to perceive beauty.

Have a trunk of old halloween costumes, and things you pick up at yard sales and thrift stores, unique clothes, jewelry. Make-believe is critical to a child's development. Also, look into some Orff-based music classes. (Or find some Orff training to take yourself.) It is play-based. Like, instead of just teaching instruments, you would say to a child, "How can this instrument make star sounds?" "Or can we make a dance that looks like trees?"

I say this both as a teacher, and as a parent of a remarkably gifted son who taught himself to read at 2, read the newspaper at 3, and read better than the teacher by 2nd grade. He tested at 12th grade level when he was 6 years old. He always excelled at left-brained things, and will be graduating with his PhD in bioinformatics/protein folding this February at the ripe old age of 28. But (!!) he will tell you that he always wanted to play an instrument and sing, and feels that he missed out on that. (Ironic, since I am a music teacher. My second career.)

Don't neglect the whimsy and artistic parts of life for your child. He will feel an empty spot if you do.

 

[warmfuzzies]

Wonderful advice Orpington Manor! I also tend to be light on the right-brain side of things. I am an artist, so don't think a strong right-brain tendency as a teacher will mean you emphasize that in your children. I tend to forget that it may need nurtured becasue it comes so naturally to me. My DD also is strong in that area, but my son seems like he could care less. Thanks for the reminder that those areas of learning are just as (maybe more) importent then academics.

 

[claud]

Quote:
I think you are right. I do want to incorporate more music in his learning. We listen to a lot of music so I suppose that's helpful.

At what age is it appropriate for a child to learn an instrument? And what is a good instrument for a young child? We were thinking guitar or piano eventually...?

 

[maplesky7]

I worked at a music warehouse that taught suzuki piano lessons to a group of 5 year olds. It's never to early to learn...think about how babies like to bang on pots and pans...and start playing with simple rhythms and see if he can play it back and then add more beats...

 

[mamaKate]

Quote:
My ONLY regret, is that our homeschooling didn't teach her to

1. Sit in one seat for an hour or several hours at a time
2. Walk in a single file line
3. Not to speak out of turn
4. That she wasn't the center of the universe
5. It's rude to question your teacher
6. Follow a schedule whether you like it or not

Basically.. if I had it to do over again... at year 4-5 I would set up a mini school house room and start to teach her the ideas that are necessary to sit in a classroom with 20 other students.

It took her a couple of years to adjust to most of those rules. She's 15 now so hindsight is pretty good.

We're a bilingual household, so I forgot to add that as it's natural here. NOW is the time to teach that too... and if you don't speak another language then find someone who does.. even if it IS Dora.

My son is almost 18 and homeschooled his entire life. He's still in school and earns enough money that he could support himself if he had to. He (thank God) STILL doesn't know1,2, 3, &5 . For #4, he has a firm grasp of his place in God's universe.

 

[warmfuzzies]

Quote:
My ONLY regret, is that our homeschooling didn't teach her to

1. Sit in one seat for an hour or several hours at a time
2. Walk in a single file line
3. Not to speak out of turn
4. That she wasn't the center of the universe
5. It's rude to question your teacher
6. Follow a schedule whether you like it or not

Basically.. if I had it to do over again... at year 4-5 I would set up a mini school house room and start to teach her the ideas that are necessary to sit in a classroom with 20 other students.

It took her a couple of years to adjust to most of those rules. She's 15 now so hindsight is pretty good.

We're a bilingual household, so I forgot to add that as it's natural here. NOW is the time to teach that too... and if you don't speak another language then find someone who does.. even if it IS Dora.

My son is almost 18 and homeschooled his entire life. He's still in school and earns enough money that he could support himself if he had to. He (thank God) STILL doesn't know1,2, 3, &5 . For #4, he has a firm grasp of his place in God's universe.

I cannot for the life of me imagine wanting my children to think that questioning a teacher is bad. Isn't that the whole point of learning? to explore interests and learn how to learn?

Oh, and I am sure your 18 year old son can sit still for a little while.... but as for HAVING to, that is another matter entirely! LOL

OP: Another thing you could do is something called activity bags. I have been reading about them lately and they sound so fun! They are ziplock bags filled with everything a child needs to complete the activity, and they are FUN. They are supposed to be cheap to put together, and you can have some time to do dishes or whatever you need to get done.

I would also think that they would foster independent learning, which (I think) would be something needed by a child in Kindergarten. They need to be able to problem-solve on their own as much as possible, so they don't have to call on the teacher all the time. (correct me if I am wrong about this

)

Google " Preschool Activity Bags" Or something similer.

 

[DawnSuiter]

We taught music, reading, art & flying from pretty much day 1.
Her first instruments were drumsticks & a piano before she was a year old
Her first flight was when she was 2 years old almost 3...
We lived ALL over the country in those first few years.
I didn't teach her any of those things in my numbered list because I don't value those ideas or concepts. We still raise her in the way we see is valuable & good, regardless if the school thinks it's ok.

And FWIW.. ASKING your teacher a question about the lesson is DIFFERENT, very different then questioning them or their authority. We always explained things to her, but teachers are more in the mode of "I say so, and you should believe me" and NEVER like to explain themselves.. that was how it was for me too growing up. It's no different now. If her questions are too much, they simply get mad.

In my opinion, it stems from her knowing more about certain subjects than they do!
We still have that trouble even in High School. But now we're teaching her to "play the game".. that is what I call it. She needs the grades, therefore she has to play their game. It doesn't mean that she shouldn't still KNOW better in her head, but we don't always get to choose who we work for or spend our school time with. Sometimes you just have to check things off the list to get to the next stage.

AND it's a great time to learn to Detach from Difficult Personalities... for which there are always a few who you cannot please and always have a problem with something you are doing.