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 Post subject: Pre-K
PostPosted: Sun Aug 28, 2016 7:00 pm 
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Joined: Sat Jun 30, 2012 3:05 pm
Posts: 3524
Location: Central TX
So, if I were to put Xavier into "school" this year, he wouldn't even be able to get into pre-k. He turns 4 in October and the cutoff is Sept 1st. So, he will technically have another year of pre-school and then next year when he turns 5, he'll be pre-k, and he would be starting kindergarten at almost 6 yrs old.

I think this is a good thing for him, given his speech issues and immaturity. I still struggle with knowing what to do with him. He's been watching the Leapfrog Letter Factory video over and over for several months and he loves it. We've also been doing preschool on the Easy Peasy website, which includes lots of Starfall and letter sounds. He loves to sing the ABC song and some of the other ABC songs he hears online. But he won't answer me if I ask him what sound a letter makes and I don't know if it's because he doesn't want to, or he doesn't know it. He also won't name the letters. It feels like he's just enjoying all this, but not really grasping it?

But he has come a long way in his speech. Just a few months ago, we were excited that he could say the word "flower" and now, he rambles on in sentences and we can understand most of it. He is even a little jokester and makes us laugh at the things he says. A few months ago, he couldn't sing any of the alphabet song, now he can sing along to the whole thing. He even tells us his feelings, "I so sad!" So, he has come so far.

We got him the "Meet the Phonics" videos, which we haven't started yet, but we are about to. We also got some sandpaper letter/number cards and "My First School Book" from HWT, along with the wooden pieces to build capital letters with. I wanted him to start with hands on stuff and I feel like we may need to do that for awhile, before starting the workbook, but I'm not sure. I guess I'll start with the phonics videos, have him trace the sandpaper letters, and continue to do Easy Peasy. Then move on to the workbook when I feel like he's ready?

I also got a book that has phonemic awareness activities, but I'm afraid to even start that. Even though his speech is doing so much better, it's still difficult to talk with him about abstract things, like syllables and rhyming. How do I ask him if something rhymes? How do I even explain rhyming to him and how do I know if he understands what I'm saying, when his speech isn't quite there yet? And there's also the attention difficulties. Sitting down with him to do some of these activities, is not going to go over very well. Sometimes he can't even sit for one minute to color a picture! I'm looking into phonemic awareness activities that involve lots of movement.

Anyways, all of this is why I'm glad his birthday is in Oct, which puts him "behind", so there is extra time to enforce these things. I feel like he would do better with someone who knows what they're doing.

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Mom to Christian (13), Saphira (10), Xavier (5), and Adrian (2).


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 Post subject: Re: Pre-K
PostPosted: Sun Aug 28, 2016 7:50 pm 
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Joined: Sat Jun 30, 2012 6:58 pm
Posts: 5828
For perspective for you... Izzy is an early talker.. very early. She was talking way before what I'd consider "normal" and yet she doen't know the things you are saying your ds doesn't know. Shes his same age... I believe they are a month apart? I think they are too young yet to grasp these things but will learn them in the next year or so. Izzy doest start official school until next fall because of her age, too.

She will look at books and pretend to read but knows no letters nor sounds... she doesnt know "rhymes with" words. She does know colors and can give me 2 or 3 of an item if I ask.

She doesn't sit still for drawing or coloring... she will last longer if I sit with her and interact but not by herself... she's always moving.


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 Post subject: Re: Pre-K
PostPosted: Mon Aug 29, 2016 8:46 pm 
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Joined: Sun Jul 01, 2012 5:16 pm
Posts: 2311
Location: Sunshine State
Attention span for five year olds is 5-10 minutes. I learned lots of tips from Ruth Beechick books on when children are developmentally ready to learn things. Like why toddlers hate to 'share'. They don't understand that concept, but they do accept 'taking turns' with a toy. I can't find this series anymore,

https://www.amazon.com/Teaching-Prescho ... 0896360199

But they were a set, one for kindergartners, primaries, juniors and I think high school. My books are in storage so I can't check.

This book helped with all sorts of talking-learning stuff like rhymes. I recommend this to everyone just starting with their littles.

http://www.mottmedia.com/pages/publicat ... ngChildren

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"...with men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26


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 Post subject: Re: Pre-K
PostPosted: Mon Aug 29, 2016 11:58 pm 
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Joined: Sat Jun 30, 2012 6:58 pm
Posts: 5828
And he's only 3 1/2 so the attention span is even shorter. I love Ruth Beechick! I think I gave away my books... :(


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 Post subject: Re: Pre-K
PostPosted: Tue Aug 30, 2016 9:38 am 
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Joined: Sat Jun 30, 2012 7:14 pm
Posts: 8115
It's sounds like he's doing great, Lisa : ) It's wonderful that he has made such HUGE strides recently! : )

Three things I'd suggest -
1) compile a "playlist" on youtube of things he needs to learn (rhyming lessons, "sh" sound, etc) and have him watch it regularly. I did this for DD - many of the videos were Sesame Street clips - and it really worked well.

2) Read books to him and have him learn to sit and listen

which brings me to

3) work on gradually building up his attention span. Attention spans aren't inflexible. Just like we have some genes that give us tendencies to health issues, but we can influence that by diet, exercise or smoking, we may have some "attention" genes, but we can still exercise & strengthen attention abilities.

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 Post subject: Re: Pre-K
PostPosted: Tue Aug 30, 2016 11:50 pm 
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Joined: Sat Jun 30, 2012 3:05 pm
Posts: 3524
Location: Central TX
Thank you! Maybe this is another case of me worrying too much. I feel better, now! I will just keep plugging along with him and try not to worry too much about what everyone else is doing.

Can you make a playlist on You Tube without having an account? I have bookmarked some of his favorite ABC videos. He LOVES these videos and would watch them all day if we let him. And he's been begging for the Meet the Phonics videos over and over. It's driving us all a little crazy, lol.

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Mom to Christian (13), Saphira (10), Xavier (5), and Adrian (2).


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 Post subject: Re: Pre-K
PostPosted: Wed Aug 31, 2016 11:21 am 
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Joined: Sun Jul 01, 2012 5:16 pm
Posts: 2311
Location: Sunshine State
Anna1111 wrote:
It's sounds like he's doing great, Lisa : ) It's wonderful that he has made such HUGE strides recently! : )

Three things I'd suggest -
1) compile a "playlist" on youtube of things he needs to learn (rhyming lessons, "sh" sound, etc) and have him watch it regularly. I did this for DD - many of the videos were Sesame Street clips - and it really worked well.

2) Read books to him and have him learn to sit and listen

which brings me to

3) work on gradually building up his attention span. Attention spans aren't inflexible. Just like we have some genes that give us tendencies to health issues, but we can influence that by diet, exercise or smoking, we may have some "attention" genes, but we can still exercise & strengthen attention abilities.


Just adding, my middle child could not 'sit' and listen. She could color and listen or play with Legos and listen. I always had her recount what was read and the next day she could recap the story as well. She is still that way :)

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"...with men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26


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 Post subject: Re: Pre-K
PostPosted: Tue Sep 13, 2016 4:56 pm 
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Joined: Tue Sep 13, 2016 4:24 pm
Posts: 2
Hi im very new to this site i decided i needed a place i can talk to other moms who home school and i was reading post to get idea of how it worked. Well all that to say this. I have a 5 year old he turned 5 in May i tried last year to work with him on k4 things where he was not terrible i seen places where he had isues even siting still following directions things like that but I wanted to let you know that in the last year I have seen a drastic change he still wont sit forever and sometimes wants to doodle on his papers after they are complete but the change between the age of 4 and five was massive so between 3 1/2 and five will be even greater. Find things your son enjoys doing that enforce things you want him to know but just let him play with it dont make it seem like work or learning its amazing what they learn that way


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 Post subject: Re: Pre-K
PostPosted: Wed Sep 14, 2016 7:04 am 
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Joined: Sat Jun 30, 2012 11:01 pm
Posts: 2491
LisaTX wrote:
So, if I were to put Xavier into "school" this year, he wouldn't even be able to get into pre-k. He turns 4 in October and the cutoff is Sept 1st. So, he will technically have another year of pre-school and then next year when he turns 5, he'll be pre-k, and he would be starting kindergarten at almost 6 yrs old.

I think this is a good thing for him, given his speech issues and immaturity. I still struggle with knowing what to do with him. He's been watching the Leapfrog Letter Factory video over and over for several months and he loves it. We've also been doing preschool on the Easy Peasy website, which includes lots of Starfall and letter sounds. He loves to sing the ABC song and some of the other ABC songs he hears online. But he won't answer me if I ask him what sound a letter makes and I don't know if it's because he doesn't want to, or he doesn't know it. He also won't name the letters. It feels like he's just enjoying all this, but not really grasping it?

But he has come a long way in his speech. Just a few months ago, we were excited that he could say the word "flower" and now, he rambles on in sentences and we can understand most of it. He is even a little jokester and makes us laugh at the things he says. A few months ago, he couldn't sing any of the alphabet song, now he can sing along to the whole thing. He even tells us his feelings, "I so sad!" So, he has come so far.

We got him the "Meet the Phonics" videos, which we haven't started yet, but we are about to. We also got some sandpaper letter/number cards and "My First School Book" from HWT, along with the wooden pieces to build capital letters with. I wanted him to start with hands on stuff and I feel like we may need to do that for awhile, before starting the workbook, but I'm not sure. I guess I'll start with the phonics videos, have him trace the sandpaper letters, and continue to do Easy Peasy. Then move on to the workbook when I feel like he's ready?

I also got a book that has phonemic awareness activities, but I'm afraid to even start that. Even though his speech is doing so much better, it's still difficult to talk with him about abstract things, like syllables and rhyming. How do I ask him if something rhymes? How do I even explain rhyming to him and how do I know if he understands what I'm saying, when his speech isn't quite there yet? And there's also the attention difficulties. Sitting down with him to do some of these activities, is not going to go over very well. Sometimes he can't even sit for one minute to color a picture! I'm looking into phonemic awareness activities that involve lots of movement.

Anyways, all of this is why I'm glad his birthday is in Oct, which puts him "behind", so there is extra time to enforce these things. I feel like he would do better with someone who knows what they're doing.



As far as attention span goes, what really worked for my son was to give him a lot of exercise first thing in the morning. A half hour of jumping on the trampoline or riding his bike, something to really get his heart pumping. Once he was finished, we would eat breakfast and sit down for school work.

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Not your last resort.


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