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First I love that she'll be writing in the 1st grade. Thumbs up. I hope she's allowed to just express herself. Much as she would with drawing. Sometimes it gives you a little window into their brains and souls.
Which brings us back to flashcards. I think they put too much pressure on a child. Not everyone's brain is programmed to work and process quickly. There are plodders in the world. Slow thinkers. Doesn't mean they're dumb. It just means they are never going to be the snap.snap.snap type. If flashcards are used on a plodder he's going to get the idea that something is wrong with him because he isn't flash-fast.
Sorry to all the flashcard lovers out there. But I just hate them.
It depends on the child. One of our daughters is very bright, but does not process aural input well. Thus she rocks with flashcards, but struggles with basic math when she does not have something to look at.
No, my children did not read at five-years-old, although we are a very literate family and read aloud frequently when they were that age. Both learned to decode simple words in kindergarten at age six. By second grade, they were both proficient, independent readers, and they really took off in fourth grade. My oldest, a girl, reads 6-10 novels a week as a middle schooler. My youngest is a very typical boy and was slow to write, but he caught up with the more precocious students by fourth grade.
If you're interested in moving things along, google Headsprout Early Reading. We used the program to support both of our children as they learned to read and thought it was very good.
Last edited by formercalifornian; 08-23-2011 at 01:12 PM..
I like to think that reading in front of my kids sets a good example. I read books, and we still get a real newspaper. Somehow that "looks" better than reading news on the laptop.
My son started school a couple of weeks go. He is in Kindergarten and just turned 5 years old. He never went to pre-school but he knows all his letters, numbers and colors .What I am worried about is that
he is not up to standard for kindergarten.
He cannot write his name real well even though he knows how the letters look. When he writes with a pencil, you can barely see anything because he holds the pen so loose and the letters are really crocked looking. He also have a hard time to color within the lines.
I am also concerned that he cannot read at all. I have tried to read with him but I am not sure how to do it so he actually understand.
What is normal for a 5 year old? Did I start him in kindergarten too early? Like I said, he just turned 5 in May. Please, give me some advice.
Thanks.
I think we are in the same boat. A couple of months ago, I was really worried about my 5 year old too. He will be starting K in September. Like your son, he has never been to pre-school and he can't read. On top of that, English is his second language. They gave him a K Assessment Test and several weeks ago, an ESL test to see if he needs extra help. This morning, we went to K orientation in his school. This is the first time he has been in any school and the first time he saw this many children in the same room:-). His teacher told us, he will not be pulled from the class, since his ESL score was high (I started teaching him English within the past 6 months.) He can recite the alphabet, can write his name, knows colors and shapes and recognize few small words. So he also passed the K assessment test. I have been reading to him every night for the last 2 years. In early days, only in his native language, for the last six months, also in English. I now think he will be fine.
As far as the behavior is concerned, I think your son just needs to get use to his environment. This morning, I saw the same issue with my son. While the principal and teachers were talking, my son was either trying to talk to the kid sitting next to him or examining the electric socket cover he found on the floor (something he hasn't seen at home.) A teacher warned him couple of times to not do that. I couldn't intervene because we were sitting in the back, while all the kids were on the floor in front of the room. I think he also didn't understand most of what the teachers were saying so he was bored. I am little worried this may become an issue once he starts school but not too much. He is generally a very friendly and a well behaved child. He just needs to learn about the school environment. I think they are way smarter and tougher than we give them credit for and I am sure both your son and mine will be fine.
Sorry to all the flashcard lovers out there. But I just hate them.
They're great for some things, with some kids. I don't think any tool is right for everybody-- but no tool is wrong for everybody, either.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Coldjensens
It depends on the child. One of our daughters is very bright, but does not process aural input well. Thus she rocks with flashcards, but struggles with basic math when she does not have something to look at.
My son started school a couple of weeks go. He is in Kindergarten and just turned 5 years old. He never went to pre-school but he knows all his letters, numbers and colors .What I am worried about is that
he is not up to standard for kindergarten.
He cannot write his name real well even though he knows how the letters look. When he writes with a pencil, you can barely see anything because he holds the pen so loose and the letters are really crocked looking. He also have a hard time to color within the lines.
I am also concerned that he cannot read at all. I have tried to read with him but I am not sure how to do it so he actually understand.
I haven't read all the replies, but the writing part is a red flag to me, because that is what my DS went through.
Not only is it an indication of poor fine motor skills, it MAY also be symptomatic of a vision problem.
We learned in 1st grade that my son could not track left to right AT ALL and would see double letters. The optometrist turned to me and said, "he can't color in the lines, can he"?
All the teachers were telling me he must be ADHD, dyslexic, etc. The other kids made fun of him because he couldn't color in the lines.
And the whole time, he couldn't SEE correctly.
After vision therapy and a lot of practice, he is much improved. However, my 4 year old can color in the lines almost as well as he can at 8. He still has a little ways to go.
PLEASE get your son's eyes checked. It is worth finding out.
(And no, my son is NOT ADHD, dyslexic, etc.)
I would not worry about the reading at this time.
Can I ask why your son didn't go to pre-school? He would have an easier transition....
I just helped out in my son's kinder class. One kid at a time, I had them look at cards with each letter, and pick 5. Then they had to tell me the sound each one made, and a word that started with that letter. Some did great, and rattled them right off - "D-dog, R-red" etc. One little girls just blurted out any old thing. It was a little funny. "That's a C. Do you know a word that starts with C?" "I love you!" "noooo, that's 3 words..." So don't feel bad that your child can't read when starting kinder.
I wouldn't worry too much about it. When my daughter was in kindergarten, she wasn't a great reader either. I am not even sure she knew how to read and she did go through pre-k. It wasn't until the end of second grade that it really started to click for her. Now at 12 years old, she has been in all honors classes with a love of writing.
My son started school a couple of weeks go. He is in Kindergarten and just turned 5 years old. He never went to pre-school but he knows all his letters, numbers and colors .What I am worried about is that
he is not up to standard for kindergarten.
He cannot write his name real well even though he knows how the letters look. When he writes with a pencil, you can barely see anything because he holds the pen so loose and the letters are really crocked looking. He also have a hard time to color within the lines.
I am also concerned that he cannot read at all. I have tried to read with him but I am not sure how to do it so he actually understand.
What is normal for a 5 year old? Did I start him in kindergarten too early? Like I said, he just turned 5 in May. Please, give me some advice.
Thanks.
Your son is normal. What's not really normal is the pushing of very young children to read and write. Some can and a few can even read and write all on their own but that doesn't mean pushing should be done.
Many European schools don't start reading until the child is age 7. They consider the early years to be about free play, being read to, fantasy, and exploration.
There is also good evidence that pushing reading and writing before the child's brain is ready actually causes reading problems.
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