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The op has older kids so I'm kind of doubting that she's just posting to because she is a naïve parent who thinks her child is a genius.
I think that it's very true that a good teacher will make all the difference in the world and you may not know until he's actually in kindergarten as to how things will go.
If homeschooling is an option, it sounds like it would be an amazing fit as it sounds like you have a very self motivated child and you sound like you are good at responding to his needs and helping him take his interest to the next level.
Whatever you decide, good luck. It will work out one way or another.
For the record, I don't even own a workbook or dittoes.
We learn by playing. His favorite game is Monopoly and he learned how to count money using that and the allowance game. We have a play clock that we set to tell time. He wanted to learn so I showed him (he's very schedule oriented and wanted to know when it was "lunchtime" etc). He learned to read because he loves to read. He would follow along with his finger and pretend to read so I asked if he wanted to learn, he said yes and so we worked on it together and he's gotten really good at it.
He is currently in a play based nursery school, so he has not learned any of that from there it is all from home. But he has lots of friends and loves to play and learn his social skills with other kids his age.
He love the solar system and so I bought a bunch of puzzles with the planets and that's how he learned them all by name and got so good at larger puzzles. He loves logic games with castles etc so we play a lot of those.
I'm not forcing him to do this and it is all based on what he enjoys. So I don't really appreciate the responses that are somewhat hostile. I was asking a simple question. Thanks to those of you who have provided helpful answers. I do try to let him be a kid, I just get concerned that he won't be interested in what they are doing if it's something he's done over and over. That's all. Also using the experience from my older two who were very similar, and struggled to find a balance with the school to allow them to have as much growth as any other student.
What everyone else has said about the "hostility". This parenting forum has a lot of "perfect parents" who are more than happy to tell you what you're doing wrong and what they did right, as well.
Good for him (and you) that he has these interests and you're encouraging them. It's stating the obvious that at 4 there's a lot more to learn. Other kids will come into K with knowledge about other discrete issues. One may know a lot about the heart, another about fish, etc.
There is a concern that some parents "push" their kids as my MIL used to say. And having raised two to adulthood, many of these "baby geniuses" are now very ordinary people. No one has discovered a cure for cancer yet.
For the record, I don't even own a workbook or dittoes.
We learn by playing. His favorite game is Monopoly and he learned how to count money using that and the allowance game. We have a play clock that we set to tell time. He wanted to learn so I showed him (he's very schedule oriented and wanted to know when it was "lunchtime" etc). He learned to read because he loves to read. He would follow along with his finger and pretend to read so I asked if he wanted to learn, he said yes and so we worked on it together and he's gotten really good at it.
He is currently in a play based nursery school, so he has not learned any of that from there it is all from home. But he has lots of friends and loves to play and learn his social skills with other kids his age.
He love the solar system and so I bought a bunch of puzzles with the planets and that's how he learned them all by name and got so good at larger puzzles. He loves logic games with castles etc so we play a lot of those.
I'm not forcing him to do this and it is all based on what he enjoys. So I don't really appreciate the responses that are somewhat hostile. I was asking a simple question. Thanks to those of you who have provided helpful answers. I do try to let him be a kid, I just get concerned that he won't be interested in what they are doing if it's something he's done over and over. That's all. Also using the experience from my older two who were very similar, and struggled to find a balance with the school to allow them to have as much growth as any other student.
Homeschool.
Keep doing what YOU are doing since it works.
Kindergarten is socialization. Like dogs. That's really all it is. Stand up sit down raise your hand. Line up.
For the record, I don't even own a workbook or dittoes.
We learn by playing. His favorite game is Monopoly and he learned how to count money using that and the allowance game. We have a play clock that we set to tell time. He wanted to learn so I showed him (he's very schedule oriented and wanted to know when it was "lunchtime" etc). He learned to read because he loves to read. He would follow along with his finger and pretend to read so I asked if he wanted to learn, he said yes and so we worked on it together and he's gotten really good at it.
He is currently in a play based nursery school, so he has not learned any of that from there it is all from home. But he has lots of friends and loves to play and learn his social skills with other kids his age.
He love the solar system and so I bought a bunch of puzzles with the planets and that's how he learned them all by name and got so good at larger puzzles. He loves logic games with castles etc so we play a lot of those.
I'm not forcing him to do this and it is all based on what he enjoys. So I don't really appreciate the responses that are somewhat hostile. I was asking a simple question. Thanks to those of you who have provided helpful answers. I do try to let him be a kid, I just get concerned that he won't be interested in what they are doing if it's something he's done over and over. That's all. Also using the experience from my older two who were very similar, and struggled to find a balance with the school to allow them to have as much growth as any other student.
It's because you are being completely wacky. You sound like a nut talking about a 4 yr old being gifted. And the whole thing about getting a kindergarten teacher to attend to your kid because you think he is gifted...come on - are you seriously saying you can't see it. I'll do you a wake up call - go read your OP but do your best to pretend it isn't you who posted it. It sounds nuts. You talk about private school for gifted kids...at friggin' age 4! When I see advertisements or hear of private schools for gifted kids at that age, I always wonder who falls for that type of marketing routine. I mean if I were to open a pre school or something, I would definitely put the word "gifted" in the title. G-Fused school for Gifted Kids. That word would enable me to charge an extra few hundred a month.
Many kids are bored in kindergarten. It doesn't mean they are super geniuses. I'll give you some real advice - home school.
It's because you are being completely wacky. You sound like a nut talking about a 4 yr old being gifted. And the whole thing about getting a kindergarten teacher to attend to your kid because you think he is gifted...come on - are you seriously saying you can't see it. I'll do you a wake up call - go read your OP but do your best to pretend it isn't you who posted it. It sounds nuts. You talk about private school for gifted kids...at friggin' age 4! When I see advertisements or hear of private schools for gifted kids at that age, I always wonder who falls for that type of marketing routine. I mean if I were to open a pre school or something, I would definitely put the word "gifted" in the title. G-Fused school for Gifted Kids. That word would enable me to charge an extra few hundred a month.
Many kids are bored in kindergarten. It doesn't mean they are super geniuses. I'll give you some real advice - home school.
I never said anything about a gifted private school in my first post. I'm not even sure something like that exists here. I said a private school would be ideal, just a regular one. They tend to be able to vary more in their curriculum and the way they teach it then a public school can. But alas it's a mute point, they are just too pricey here.
If your kid does not do EXACTLY as told in kindergarten, he will fail.
Example:
Color the square green. color the circle blue. Color the triangle yellow.
If your kid decides to create a picture of all it, such as tree/green, sun/yellow, house/blue it will be marked as FAIL. Because: She didn't do as told. Stand up sit down line up.
I know someone's child who was failing kindergarten because of things like this.
If your kid does not do EXACTLY as told in kindergarten, he will fail.
Example:
Color the square green. color the circle blue. Color the triangle yellow.
If your kid decides to create a picture of all it, such as tree/green, sun/yellow, house/blue it will be marked as FAIL. Because: She didn't do as told. Stand up sit down line up.
I know someone's child who was failing kindergarten because of things like this.
What is fail in Kindergarten? You know someone who's child is failing kindergarten? pffft, doubt that.
Kids in kindergarten don't get "fail" on assignments. The person you know I'm sure was being super dramatic. Happens all the time. It's kindergarten - get a grip.
The OP has other kids I'd guess she knows what to expect.
Fail, that's hilarious. I've seen parents leave a kindergarten, 1st grade, etc. parent teacher conference and go cry because their kid couldn't read or whatever yet. cray cray - don't worry, the kid will know how to read at 18. People just get nuts when it comes to their kids. I do too so I know.
OP, come to Boston. The public schools in some of the towns West of Boston are crazy. Stupid competitive. If the kid isn't getting outside tutoring on nights and weekends, they will be below average. Since more and more research is showing that this type of environment is detrimental to very young kids though, many schools are now trying to balance that more and are doing an ok job at letting kids be kids for a while. Still, no shortage of academic and enrichment opportunities here.
Other than that, yes, your kid may be bored here and there. But they will also enjoy playing duck duck goose. It's a few hrs a day, their mind will be stimulated in a different way in kindergarten that the kid may not like but it is also a good lesson (even this early) to adapt and be flexible with things one may not find stimulating all the time. My kid also was an adept reader and advanced in that respect when he went to kindergarten. He was super bored because all he wanted to do was bounce a ball all day. Well, you don't always get what you want all the time and something that stimulates one kid won't stimulate another. For education that is 100% targeted to your kid's interest, it's home school. If your kid starts acting out, then you can suggest that they are bored. But not up front or before anything starts.
Best of luck and don't fret about things that haven't happened yet.
If your kid does not do EXACTLY as told in kindergarten, he will fail.
Example:
Color the square green. color the circle blue. Color the triangle yellow.
If your kid decides to create a picture of all it, such as tree/green, sun/yellow, house/blue it will be marked as FAIL. Because: She didn't do as told. Stand up sit down line up.
I know someone's child who was failing kindergarten because of things like this.
This was not at all our kindergarten experience. And years of reading alarmist stuff like this had me dreading it for no reason at all.
My son is only 4, but will be starting Kindergarten in the fall. Our public school does NOT have a gifted program. The school seems to push back, or at least make it difficult for you to get them to give separate work to one child. Anyone have any tips or luck in getting their advanced child help?
My son is already on the younger side for Kindergarten, so I don't want to skip him a grade. I just want him to jump up a grade for reading or have them put him in a class with another child who is already reading. Getting some more advanced math work for him would be great as well. If it's needed as info for you: he is reading, knows all his money (what it's worth, counting it) telling time by hour and half hour, and can add and subtract in his head.
A private school would be ideal, however, we simply can't afford it.
I'm worried he will be bored in kindergarten just learning letter sounds etc. Any help would be appreciated. Perhaps enrichment ideas for outside of school?
This will probably end up long and of no interest to anyone other than OP. OP, you came here looking for advice, so I'll do my best to share my experience and advice with you.
Background: my 3 boys are all adults now. They were all definitely advanced for their age when they were children. ("Gifted"? Who knows, who cares?) I'll just talk about my oldest, to keep it simple. He knew the entire alphabet (not to just sing it, but to name all the letters---I don't even know how he learned them) by the time he was a year and a half old. He was reading simple books by age 2 1/2, and read the newspaper everyday by the time he was 4. He ended up a National Merit Scholar based on his PSAT in high school, perfect math score on his SAT and nearly perfect on the verbal section. Full ride scholarships for undergrad and grad school. Everything he touched turned to gold--until he tried to enter the job market during the recession several years ago. Suddenly he was facing closed doors same as everyone else. He did find a job, but his career life was humbling (to both him and to me. My "super-star kid" turned out to just be a normal adult, but he's happily married, enjoys life, and that's all that really matters).
So, back in kindergarten, he was in a normal (non-gifted) class. His teacher did recognize his abilities and gave him 5th grade books to read, higher level math worksheets, etc. Thankfully I didn't have to ask for it. He seemed happy in Kg, so that's all that mattered to me. Then we moved, and he was in a different school for 1st grade. It was there that he let me know very clearly that he was not happy (he cried a lot, had stomach aches, didn't want to go to school). He even wrote out an entire paper with examples of math problems (multiplication problems in the hundreds of thousands) and spelling words (multisyllabic) that he wished he was allowed to do, instead of the "simple things" his teacher was having them do (his words). I took that paper in to the principal to see if higher level work could be given to my son (big mistake--I should have gone to the teacher, and I don't even remember why I didn't.) The teacher greatly resented me asking for harder work, and the rest of 1st grade was a nightmare. I didn't even know for a long time that she just stuck him in a corner to work on 5th grade material by himself. When I discovered this, and asked her about it, she was extremely nasty. My point in telling you this story is just to be careful, not to alienate the teacher. And if the teacher is not open to helping your child as an individual, try very hard to work WITH that teacher, not against. If all else fails, request a different teacher.
I ended up homeschooling all of my kids for several years (something several here have suggested to you). I homeschooled through 8th grade. I am the kind of person who goes above and beyond in anything I do, so I can honestly say I did an excellent job of educating my boys, and I was of course able to customize their curricula much more than any public or private teacher could have done. But teaching just 3 children (not 30 as in many classrooms) was challenging! I began to truly appreciate teachers, and to understand why they couldn't possibly perfectly accommodate every child's exact needs. Yet the kids who want to thrive and learn, for the most part, do so.
If I had to do it all over again, I'm not sure I would homeschool. I completely gave up my own career growth for the sake of my children's education. Would they have ended up with the advanced degrees they have now if I hadn't poured my life into them? Probably. I had no way of knowing that my (then) husband would end up filing for divorce, and that I would have to re-enter my long-abandoned career in my late 40s, starting all over at the bottom of the ladder. I truly regret giving up what could have been a much more successful and satisfying career for myself.
One just never knows what the future holds. So take care of and invest in yourself at least as much as you take care of your children. Your 4 year old will let you know if he is unhappy in school. Nurture his interests and passions after school, at the library, music or art lessons, science kits, etc. If he is truly gifted, nothing will stop him from learning about the things he wants to learn. Just be careful not to alienate or annoy the teachers, because they surely roll their eyes when every other parent tries telling them how gifted their child is. Even if he IS gifted, they probably don't want you telling them. A good teacher will figure it out (unless you have that rare bad apple like my son had in 1st grade). Just love that little boy, let him take the lead regarding his interests, and don't fret. It will all work out!
This was not at all our kindergarten experience. And years of reading alarmist stuff like this had me dreading it for no reason at all.
It has to do with not following the directions. If they don't follow directions the teacher cannot prove the kid has mastered the material.
If the directions say write the letter A, and the kids writes D, he fails.
If he directions say to color the square blue and he colors it red, he fails.
They have to meet the standards. Otherwise they are marked as failing no matter HOW *gifted* they are.
Doesn't matter if you believe/don't believe. I know someone it happened to.
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