My daughter missed the school cut of for Kindergarten by 3 weeks and she is very ready for school. All the pre-schools are either full or teach what she already knows. What do I do to keep her academically stimulated?
Thanks, all great ideas. May have found a pre-school that can take her. Very excited as she needs to learn to take instruction/direction from other authority figures and interact with other children. Maybe being the oldest in her class she'll be more mature in the upper grades (when it really matters)!
Try Jump Start computer learning games, The 1st grade one I have came with a printable workbook in the parents section of the C.D. My son loved it plus can still play the games over and over.
How far do you live from South Hill, Puyallup?? My son will be attending Pre-K three days a week... and there are several openings for the afternoon class (12:30-3 MWF, beginning Sept 9) and the last I heard there was one spot left in the morning MWF 9-11:30. Let me know if you would like the details! Tuition is $160/mo.
Kim
she should be in preschool - and I am sure that you are exaggerating the fact that they all teach what she already knows. One of the most important learning opportunities of a preschool is the social development. She can't get that by hanging out with you...try to find a play based preschool and this will be the emphasis, rather than the academics (which you can always support her on at home).
READ. Go to museums, science centers, lots of field trips. Join MOMS groups, use Discovery Toys while playing and teaching, go to the teacher supply stores for workbooks, read up on the Montessori way.....
It was my understanding that your daughter could be tested to see if she can start Kindergarten early. We're hoping to do that next year with our little girl (her birthday is Oct. 9th). It might be something worth looking into. Hopefully you're not too late for the year. I found this link which might be helpful:
http://www.greatschools.net/find-a-school/applying-enroll...
have you tried homeschooling? there are lots of home school co-ops in the area, so she could go "out" with you to there once a week, but you can get curriculum at most Christian Book stores and at teaching store!
You don't say were you are at... but Heritage Christian Academy in Bothell has a strong academic pre-K class. I am sure you will find that at other private schools as well.
Good Luck... I also have an academically strong 5 year old as well, but luckily we didn't have the kindergarten cut off issue (and we put her in private school for stronger academics this year)...
I seriously suggest you ask the school district for an exception. They will evaluate her and decide if they think she is ready.
Has your daughter been to preschool before? Yes You do want her academically stimulated, but she will learn alot just being in a school environment and some of the projects they do as a group that are more difficult to duplicate at home.
Montessori, Montessori, Montessori! Oh, yeah, did I mention Montessori? What area are you in? I know some good ones! E-mail me (____@____.com) and I can help you. In the meantime, check out Montessori on the web. YouTube has some good lesson videos, too.
Go to the store and buy those learning workbooks....if she is totally ready for kindergarten, then buy her the ones that are for 1st grade.....they have some great ones at Target!
Hope this helps!
I would suggest to keep trying to get her into a preschool, but don't start Kindergarten early. There is more to being ready for school than just "book" ready.
Work with her on visually learning her ABC's, the sounds they make and site-words (Kindi has a list of about 30 words) as well as her numbers. Leapfrog has great videos that help.
Hello!
My oldest daughter didn't make the cut off so I found a preschool and they taught her Kindergarten. The draw back now is that she is the youngest in the class. She is exposed to things before her mind is ready socially. So there are pros and cons. If you really feel she is ready and you have the time Homeschooling may be an option. I'm going to homeschool my twins in Kindergarten this year. The beauty of homeschool is that it only needs to be from maybe 9:00 a.m. to noon. You get done faster because there are no distractions. It can also be done fairly cheap. I picked up preschool and kindergarten comprehensive cirriculum of basic skill books at Sams Club. I will use these and a couple handwriting books and learn to read books. You can also find resources online for homeschool ideas and worksheets. Good Luck!
L.
My son's birthday is Oct 7. I had him tested for early entry and he passed with flying colors. He was academically ready, big for his age (size doesn't matter as much for girls), and socially fit in much better with the older group. I am definitely glad I did it. So check with your local public school about testing for early entry. If they give you too much grief (and some will really try to discourage you), check into the private schools. Most public school kindergarten programs are a waste of time unless your child needs social development. If you get her into a private kindergarten and it doesn't work out you can always pull her out and start again the next year. But if it does work out and you want to switch her to a public school later, they usually don't give you a hassle if she has successfully completed the previous grade. Just think...your daughter will have some "big girl" time a couple of hours every day at school and you can have a couple of hours with just your son!
don't worry about her being behind next year when she does start school. My son is a late august birthday and as our pediatrition suggested, waiting a year will benefit in the long run. He was right. My son did very well in kindergarten academically and emotionally. Now he is in 1st grade. There is some great work books you can find at any department store if you want . Fisher price has some good ones. I understand about the lack of time to work with her, I too have a 23mos old. Maybe when you read to your baby, she can be involved in that. Oh, there also might be some cheap activities through your recreational program in your city.
I work at a Montessori school, where the teachers let the children set the pace. If the child is more advanced, he/she will be shown more challenging work. I have the same situation with my daughter. Now she is entering Kindergarten and will turn 6 in October. I put her in part-time K and will have her continue at the Montessori school on the off days.
Send her to a spanish speaking preschool (or some foreign language).
My daughter will just make the cut off. I think she will be academically ready to go but I'm worried about when she is 10 yrs old and if she'll be as mature and "into" the things the other girls are - I'm concerned bc my sister sent her daughter and academically she is doing well but she is a little behind with maturity which surfaced later. So my plan is to send my daughter to a spanish speaking preschool the year before kinder.
Think of this year as a bonus year with your daughter, rather than as the year that she missed kindergarten. There are resources at the library, swimming lessons, and if you are close to and children's museums. I am also going to suggest the Children's Bookstore in Kent (it is also online) for educational supplies.
I would set up a schedule of events for week days. For example. Mondays swimming, Tuesdays library reading group, etc.
Soon this bonus year will be gone. She will be so ready for Kindergarten.
Do the early entry. If she's ready and she has the skills, that 3 week mark is totally arbitrary. Kindergarten was SUCH a joke for my kiddo, I wish we had just skipped it honestly.
Good Luck. I Know lots of parents struggle with this issue.
Where are you located? I know of a great Pre-K/ Kinders mixed program for that age.
Creative Children's Center. Check it out.
If I were you (I will be next year), I would keep her in some sort of preschool for the social interaction, and keep her intellectually stimulated by going to museums, or finding out something she is into and learning about it through art or books. To keep the brain stimulated you do not always need "math" or something like that, it could be a new physical activity like dance, gymnastics, or Karate. If you push her to learn now what she will learn in K it will not keep her ahead, she will probably just feel board next year.
I have to agree. I have an Oct. 7 baby who will start Kindergarden this year at almost 6. He, too was academically ready last year. I am so thankful that we are sending him to school now. His year of pre-K, while not academically challenging, made all of the difference in maturity and school readyness. With this extra maturity, we hope he is being set up to be a confident leader. The social is so much more important than the academics at this age. Follow your daughter's lead and explore the things she is interested in. My son can tell you how many moons Saturn has or where Algeria is on the world map. The library is an excellent resource (until he decided he wanted to learn everything about NFL teams). This extra year of maturity will give your daughter such an advantage- especially in middle school and early high school. Enjoy being with her now- soon you will be on a school schedule. We have a friend who sent their Oct daughter to K last year. She and my son are at the same place academically. What is the rush?
