Search Results for: blog kindergarten readiness

Interest and Readiness are Not the Same Things

As a parent, it can be hard to figure out when is the right time to introduce new skills or expectations with our children. When do we introduce solids? When do we start to potty-train? “When?” tends to be the big question that parents are constantly asking themselves. One good indicator of when a child is ready to take on a new skill or make a developmental leap is when they start to express and interest. It is important to remember, however, that interest does not always mean that the child is ready. A child might start reaching for solid … Continue reading →

Kindergarten Naptime

Although I cannot remember much from my kindergarten year, I can recall several events from first and second grades. I vividly recall rest time. In both first and second grade, we had a specified time of day that we put our heads down on the desks to rest. Now, many kindergarten students do not have a naptime. My school is the only school in our county that participates in no form of naptime. The other kindergarten classes either have naptime everyday or periodically (when time permits or the teacher feels it is needed). Naps are things of education’s past. Some … Continue reading →

2006 in Review: Homeschooling Blog at a Glance

As a new homeschooling blogger at Families.com, I wanted to know everything that has been discussed to date. In response to my own curiosity, and in an effort to make perusing our articles easier for you, our readers, I have compiled all of the blogs for the year 2006. Deciding to Homeschool Why homeschool Am I qualified for this? Reasons that Homeschooling Works! My Most Important Advice for Homeschoolers. The Cost of Homeschooling Instead of standing up for their own kids, why not stand up for all kids? Disclaimer: I am hardly an expert in education. Did You Know? ‘Empirical … Continue reading →

Academic Preparedness for Kindergarten

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I mentioned in a previous blog about school readiness that I would focus on what your child should know (according to the NEA) before starting kindergarten. Many people don’t realize that children need to be somewhat prepared to start kindergarten. Here are some things that your child should know before starting this wonderful first step into school: -Know basic knowledge about themselves -Know basic knowledge about their families -Know basic knowledge of the world around them Basically, what the NEA (National Education Association) suggests is that your child should have some academic skills, social skills and communication skills already in … Continue reading →

Academic Readiness Skills for Young Children

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When you are home schooling your young children, you can use this list to identify things that you need to work on. However, I would like to add a small note about reading. Teaching reading in the early years is a moderately recent concept. It is quite normal for children to not be able to read until 8 or even 9 years old. The recent push for children to pick up reading early is two fold. First of all, there are more and more children who have several of the risk factors that are correlated to poor performance in school: … Continue reading →

We’re Putting in a Garden!

Yesterday was the first day that it actually felt like spring here in Pennsylvania. The daffodils actually bloomed, and we could walk around without our heavy coats and sweatshirts and sweaters. I parked the car in the driveway, in the sun, and got it cleaned out while my youngest and I waited for the kindergarten bus. All very nice, but the biggest development came later. After work, my husband started planning out a garden. Planning out a garden is something that he and I have been talking about for a while. Growing some of our own produce is a great … Continue reading →

Being Ready for Anything

One of the things you can always count on is change. I realized this recently. I have a rather odd job that I’m not going to get into here (as it isn’t that important), but the reality of my particular position is that there is occasionally time when there is literally nothing to do. My actual job, during these times, is to simply wait. To be present. To exist. And, as it turns out, it doesn’t matter how I exist during these periods of time. I could sit, stand, jog, read, write, recite poetry: whatever. Now, while all jobs aren’t … Continue reading →

If I Could Start Over Again, Thoughts from a homeschool veteran

I don’t know If I can really call myself a homeschool veteran just just yet because I have not graduated a homeschooler. I have however, gotten my kids to the high school stage and am continuing to homeschool them. 75% of homeschoolers (my best bet)decide to stop homeschooling by this point. This is not a condemnation, just a fact, as each family must do what is best for them. If I had to do it again, as in start from scratch with a new child in Kindergarten, I would certainly do things differently. There are also some things I would … Continue reading →

Should You Hold Your Child Back a Year?

One controversial idea that seems to be gaining in popularity is the practice of intentionally holding a child back or delaying the start of school by a year. Thus, students who are qualified to enter kindergarten at the age of five stay home or in preschool that extra year, only entering formal school at the age of six. Why is this happening and what should you do? There are a few reasons that parents are choosing to delay the start of a child’s formal schooling. One reason is to ensure that the child will be at the top of the … Continue reading →

Another Time for Letting Go

I’m having mixed feelings about Regina starting kindergarten this week. Part of me wants to cry out that I haven’t had enough time with her– I should get an extra eight months! (Someone did once ask me Meg’s age when she was two and a half years old, and I responded “a year and a half” because that’s how long she’d been with me!) If Regina were a summer birthday I would definitely hold off on school, but she’s almost six. (And she has been wearing her sister’s outgrown uniforms since April.) I do sometimes feel a bit jealous about … Continue reading →