What to do with a young 4 year old after LHTH?

[mothermayi]

I am thinking ahead here. My daughter will turn 4 at the beginning of next school year. She is ambitiously plugging through LHTH and begging for it. If she finishes LHTH this school year, what will she do for PreK as a 4 year old? Thanks!

[StephanieU]

What Bible and devotion are you using? If you are using the younger one, I would go back through LHTH and add in a little more handwriting and math and start phonics. This is what I have planned for my kids. I am just going to buy a couple of the big workbooks you can get at places like Costco as well as possibly some Rod and Staff books, and use those for the math and "letters" instead of what is in the LHTH guide.

[Kteni]

Thank you for asking this Q. My 3 yo is about to start Little Hands and I had been wondering the same thing. I like the idea of incorporating the R&S books in the second run, or even some free printables off the Jan Brett site for alphabet writing practice. Tot School also has free printables that could compliment a second run of LHTH. I was planning to introduce various fonts in pre K (age 4) so my son had exposure to say,
a that is type set like on screen or in many books,
a that was ball and stick like traditional manuscript
a in D'Nealean that is slanted like a cursive a.
my daughters K program did that and it was brilliant. She could pick out the different a's easily and had their sound attached to them, kwim? And so on with each letter. I hope to make it a meatier run through for age 4.

[MelInKansas]

My 2nd born did LHTH 2 years before K, then the year before K she did workbooks, starting a learn-to-read program when she turned 5, a little tiny bit of handwriting, and listened in on storytime and memorized Bible verses with her older sister. She enjoyed sitting and listening though, if your 4YO would not like to listen to an older child's guide LHTH again is a great option too! I have started with my 4YO reading to her from the Bible instead of the Children's Bible, getting her used to the vocabulary and trying to pay attention, though we talk about what it means after we read. The verses that have been selected make the stories simple enough and really pick out the highlights for the children.

[mothermayi]

What Bible and devotion are you using? If you are using the younger one, I would go back through LHTH and add in a little more handwriting and math and start phonics. This is what I have planned for my kids. I am just going to buy a couple of the big workbooks you can get at places like Costco as well as possibly some Rod and Staff books, and use those for the math and "letters" instead of what is in the LHTH guide.

We are using Playtime Devotions and A Childs First Bible (we have an older guide...I think 2004). These options are for 2-3 year olds.

[MomtoJGJE]

LHTH is a great guide to go through again Use the older options, have them begin narrating some, and add in FMS type things. I also start adding in memory verses more in depth. Like, when we go through it at 3, I don't really care if they have to repeat after me or if they can say it themselves.... I'm not pushing it, you know? But when we go through it at 4, I expect them to tell me the verse at the end of the week. I also have them start writing a bit more, copywork type stuff, and do more with the math.

[mothermayi]

What is FMS?

[avbprincess]

FMS = Fine Motor Skills. Basically, any activity that will assist little ones in strengthening and gaining control over their fingers in preparation for learning to write (cutting, gluing, play-doh, Lego, etc).

[mothermayi]

Right, I knew that rofl! Duh Hahahah! Thanks

[avbprincess]

No worries, the online homeschool world is rife with acronyms, as I'm sure you've found out! Things can get confusing very quickly.

[mshanson3121]

Great question, I've wondered this myself! I've been tempted to do it with my 3 year old this year, but was wondering what we would do next year.

For those who repeated it, did you find you, or the child, got bored, doing so many of the same things over again?

[MagnoliaHoney]

It takes a lot for kids to get bored, most like some kind of repetition, and NEED repetition to actually learn.

To tell you the truth, the lessons that we are doing right now with my 3 and almost 2 year old, we are using the younger versions of every thing, and like was said, not trying to make them remember verses etc, sometimes we go over the same lesson two or three days in a row. We have been doing this for nearly 4 weeks right now and are only on week two of the actual lesson manual. lol I stretch each week into about 2 weeks, and they don't care at all! They love the finger play and songs, they want to color/paint/glue the same thing over and over again, they want to play the same bible scenes over and over again!

Since there's not a lot of work sheets in this one, and there's a lot of play and crafts and singing, mine enjoy doing them over and over.

I plan on doing this at least 1 more year with the three year old, and possibly two, and also doing it with the 1 year old till he is 4 or 5....I may beef it up as they get older, adding some free Easy Peasy stuff, but all in and all I plan on doing it over again with them every year, till K! My grade one 7 y.o DD always wants to do the LHTH, and ask if we can do the same things over and over again from it too!

[TrueGRIT]

I am doing LHTH for the second time with my 4yo. Most of the things she doesn't even remember. At the rate she is going she will be done by the end of February, and I will have her do phonics to finish out the year. Then start her in LHFHG next Fall. You have been given excellent advice for reusing the guide a second time, so I won't go into that. Mainly just wanted to say this is her second time through it and she is still loving it! In fact she enjoys it more this time because she is older, and this is her guide.

[raindrops]

So true, MagnoliaHoney! How many weeks did we do Unit 1? LOL. I have... lots... of childrens Bibles so we can read the same story in each one... 'cause you know each one is different. New pictures and different words, yet the same story. I made "find the A's" worksheet so she likes those. My son likes to do LHTH with us too, and he is 6!

We also add in stuff from workbooks I got at a Christian bookstore. Little activities/ crafts to go along with the Bible story.

And I check out The Mailbox magazine (preschool edition) from the library and add in those activities too... very cute. Yesterday I had them both "dive" under the "water", a blue blanket and grab a picture of an animal. They sorted land and sea creatures. It sooooorta went along with Unit 2, Noah's Ark. Hah. The Mailbox has lots of simple, easy ideas like that, the kids love it.

So I might either just drag LHTH out or do it twice? We will probably go full speed when she turns 4 in February and then do it a second time once she turns 5.

We do have both younger and older options for LHTH.

[creekmama]

Lots of great ideas already suggested. My daughter loved the Road and Staff workbooks when she was little. We did 'em all!