4 1/2 year old having hard time with kindergarten program

[rose411]

I did my first day of of the kindergarten program. My son does really well with the workbooks and the reading program. However, he has a really hard time listening the the science text and reading the chapter book with me. I also know that the "Devotional for the Children's Hour" is way too long for my son the sit through.

Should I just skip these things for now, take longer to do the lessons or start again in a few months? He also doesn't have a lot of interest in listening to the CD and doing the songs.

[water2wine]

Have you tried to do the program half paced. I did this with my dd that started at almost 4 years old. It worked really well for us and after not much time at all she was ready for the program full force. Those things you mention all sound like an age maturity thing that is normal and might just say he needs a little slower pace. What I did with my dd is let her do math and phonics every day but slowed the rest down to half paced and it worked well for us. She also did well with workbook type stuff but lacked the attention span or patience to sit still for the entire reading and get all of it. After a few months she was ready for the whole thing. I think it took us a year and a half to get through it and that worked well for us. Does that maybe sound like something that would work for you?

[krismoose]

I agree with w2w, it may help to slow the program down for awhile. I started with my ds at 4.5 and we did math, phonics and the fine motor workbook every day and did one, maybe two of the boxes on the left side or the storytime box. We always started with the reading about history box because the others relate to it. So it took us 2-3 days to complete one "day" as written in the guide. After doing that for a while, we started doing all of the left side on one day, but always alternated between the boxes that required quiet listening vs. movement or hands-on activities. At that point you could continue to do reading & workbooks every day as well, or alternate so that you do the left side one day, right side the next. Whatever works for you and your ds HTH

ETA: I forgot to mention that we do the reading at snack and lunch...we do the history reading, and science if there is any at snack, and do the rotating activity, memory verse and rhyme afterward along with math, phonics & fine motor. We read the storytime chapter at lunch, as well as the devotional if that's listed. It started out as reading to a captive audience because it was hard to keep his attention, but now it's helped form a good routine for us, and we all look forward to it.

[Shimmer]

Another idea to the half-paced option is to consider dropping back to LHTH. I'm doing it with my almost 5 year old and the Bible stories are really on her level. I add in K level reading, math, and handwriting so we don't have any additional history or science this year. At first I felt like I wasn't doing enough for her, then I realized there just wasn't any more time in our day to fit anything else in around the baby's schedule and she was doing so well with what we have, why over do it? I can get excited and want to do everything so it's probably good for me to go at a slower pace. She is really blossoming with what she has. Anyway, just wanted to share. Hope you find the solution for your needs.

[3musketeers]

Rose411,
I do agree with the other posters' half-speed or stepping back a guide to LHTH options. But I would like to add another in the mix. Today was your first day? And did I see you have a ds? My ds's have also had days of squirmies during longer readings. Has he had any experience with listening to chapter books before? I think you might try working with him for a week or so with the curriculum as is (if he fits the skills in the HOD placement chart for your guide). I started LHTH with my youngest yesterday and our first day he squirmed and said, "No I can't do that" quite a bit. Today he did everything I asked and listened so much better. I think he and your ds will improve each day. It's all new for them and they have to get used to the new routine and learn what it's all about. If your ds is still completely bored after a few weeks then reevaluate. Just another idea. I know it can be disappointing to gear up for the first day and it doesn't go the way you planned. Give it some time and it will be great!

[MamaBear23Cubs]

I 'dropped' my 4 1/2 year old from school. She is no longer part of LHFHG. With constint pushing she can be but it's more work and I want our 'homeschool' to be enjoyable not fighting. I have since sold my Little Hands because she does knows the book but just isn't ready to move on yet as much as I would love her to. You can do what others suggested and just do half the program or stop and retry when she is older. She can do school by a bunch of other stuff and with tagging along with older siblings (if any) .

[Marcee]

I usually let my DS and DD do something while I'm reading aloud. DS will play with Legos, DD will color. That is what works for their learning style. They have no issue with comprehension unless I am expecting them to sit still and listen.

[Tree House Academy]

Another vote for dropping back or going at half-speed. My ds6 is an advanced reader, but he wasn't ready for the bigger workload in Beyond (and that is something you really have to think about too is future manuals and will your ds be ready for them if he is struggling now). We dropped back to Little Hearts and are really enjoying it.

[my3sons]

I did my first day of of the kindergarten program. My son does really well with the workbooks and the reading program. However, he has a really hard time listening the the science text and reading the chapter book with me. I also know that the "Devotional for the Children's Hour" is way too long for my son the sit through.

Should I just skip these things for now, take longer to do the lessons or start again in a few months? He also doesn't have a lot of interest in listening to the CD and doing the songs.

Congrats on completing your first day! Since you have such a young one doing LHFHG, it is always an option to go half-speed, doing the left side of the plans one day, and the right side of the plans the next day (though I think it's important to do phonics daily). This would be a good option if it seems difficult overall, and would be a better solution than skipping things since skills would be missed then. Otherwise, if you'd say overall it went quite well and there were just a few things that were difficult, I think it sounds like things went very typically.

When we start a program if some things go well, some things go so-so, and some things are hard, I've come to think of this as an indicator of a perfectly balanced school year ahead of us. For dc to be adequately challenged without being overly challenged, this balance is key. If everything was easy on the first day, then what skills would there be to grow into? Likewise, if everything were difficult on the first day, then what skills are being reviewed or practiced? I think it is very important NOT to begin skipping things when only one day (or even one month) of school has been completed as it sends the signal that skills that are too hard will just be stopped. These are skills to grow into - some skills can take the whole year to grow into. It took my ds a good portion of his Bigger Hearts... year to grow into doing the vocabulary well, but then when he did it in Preparing Hearts, he did fantastic with it! Of course then during PHFHG, he took a good portion of the year for him to grow into creative writing, but this year in CTC, his writing is flourishing!

So, I just want to encourage you that it is important dc do struggle with some things and work through them, because those skills aren't going to go away - they will be staring them square in the face the next year, only then they'll be harder still. Having your child learn to listen attentively to the books such as science/Devotions for the Children's Hour this year, will help your child be able to listen attentively to the longer books next year. Everything in the HOD guides fulfills an academic need that is built upon in the next guide. So, it's worth the time it takes to work through them. The CD only takes about 3 minutes, and it is well worth that time. Marching around our kitchen to it was great fun for my oldest when he did LHFHG, and my middle ds loved for me to hold him and sway to the music (he's the cuddler). Anyway, I guess if I were you, I'd weigh whether it seems it would be best to slow down to a pace of half-speed or whether it is better to move on, with the thought in mind that it will take awhile for your little one to grow into some skills. If you choose to move on, keeping a brisk pace really will help the day move along and help your little one be able to attend better. I say this only because I personally used to struggle with drawing things out when I first began homeschooling my oldest. Poor little guy - I always had just one more question than the guide, or one more step for the activity than the plans - I really drew it out and realized belatedly this was not a good idea. Just thought I'd mention that, because having a brisk pace and just doing what was in the plans made LHFHG work well for my 4 1/2 yo middle ds when we did it with him. We did start half-speed for awhile, so that is a good option too!!!

In Christ,
Julie