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My twins will be almost 4.5 when we begin school in September. They already know their colors, shapes, numbers, most of the alphabet, etc. They listen well to stories, and can usually give correct answers after listening to a reading. Their fine motor skills are about average, I suppose (for boys!) . I'm afraid that the HOD preschool program might be too "easy" for them. Would they do o.k. with Little Hearts if they only did the kindergarten-level activities? I don't want to push them too hard, either. Thanks for your thoughts!

I wouldn't put a 4 1/2 yr old in Little Hearts. I made the mistake of starting both my boys too young and had to slow up along the way. Once we hit Bigger we had trouble. I would use Little Hands with the 4-5 yr old choices. At some point you could also add some gentle phonics to it such as Explode the Code if you felt it necessary. Even if it seems easy, there are a lot of skills being built in each guide and there is a reason for everything.

Thank you! This gives me something to think about.

I used LHFHG with my young 5yo, and repeated it the following year using 1st grade options. The second time round went much better

Hi Karlyn! LHTH is a wonderful start to homeschooling, even with a 4 1/2 yo who knows some of what it has to offer. I say "some" of what it has to offer because it has a lot more to offer than just colors, shapes, numbers, and ABCs. LHTH is a mini version of LHFHG. It has daily history, covering Biblical history chronologically from Creation to Paul's Missionary Journeys. Each history theme is accompanies with follow-up history projects, art projects, active exploration, and fingerplays. A sound and action is taught for every letter of the alphabet in a very systematic way. All of our dc knew one sound for every letter of the alphabet upon starting phonics, and this made them successful early readers. The devotionals offer wonderful opportunities to have deeper discussions and delve into Godly character qualities. Many more math skills other than counting are covered. Here is a link to the "Introduction" of LHFH, and I think by reading through it you'll see all that LHTH has to offer.
http://www.heartofdakota.com/pdf/little-hands-intro.pdf

As your dd is 4 1/2 yo and knows her colors/shapes/numbers/letters, doing daily history, projects, learning her sounds, and delving into deeper devotional topics will add to her repertoire and prepare her beautifully for LHFHG! If you would like, you can do 2 lessons of LHTH a day, maybe one in the morning, and one in the afternoon, and finish the guide by the time your dd is at least 5 yo. She could then begin LHFHG having been used to a balance of all school subjects, a 1 hour school day addressing each subject area, and be well-prepared for the 1 1/2 hour school day including all subjects in LHFHG. We loved LHTH 3 times with our 3 sons - I think you and your sweet daughter would too! HTH!

In Christ,
Julie

Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my question! Now I have a much better idea of what I should do. May God bless you greatly!