How much to "push" with LHTH?

[ALB]

My ds is newly 3 but has been begging to do preschool like his sister. I've been doing LHTH very, very slowly with him and he does really well with the letter sounds and really enjoys most of the activities. My plan is to repeat it when we finish, so I haven't been making him do the "worksheets"- the number pages, etc. yet. Some (most) days he LOVES doing it and begs to do his preschool. Then other days, he says he is tired and doesn't want to do it because he'd rather play. I'm not sure whether I should I should consistently require him to do it or just let him enjoy being a 3 yr. old with no school expectations yet. Have any of you dealt with something similar? He is a very strong personality, passionate little guy and I think could benefit from the routine. I'd like school to be a consistent thing, since it's short, Bible based and just fun! Should I just say, well, we're going to do it today and then you can play?
Thanks, Angela

[hobandrolly]

My thoughts for what they're worth~don't push it at all. The time for compulsory education will come soon enough. And if you already know that you'll be repeating it when your kiddo is 4, I'd save the more disciplined/diligent school time for then. I know each family is different in their thoughts on this, but now that I'm on my 4th 3 year old, I'm enjoying gently going at her pace. Enjoy his toddlerhood! ~holly

[Mercy]

Hi there,
I just wanted to chime in and say I am with you on this question. I have gone from one extreme to another and now I'm full circle again. For my oldest I really pushed him and I thought that challenging children where they were at is the best thing to do. And then came my daughter, who at 2 knew all of her letters and sounds and was ready to begin reading. I followed sound wisdom and waited to begin formal school with her. I think that was the right thing to do. The problem is she's six years old now and she's struggling with me to do school everyday. Part of it may just be personality but I think another part is lack of routine that we had in place. I am wondering now for my two -year-old if by just having simple routines in place we could forgo the fights that we have in school now. There is a difference between academic p ushing and requiring children to partcipate. Of course, all of this is contingent on a good teacher. Maybe if I could make school appealing enough (at this age), I could help him to want to to participate...? I am just finding at this beginning of our school year that we are struggling in keeping a routine. I know that the resistance will end with my six-year-old as we form a rythem in school.

Pretty much my two year old has run crazy while I'm trying to form a rythem with my 11 -year-old and six year old. Eventually I'll get this down!

[striving2Bprov31]

Good Morning! We are home today from church with one of our little ones still sick

Here is my 2 cents....don't push it at all. He's 3. It is just my humble opinion that his routine everyday should not be anything academic. If he wants to do the activities in LHTH, then great! If you are concerned about structure, it's just my philosophy that structure should stem from other things at his age and not "school". Routine should be playtime, meals, sleeptime, pickup time, and lots of other real-life stuff. I say just let LHTH be something that gives you another opportunity in the day to do something fun and meaningful with him when he is engaged and willing

This is just my way of doing things here at our house, so I just thought I would share!!

Have a great day!

[KristinBeth]

I just wanted to voice my agreement with the wise ladies who have chimed in so far and advised not to push your 3 y.o. There is enough time for academics later. There is really no reason for a 3 yo to know the alphabet yet. Charlotte Mason would be encouraging habit training and lots of fresh air and outdoor play at age 3. HOD being a CM-style program, I'm confident that Carrie would say the same thing. Don't push, just have fun! You'll be doing LHTH over again when he's ready, and in the meantime he can join in listening to short bible stories and just the "projects" (what my kids call them) that he wants to do. I have a 4 yo and 2 yo daughter and the little one wants to "do school" so she participates when she feels like it. Have fun with it!
Kristin

[blessedmomof4]

I agree as well. I feel structure and routine are important for children. It gives them a sense of security knowing what to expect from day to day. You can provide this by having a schedule for his daily activities, and involving your little one in the rest of the family's daily activities around the house. Have a morning routine. Have meals at the same time every day. Have a special time for going outdoors. When you do your housekeeping, teach him to help, such as having him fold washcloths when you do the laundry, or helping you knead bread dough or stir cake batter. Have him wipe the table with you. Have a bath-time and bedtime routine. Getting your little one used the the familiar rhythms of the day and even having small responsiblilities (such as picking up his toys and putting them in the toybox) will go a long way toward preparing him for the addition of required academics in the future. For now, keep doing the academics when he is interested, and do something else when he is not-there's no rush
Just wanted to add, my son, who is a college freshman now, was reading on his own at age 3. I pushed him really hard, not knowing any better, and did a rigorous kindergarten program with him at age 3 1/2. It was very stressful (for both of us) and took all the joy of learning and discovery away for that year. Also, his fine motor skills took a long time to develop, so that was also a frustration for both of us. If I knew then what I know now, I would have just let him read as he wanted to, and used a fun preschool like Heart of Dakota when he turned 4. I learned to be a lot more relaxed with my next three when they were toddlers.
I hope that helps!

[ALB]

Thank you all for your advice! We do already have a lot of routine here (I am definitely a schedule personality), and I really resonate with not requiring him to participate in the school activities. Actually, he listens to all our readings from LHFHG and memorizes the verses, so he is getting quite a bit of input that way. Thank you all for your replies! Angela

[mercymom]

My little three year old acts like she is not interested in her older sister's schoolwork. She does enjoy joining us for story time, and occasionally works on a workbook at the table - like one page, or one 1/2 a page and says she's done. Anyway, the funny thing is that she knows all her letters and can spit out the memory verses and more! She came to me recently and said, "Mom, I have two dolls and Lucy has two dolls. That wouldn't work if we had three, but we have four dolls so it works. Oh and Esther has one, so that makes five." Then she went and got a doll so that Esther could have two as well. That's some high level thinking there if you ask me! lol Just saying that to say that they pick up on much more than you realize!

[raceNzanesmom]

Agreeing with the others. At 3, they need LOTS of time to play and explore. Have plenty available to do (cutting activities, Play-Doh, puzzles, etc), but don't push it. The only thing I push at that age is being quiet while I read, proper manners, helping with chores, etc.

[my3sons]

Agreeing here, with one more thought - I'd view this as a year most important for dd, as she will need it to get ready for LHFHG, and ds will get it another time later. So while he can certainly take part in it as you wish, I'd just guard against him coming and going so much from it that it becomes a deterrent to dd's own learning. You may just want to set the routine of him being involved in some things and not others - like maybe he marches around to the Corresponding Music and does the Fingerplay, but then goes and plays. The Bible reading time and the devotions time could then be special for your dd, and she can really grow in her listening, comprehension skills, learning to answer the questions with care. Likewise, these times will become special for your ds, when he is ready to do all of LHTH and get his most out of it. I'm just thinking that it's good from the start to establish that you decide when school will be done, instead of the child deciding when (and when not to) take part in things. I'm not sure, but I think this would be hard to undo if ds gets it in his little head he gets to decide if he'll do school or not, or how much he'll do if he does it - but that could just be my own way of thinking as I have 3 sons and I've wished we could undo some habits we've somehow formed unknowingly. Just something that I was thinking that may or may not be helpful to your situation, so take it with a grain of salt - you'll know best.

In Christ,
Julie

[Mercy]

I'm just thinking that it's good from the start to establish that you decide when school will be done, instead of the child deciding when (and when not to) take part in things. I'm not sure, but I think this would be hard to undo if ds gets it in his little head he gets to decide if he'll do school or not, or how much he'll do if he does it

Thank you Julie! That is exactly what I was trying to say but I could not find the words to say it. That is what I'm struggling with with my dear daughter right now. Because I didn't push school she thought she could choose when she could do it or not. Learning wise, you should not push. But the routine of school, you should be faithful to do. Nothing really big required, but it is done routinely... If that makes sense?

Oh I'm so glad you posted Julie!
Could not get my brain around what I was trying to say.
It was driving me nuts!
Lol!!

[my3sons]

So glad to have helped!
In Christ,
Julie