Name: Thrive! NCHE Convention
Start: 2024-05-23T00:00:00-05:00
End: 2024-05-25T23:59:59-05:00
Location: Winston-Salem, NC

This topic has 2 replies, 3 voices, and was last updated 7 years, 2 months ago by Renee Gould.

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February 3, 2017 at 9:27 am
Joanna Simmons
Participant
Hello Everyone!
I have a question pertaining to the age of my child and when to start first grade, or “year one.” My daughter is currently 4 (will be 5 in about a month) and we had been working on “preschool” level activities. She, however, has seemed to breeze right through them and we are working at a Kindergarten level at this time. My question is, in the fall when school when we start our next “year,” she will be 5 1/2, Not quite 6. Do I start year one activities? I know they are traditionally started at 6 but does it even really matter? Am I being too legalistic? lol! I suppose if she is ready for that level I would just start right? What do you think? What have you done?
February 3, 2017 at 11:24 am
butterflylake
Participant
Hi Joanna,
I was in the same place with my son three years ago. His birthday is early March and at age 4 he could read well, and was good with numbers. Rather than waiting til August/September when the traditional school year starts, I started his school year in January. He is now 7, about to turn 8, and is in year 3. When he’s at church or somewhere people might ask his grade I just say grade 2 because that is what he would be in based on age. I don’t plan on graduating him early. I expect we’ll use the extra months at some point when he needs more time for his studies, or to spread out studies and add in other experiences.
HTH, Vanessa
February 3, 2017 at 3:10 pm
Renee Gould
Participant
Joanna…
My daughter was in the same situation this fall. She turned 5 and a half in September. I guess I thank my experience with her brother AND reading lots of Charlotte Mason writings, to waiting with her. I started her older brother at 4.5, who showed signs of being super intelligent very early. Nothing was horrible, but I now believe waiting until he was 6 like Charlotte said, would have been fine and even better. I think most kids are perfectly capable of starting early. Where I think Charlotte was right is, they should be playing outside, with siblings, and simply being children. There is plenty of time to learn to read, write, count etc….
Cash, the oldest, has done well. But, I have seen where even though he is smart, when they are young they don’t have the same attention span, vigor, and consistency it takes to really do formal school.
With Billie, my daughter, I have chosen to wait until she is 6. So, next fall she will actually be 6.5. She turns six next month. However, as moms we are always teaching and they are always learning. There have been days, since she was 4, that she shows interest in what brother is doing. I would say these are days that are building blocks for later.
I think kids really give you signs when they are super ready. For example, she watched a Little House on the Prairie where Laura was learning to read and that was IT. She was asking me how to spell, spelling everything she could get her hands on and begging me to read. So, we started. BUT, we don’t do every day. I kind of let her lead. Some days she wants to play with her 3 year old brother and be a princess. Some days she will be very focused and want to learn. I just couldn’t ignore this delight.  She has also shown interest in Science, writing, history, etc…. So, the beauty of homeschooling is, it all is making a foundation for the formal learning.
I really believe that we should wait to press a schedule on our kids under 6. If their birthdays fall on those months that bring us angst of when to start, I say wait. With homeschooling and the one on one your child will get, there is plenty of time. However, there isn’t plenty of time to be a child. It goes fast!
After having two and one more following, I just see that there is ideal times for learning too.  Boy, when they get to be 7 and 8, their capacity to hold on to attention and really learn is MEGA different than 5 or even 6.
To me, children are amazing. Their ability to learn obviously starts when they come out of the womb.  In my eyes, and agreeing with Charlotte, we should intentionally wait until at least six. Then, even at six, we keep it short lessons and light.
🙂
Blessings,
Renee