did/do you practice stuff with you preschooler

[gretchenindisguise]

I really think that play and imaginative play are really really important. learning how to negotiate the world and knowing what fun is is more important at 3 and 4 than learning that 2+2=4. They will learn all of that.

[sonrisa]

Aug 17, 2013 23:25:21 GMT -5 gretchenindisguise said:

I really think that play and imaginative play are really really important. learning how to negotiate the world and knowing what fun is is more important at 3 and 4 than learning that 2+2=4. They will learn all of that.

And frankly, they will learn 2+2=4 better if they figure it out by playing tea with two teddy bears and grabbing two more cups when mommy and daddy join the game, than if it gets drilled in through memorization or workbooks. Most preschool "educational aides" are basically the toddler equivalent of teaching to the test. Not the real skills you want your kid to master.

[gretchenindisguise]

Aug 17, 2013 23:33:01 GMT -5 sonrisa said:

Aug 17, 2013 23:25:21 GMT -5 gretchenindisguise said:

I really think that play and imaginative play are really really important. learning how to negotiate the world and knowing what fun is is more important at 3 and 4 than learning that 2+2=4. They will learn all of that.

And frankly, they will learn 2+2=4 better they figure it out by playing tea with two teddy bears and grabbing two more cups when mommy and daddy join the game, than if it is something that gets drilled in through memorization or workbooks. Most preschool "educational aides" are basically the toddler equivalent of teaching to the test. Not the real skills you want your kid to master.

yup. 

[bugandbibs]

DD2 doesn't go to preschool or daycare, so yes, we work with her at home. Mostly, we try to incorporate learning into everyday play. We count steps when marching, we point out colors on her toys/crayons, we sing the alphabet, etc.

We also do printables from the tot school curriculum and make sensory boxes. We aren't super structured, we just offer her lots of things to explore.

[Deleted]

Sure. But we do writing/reading in a fun away and we don't apply a lot of pressure. And we only put them in sports/classes that they've expressed an interest in doing.

[adamantium]

Sometimes, it depends on his mood and if I remember. Right now we are doing some pre-reading stuff. I haven't been doing his speech flashcards over the summer and the pre-reading books have been better for the blends he struggles with. He loves math, so we do that sometimes. As an only child I do try to do one activities a season, he gets bored with me. Last year he did skiing, soccer (indoor and outdoor), and swimming. Now that he's 5 we've been able to do rec soccer which was much cheaper and more structured, which DS liked. Then again DH was the coach, so he was also use to drills with daddy. 

[iamgrace]

Yes. He shows interest in it, so I do.

[papie]

No. Well she knows how to write her letters (starting K in two weeks) but it is because she asked me. Everything she has learned came from her. I don't believe in academic practice at that age.

[papie]

Oh and although Anna knew all her letters a d could count well at 3, Sophia can barely count to five. Why? Because she is not interested and I am fine with that.

[Deleted]

Nope. They're tiny. I'd rather they spend their spare time learning non academic life skills like how to socialize, imagine, exercise, and wipe their own asses.

[jenna]

Aug 17, 2013 22:25:20 GMT -5 pagas said:

I do. She does the letter tracing, activity books and we work on reading. It is just a part of play time at our house.

This.  E's 2 1/2, and I have a letter & number tracing app on my tablet.  He likes it, and plays with it a few times a month.  Maybe 10-15 minutes at a time.  Not everyday, and he requests to play a "game" and points to the tablet.

 We do an average of a half hour of reading a day, and I have tons of "fun" workbooks for when he's older.

Workbooks that involve mazes, connecting the dots, and letter writing. 

E loves his letters and numbers (along with the usual stuff like trains.)

[Ohhmm(bligo)]

We did some spontaneous stuff when it came up at PreK age. Once she started kindergarten, we would do some extra stuff after her homework when she wanted to (which is most of the time, the nerd).

[jenna]

Oh, E starts the toddler program in preschool this week. He goes three half days, and it's a Montessori program.

We put him in school for the socialization & play time - and so he could learn basic life skills that he would learn more quickly in a room full of kids his age.

He normally stays home. H and I work opposite schedules, and one of us is usually home with E.

E has always been fascinated with numbers and letters. Ever since he's noticed the analog clock in his room.

[ProfessorArtNerd]

Nope but don't ask me, my dummy can't read yet!

[Monica Geller]

Not a parent, but a teacher. I believe that as long as you are reading to and with you kid, everything else will fall into place!

[litebright]

Not in the way you're talking. She has a natural aptitude/memory for the rote stuff but struggles with social/creative/interactive things because she has ASD. We read to her and at that age we worked a lot with her on games, taking turns, verbalizing -- but she's got SN and needs that work, extra work has to be part of our parenting.

We did sign her up for soccer at 3.5 because it's cheap, gets her around other kids, and DH had been really looking forward to coaching. She's been in it two years now, and now DD2 is starting this fall because she is dying to be just like her big sis. Now DH has two teams to coach, lol.

She's also starting music lessons this fall. It's a play-based, small-group environment and based on other classes and a music therapy class we did last year, I think she has some aptitude, will enjoy it and it hopefully will have some therapeutic benefits as well.

I think about these things because I have to and she has atypical needs. It's not a tiger-mom thing. Although I suppose it might come off that way if someone didn't know she has a dx.

[emsumm]

No. When we're home, they do stuff like pack up all their animals and books in a backpack, lol. They color a lot, we read, we do blocks and stuff, play dolls, etc. We own no flashcards. Naomi rejects letters.

[Booze Raccoon]

Not really, and this post is causing me anxiety.

[chickadee77]

No kids, but I want to chime in and say OMG my mom made me do so.many.flashcards when I was three or so. I hated them. Not sure how I turned into such an avid reader.