Workbooks. Flash cards. Write and Wipe tablets. All so we can teach Grace how to recognize her letters and numbers before her 4th birthday.Are we crazy!?
Grace has been trying to draw a triangle for 3 months now. With only mild success. She wants to make everything a circle so asking her to draw 3 straight lines and connect them together is a little much for her to handle. We have spent countless hours going "up, down, and across" and we have probably killed at least 3 trees with all the paper to practice this particular shape.
All because the other kids at daycare are drawing shapes and practicing their letters. We dont want our kid to be the one that cant do something. What we forget is that these other kids, while 4 inches shorter than Grace, are about a year older.
How much is too much at 3 years old!?
Are we pushing her too hard already? Will her academics suffer forever if she can't write all 26 letters on her 4th birthday? Is she destined to be behind in school if we wait to place her in a formal preschool?
In the spirit of not "pushing her too hard", we spent $50 at the store this weekend on a "Trace Your Letters" placemat, wipe and write flashbards for numbers 1-30, a Learn to Recognize Your ABCs game, and other things that I dont even remember. Tonight we start the routine; every night we will spend at least 10 minutes on one of these activities. Ugh, homework already!!!! And its self-inflicted!!!!
Now dont get me wrong, I am all for teaching my kid her letters and numbers and animals and all that stuff. Its important. I want her to have a solid foundation when she gets to school.....in 2009; she wants to play dress-up and make fake-dinner for her baby dolls.
Are we sacrificing her childhood for an extra smiley face on her kindergarten report card?
2 comments:
I just left a really long comment -
Basically I agree with your approach. We've been doing the same since Ashers was a year. And despite differing opinions on the subject we're going to keep doing it. Where's the harm so long as its fun. And we do make an effort to make it fun....I think that's the key...
It doesn't sound like you are torturing the poor girl. Now, if you were asking her to memorize presidents or recite the Declaration of Independence, then I'd be worried. Like Bri said, as long as you're making it fun. :-)
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