6 y.o. used to add and subtract without fingers, now relying completely on fingers

[emilysmama]

Hello Homeschooling parents,

Could you take a look at my thread that is cross-posted in Learning at School? My dd is in public school, but I would appreciate if you have any insight to give me from your homeschooling experience.

Click here for the thread.

Thank you in advance for your opinions.

[Lillian J]

Originally Posted by emilysmama

Hello Homeschooling parents,

Could you take a look at my thread that is cross-posted in Learning at School? My dd is in public school, but I would appreciate if you have any insight to give me from your homeschooling experience.

Click here for the thread.

Thank you in advance for your opinions.

Hi! I agree with the posters in that thread - I wouldn't worry about it. My guess is that this is a time of big hormonal and growth changes (six year olds are definitely going through some big changes) and that she's just not quite up to it mentally right now. She'll move on when she can. In the meantime, after getting into a more relaxed frame of mine with it, you could start gradually introducing occasional comments aloud as to what the outcome is when you've added x number of whatever to x number of them, etc. As the mom of a grown homeschool grad, I'd encourage you to not let things like this get you worried, because they'll each fade away in plenty of time before any of it matters. - Lillian

[emilysmama]

Thank you for your thoughtful reply. I really appreciate hearing from your homeschooling experience. I will let it go then. Plus, now you've given me something bigger to worry about instead, hormones! (Just kidding. But this is catching me off guard because I didn't realize that 6 year olds had hormone issues ) Thank you very much.

[Lillian J]

Originally Posted by emilysmama

Thank you for your thoughtful reply. I really appreciate hearing from your homeschooling experience. I will let it go then. Plus, now you've given me something bigger to worry about instead, hormones! (Just kidding. But this is catching me off guard because I didn't realize that 6 year olds had hormone issues ) Thank you very much.

I may have used the wrong terminology - I was thinking in terms of whatever chemistry is related to some sort of growth spurt or body/mind changes that tends to make 6 yr. olds so often hard to understand. Growth hormones? There have been a number of threads here specifically about six year olds, as well as on the email list of a state homeschool organization I belong to. So I've jumped to the conclusion that there must be growth hormones involved. I googled it just now and didn't come up with anything, but it's hard to imagine that it isn't chemistry involved. There's a book called Your Six-Year-old: Loving and Defiant, in which they discuss the difficulties of that age, although they do state that all children are obviously going to be unique. That might be worth a read. One of their comment is that 6 isn't just a bigger and better 5 - he's entirely different and changing rapidly. This much I can say with certainty, though - that age comes and goes in a flash, so the best thing you can do is just enjoy. Lillian


Lillian

[emilysmama]

Lillian,

Very interesting. I have to admit that I assumed that 6 was just a continuation of 5, so what you mentioned is interesting and something I had never even given a thought about. I will have to check it out. Thanks.

[Lillian J]

Originally Posted by emilysmama

Lillian,

Very interesting. I have to admit that I assumed that 6 was just a continuation of 5, so what you mentioned is interesting and something I had never even given a thought about. I will have to check it out. Thanks.

Oh, hunny! You're going to be having a whole lot of those little thoughts coming along in the next ten+ years. Building up your sense of humor for it now can be a great thing. I remember an older man telling me when I had a babe in arms that raising a child has a sad side to it in that you see so many children pass through to never return - in other words, the 6 yr. old is only 6 for a brief time, and so on with each age, all with different faces, personalities, and endearing traits that are only part of that very short time. The same basic person is there, obviously, but not that 4 yr. old or that 6 yr. old or that 8 yr. old... If only parents had a way to fully absorb that reality in advance.

I remember my son's birthday party when he turned 8 coming as a real shock - it had been the same basic group of children for years, and suddenly they were all bonkers for this one! Just an age thing - and then they were back to normal for the next ones. Oh - and then there was the one at 15 - it was a lot like the 8 yr. old one. All the rest were delightful. Lots of changes all along the way... Lillian

[emilysmama]

Wow. Sounds like I'm in for a whole bunch of surprises, whether I'm ready or not! I enjoyed hearing your memories.