totally need encouragement!!!!!!!

[mamamoogs]

ok so i am having ,my doubts and i dont like it!!!!! I guess it is from the world around me.  My dd is 6 and we ofcourse we unschool, in away that I mean no books no curriculum ... nothing we play most of the day we ride bikes etc, lately i have tried to teach reading but it is not working out, my dd wants nothing to do with any of that... she oftens plays on jumpstart.com and we had her doing clickandkids.com for a bit she knows some words but not too many i wanted to focus on reading this year but she fights me on this, i have other unschooling friends that tells me leave her alone... she will read when she is ready.. but so much pressures coming from neighbors and family members who kids that are 6 read not to mention the bible class we wanted to enroll  her in i was told by the teacher all the kids read at her age in  class so i can not put her in the class i dont want her to feel bad or anything, my neighbors kids are learning about science and history ( public school kiddies)

and my kid  just wants to rider her bike all day and play in the sand, so do i let her and become the total unschooler i claim us  to be or do i panick and insist on structured learning... help need some support please!!!!!

[Mammajamma]

hmm that is weird that the Bible class you wanted to enroll her in was so rude to you about it. My daughter was in an Awana class last year for 6-9 year olds ( most of them public schooled ) and the teacher was a public school teacher and hardly any of them read alone yet ( and the teacher didn't make a big deal about any of them at all) . I think you are doing fine- kids learn through play. Learning to read happens naturally and it doesn't have to be structured to be effective. You reading to her at night could be considered relaxing and while you are doing that she is storing away information. Trust me- kids will read when they want to- I did- I taught myself at three to read, and I wasn't even going to " school " my mother had just taught me the alphabet and I figured the rest out myself. Your daughter sounds like she is doing fine, play is good for children- and they are naturally learning every minute of every day. I know that doing anything outside of the mainstream can cause a lot of self doubt and fear, but you are doing what you feel is best and if your gut instinct is telling you to keep up with what you are doing- go for it. 

[SpiderMum]

Don't worry.  Read to her, read around her, leave books and such out, making take her to the library to pick out some books with cool pictures she wants to look at or have read to her.  She'll get it.  We are so used to people reading by a certain age because we FORCE them to that we don't realize what the range of normal is.  There are a number of other topics in this forum about people with 8-year-olds or older who aren't reading and stories from people who have been there who had kids pick it up long after what is considered "normal".  Just remember that "normal" is based on what has been forced...not what is natural or healthy for kids.  Let her play.  She's a kid, that's what they do best. :)

[UnschoolnMa]

Feel free to have curriculum or books of any kind as long as that's what the kiddo is into! Unschooling does not mean no curriculum; it just means no forced curriculum. :)  I know it can seem overwhelming. Have fun! Talk about things, sing songs, bake stuff, use playdough, and etc. She's so little that her "job" is to play in sand and ride a bike. Lots of skills are honed in that.