Anyone not teaching preschoolers? - Page 3

[tallanvor]

You know, I've not read all the replies on here, but I think it is interesting how we're all talking about our kids knowing colors and shapes and letters. What about all the other stuff that they know? For instance, my sister at age 3 knew all the letters, numbers up to 20 or so, all the basic shapes and colors. My brother didn't know half of that at the same age. BUT he could tell you about all the different types of trains and cars on the train (hopper, flat, tanker, etc). I think we tend to overlook all the things our kids DO know because we get so wrapped up in what society says they SHOULD know.

We do school with my current preschooler, but that is because he asked for it. I didn't do anything with my oldest. In fact, for a long time she'd go to church and the other kids would be randomly singing the alphabet song and she didn't know it. But she reads 2-3 levels ahead of where she supposedly should be. My son is 4 and he can do some basic addition. But he's asked to learn it. That is where his interest lies. Until he asked for it at the beginning of this school year, we would sometimes play learning games, but it was just as much for the fun of doing something together as it was for him learning. We do most of our "basic" learning through life. "Hey, Aiden, can you bring me a blue Lego?" That sort of thing. They all figure it out.

[jrayn]

Here is the main way that my dd learned her colors, other then every day conversation:
We get several baskets that are empty, I find all the small toys that are small enough to fit in them and play "the color game" for example, the plastic vegetable/fruits, the different animals, other nick nacks, the first way that we played was to match the colors that go together in a basket, I said what they were as she put the colors in the baskets, sometimes I would in good humor show her that maybe a yellow matched the "yellow basket" better then the "green basket" and as the baskets filled up they were full of whichever color was pertinent to that basket, eventually she caught on and even though she knows her colors she loves to play the color game still and will sort the colors on her own and name them.

Also another color game we play, when I do dishes, I will get out several clear containers for the counter top for her, I put some water in, and I will put different food colors in each one and tell her what they are, we also make play dough, I do one color and say today you are playing with blue play dough.

[Mongoose]

tallenvor--your comment about the abc song has me laughing. My DD (almost 3) HATES the abc song and thus doesnt know it at all. All you have to do is start singing it and she will scream and plug her ears. She has done this since at least a one year old. Dont know what it is about that song but it is funny. She is also learning to read now, knows all her letters (though not in order) and knows their sounds. It is funny how different they all are!

[leewd]

Originally Posted by tallanvor

You know, I've not read all the replies on here, but I think it is interesting how we're all talking about our kids knowing colors and shapes and letters. What about all the other stuff that they know? For instance, my sister at age 3 knew all the letters, numbers up to 20 or so, all the basic shapes and colors. My brother didn't know half of that at the same age. BUT he could tell you about all the different types of trains and cars on the train (hopper, flat, tanker, etc). I think we tend to overlook all the things our kids DO know because we get so wrapped up in what society says they SHOULD know.

You're so right!

I think the most impressive things DD1 knows (right now) is all baby and birth related:

She knows how the placenta works! Mommy eats pizza, and it goes in her body, then the placenta feeds pizza to the baby. So, the baby eats pizza just like mommy!

[CountrylivinmomtoB]

Thanks for everyone's answers. I was never worried... we don't watch TV, so she doesn't get information from there, like others were saying. The occasional movie like Wildness Family. That's where her interests lay!! Yesterday I tried saying, "You are painting with red paint!" She got mad and stopped... she doesn't like things like that. She matches all the colors just fine- but if you point out colors, she gets mad like, "Why are you telling me this!" I talked to another mom I know who's DD didn't learn any of that stuff till she was 7 but was so smart in other ways. I won't let anyone try to convince me otherwise.

Thanks ladies!

[Milakais]

Originally Posted by CountrylivinmomtoB

Thanks everyone!! I'm so glad to have MDC moms!! You guys rock!! Maybe we are different from others around us, but I'm glad to not be alone!!! Thanks ladies!!

You are definitely not alone!

I can't imagine a healthy, non-colour-blind child not learning his/her colours just from living daily life. And I can't imagine using flashcards and such to try to teach a child colours, any more than we'd try to use flashcards to teach a child what socks are, or what the vacuum cleaner is. Our lives simply include interacting with red things, blue things, pink things, socks, and vacuum cleaners; that is enough to learn such concepts.

[majikfaerie]

Originally Posted by tallanvor

You know, I've not read all the replies on here, but I think it is interesting how we're all talking about our kids knowing colors and shapes and letters. What about all the other stuff that they know? For instance, my sister at age 3 knew all the letters, numbers up to 20 or so, all the basic shapes and colors. My brother didn't know half of that at the same age. BUT he could tell you about all the different types of trains and cars on the train (hopper, flat, tanker, etc). I think we tend to overlook all the things our kids DO know because we get so wrapped up in what society says they SHOULD know.

:
I soooo totally agree

Originally Posted by CountrylivinmomtoB

Thanks for everyone's answers. I was never worried... we don't watch TV, so she doesn't get information from there, like others were saying. The occasional movie like Wildness Family. That's where her interests lay!! Yesterday I tried saying, "You are painting with red paint!" She got mad and stopped... she doesn't like things like that. She matches all the colors just fine- but if you point out colors, she gets mad like, "Why are you telling me this!" I talked to another mom I know who's DD didn't learn any of that stuff till she was 7 but was so smart in other ways. I won't let anyone try to convince me otherwise.

Thanks ladies!

this, for me, makes a great point. I've been trying to clarify in my mind why all the folk saying "get me the RED ball, you're eating GREEN broccoli, I'm wearing a BLUE dress" made me uneasy.

it's all fake. you wouldnt talk like that to an older child or an adult, or a child who knows their colours. Kids have an inbuilt 'fake' radar, they know we're trying to teach them something, rather than just being real.

honestly, if I thought there was any way my DD might make it to college without knowing her colours, I might try to teach her, but otoh, if I really thought she wouldnt be able to work it out on her own, then maybe its something she just cant do.

I think we accept that every child has her own milestone curve for physical developments; one is born at 38 weeks, one at 42, one walks and talks at 8mo, one at 18, one is on solids at 9mo and one at 2.5yo (assuming child-led weaning/ feeding). We all accept those, but I believe if we are truly respectful, these allowances need to be made for "academic" learning too.

some kids are mentally ready for reading at 3 or 4, and they'll do it on their own (my dd knew all her letters in english and hebrew at 20mo!), some kids will naturally start reading at 9 or 10, and that's fine. (as long as we dont freak out about it, and just give them the space they need to know when they are ready.

I really beleive we need to let nurture children to be themselves, and the learning will happen naturally. I think comparing children is a dangerous pasttime, because its too easy to get sucked into worring that your kid isn't developing "on schedule".
of course they are on schedlue; their own!