Is This True About Preschoolers?

Not true. There is lots of other stuff to learn, observe and experience in school. While it is true that the kids tend to "level out" in Kindergarten...why on earth would being prepared or being bright EVER be a bad thing?

It is great for the child to know a lot, better than being the one that is struggling and trying to catch up. It is your job as the parent to be sure to speak up and get her in the advanced class or extra work to keep her learning and progressing. The teacher's job is to teach the whole class so there is only so much they can do within the regular class framework. My daughter is 3 1/2 and has known shapes, colors, and numbers for about 1 1/2 years. Her old daycare, PT preschool teachers, and now 4 yr old teachers all tell me how bright and advanced she is...based on her birthday, she wouldn't start school until 2012-2013 school year but she already knows half of what they teach in Kindergarten so we are exploring the possibility of starting early.

It's great to know colors, ABC's and 1-2-3's. I wouldn't worry about boredom too much at this age. There is so much to learn that is social interaction, and how to function in a group/classroom. There's following instructions, raising your hand when you want to speak, walking in line with the class, sharing, learning to stand up for yourself when the next kid is not too great at sharing yet, etc. No matter what your child has already mastered, there are always other areas that need a bit of improvement.

lol...maybe your sil is a little jealous...

don't sweat it. just because she knows a lot of things already doesn't mean she will get bored. it will be a whole new fun experience for her and i'm sure she'll do fine. what i have found is that what i have already taught my son has really helped him, and what he is learning in preschool is meshing well with what he already knows, and supplementing with it. he already knows his colors and letters and numbers - but in school they are learning the sign for each letter, and what words those letters start with...much more than i have taught him. not to mention social skills, manners, life skills. it's great. she will be fine.

I own a preschool and that is not true. There is much more to preschool then knowing your abc's and colors. I have a little boy I swear is the most intelligent boy I have ever met. He knew all his letters at 1 1/2 years old. He is 2 1/2 and is beginning to read, yet he still throws temper tantrums like a 2 year old and has so many other milestones to reach in his physical and social development. At three there is so much to learn and to absorb your child will be fine. Try not to take to much stock in what others tell you, it can make you worry and upset for no reason. Good luck!!

I don't think it is true. From my experience my daughter (who is also pretty bright) went to preschool knowing most of what they were going to teach her and she still loved it. The teachers always gave me a great report and said that she is a leader and a delight to have in the class. The preschool teaches more than just colors, shapes and ABC's, so she will soak up a lot of new information too!
Really don't worry! Your daughter will be just fine!

you're not seriously asking if you should deliberately keep your child from learning, right? let her learn everything that piques her interest. it's up to you to make sure she is constantly being supplied with venues that allow her to follow her interests, not to stop her from learning (as if you could) so the rest of the kids can catch up. i assure you, those other kids will all be busy learning about things that they love, they won't be waiting for your daughter.
khairete
S.

My experience...I moved from Pennsylvania to Texas when I was 7 and in the 1st grade. I already knew a lot. My Tx. teachers were amazed. And basically, yes, the rest of my new classes (1st, 2nd, maybe even 3rd) had to catch up to me and I guess I sat and didn't learn a thing for a couple of years. Awful. My brother & sister were 5 and 8 years older than me and it wasn't so bad for them, they had gifted classes at their ages for them to attend. I think in elementary school they have more of that now so it might work out better for your DD than it did for me. That's just my experience.
I just read the other responses and I agree that the life skills learned in a preschool setting are worth alot, not to mention the interaction and fun she'll get to have. Don't let my experience from 30 years ago scare you. =)

Depending on the child it could be a detriment but only if you have teachers who dont' know how to handle it.
Kindergarten is a place to learn to read and write. They learn to count to 100 and do a little adding and subtracting. How to tell time, the life cycle of a butterfly.
THey also learn to share the crayons, scissors, and glue with table mates. THey learn to sit quietly and listen to the teacher. THey learn to be polite and raise their hands.
Knowing how to read and add will allow a good teacher to work on higher level academics with her. She will still enjoy sitting at reading time and listening to Hop on Pop. She will still enjoy working with manipulatives during math time and making patterns out of beads. She may still need to nap after lunch.
I think what you are doing is wonderful. Two of my 4 knew how to read and all four could count ot 100 and add numbers under 20, they knew all their letters, colors, shapes, etc. Only one of my four was so bored we had to move her up after first but she is an anomaly and still isn't happy as a junior.

Hi J.,
It's tricky. On the one hand, it is great that your daughter knows what she knows. I assume she knows because you have taught her. Didn't know you were homeschooling, did you? :) She obviously has a lot of good going on in her home. On the other hand, your SIL is right. She will be forced to wait for the rest to catch up. Boring. They might give her busywork (waste of time) so that she isn't a burden to the teachers. Are you at home or do you work? If you are at home, I would seriously consider homeschooling her. You can do a great job with her, and just take off with it. You can go wherever she needs to go with her education. No waiting for others to catch up. And, just in case she struggles with something, she doesn't have to rush through it to learn it. You can take your time with her and make sure she gets it before you move on. You don't have to teach to the middle child, where the advanced ones are bored and the slow ones are lost. You teach to your particular child's needs. Perfect scenerio for education. I think learning is a lifelong endeavor. I do not like the idea of not teaching them something just because of a calendar. Give her what she can handle today! Enjoy your precious daughter!

My daughter is 4 years old and the same way, the teacher said she could almost fit in with first graders if she was just a little more mature. The teacher challenges my daughter was possible BUT if my daughter is bored I make sure I keep encouraging her at home and we have TONS of workbooks to do, books to read and activities that will keep her learning.

Every child will learn at their own pace, I say if a child wants to learn encourage it and help them learn more even if it means they will be "ahead" of where other classmates are. When she is going into Kindergarten ask the teacher what they do if a child already knows something, like the basics of reading, do they provide more challenging books or am I able to send along more challenging books that the teacher can first approve. Same with counting, my daughter can already count to 100 without help, obviously going into kindergarten they learn that, or something similar SO we have already started math with her at home to keep expanding her knowledge of numbers. The teacher can only do so much, if your daughter is starting to cause trouble because of being bored then a plan will need to be put in place AND remind your daughter that she still has to listen to the teacher, behave and do what the other kids are doing even if she already knows it. You can also take your daughter along to the store to help pick out the workbooks that she can work at home on, my daughter loves doing this and she just got through the whole kindergarten series so we are moving onto first grade series now.

My youngest was the same way at 3yrs old. In her pre-school classroom, she'd go to the chalkboard and try to sound out words like "octopus" and write them down - she knew how to write her letters before she turned 4. Her teachers told me nobody else in her class even came close. I think it probably would have become a problem eventually, except that we started her a year early for kindergarten. She's in 3rd grade now and still a bit ahead of the curve, even in that grade, but she's no different than the other third graders socially, emotionally or physically, so I know it was the right decision for us. But in the pre-school years, it was no problem that she was ahead of her classmates - most of the time was spent doing "learning" that was disguised as "fun stuff", so she just enjoyed the fun stuff and didnt' need to worry about "learning" since she knew it already. She LOVED pre-school, her friends and it was a fantastic experience for her. BUT had I kept her in pre-school for that extra year instead of sending her to K, she probably WOULD have been bored, so maybe your SIL is onto something...I don't know...

I know for the schools areound me they tell you they need to know all of these things plus more before being allowed in kindergarten. So knowing the info in preschool is great. my daughter is 2 1/2 and knows her abc's, say and recognize them, learning the sounds they make now. her 123's up to 20, learning to recognize them, her shapes, colors, right left, and tons of information. i was talking to my mother in law about it the other day, and said i wouldn't want to put her in a preschool since she is so smart now. She wants to read now but on the other hand she doesn't have much social skills and needs to go to school for those skills.

Just because kids know things doesn't mean there isn't other things they can learn. I don't think your daughter will be bored at all. I wouldn't stop teaching them things at all. These first few years is when they are like sponges and absorb everything. if you want to you can always try teaching a foreign language, since that is one thing that they don't teach in the early years at all, and that is EXTREMELY useful later in life.

Kids will spend time in their lives when they are bored, it is not a big deal

Developmentally, she has much more to learn the ABC's, 123's and colors in preschool. Even if she learns quickly, they don't tire of doing these things and showing people what they know, and the social learning your child will gain with other kids her own age is priceless.

Some children are gifted, but most children who are ahead at this stage are quick learners, and by the time they are in the 4th grade, they will be in the same place as thier peers who learn a little more slowly at this age.

Just be happy if she is happy for now. Enrich her enviornment, and read to her. The bell curve has a place for everyone, and they are all going in the same direction, all you should worry about right now is making her happy and well behaved. If you have an added opportunity to teach her how to behave when she is a little bored, this is a skill she will have the opportunity to use many times before she grows up, so see it as a bonus.

M.

I asked a similar question recently because our second child is starting K. Our kids have attended preschool for 3 years. Not so much because we wanted to push them, but because we live in a community with few small children. It was important to us to allow our kids to socialize without Mom, to play games, do crafts AND have a good curriculum component.

Consequently our kids start K knowing ALL their letters - upper case and lower case, numbers, colors, etc. They write all their letters (not perfectly), know the sounds, how to write their name and address, etc.

So yes, I definitely think my kids are somewhat bored in K. However, they are not alone. I think MOST schools have to cater to bringing the slowest/lower performers up to speed. However, that being said, I think the teachers work hard to keep ALL kids interested, amused, and challenged.

Mostly I think my kids were having so much fun with the new kids, new school, teacher, etc. that they "got over" the bored part. I have heard several of my friends/other parents talk about how their kids were academically challenged that it was overwhelming for them.

I have chosen that it's better for my kids to view K as "fun". To have a good grasp of the "basics" and be able to add on to what they do know. The teachers teach A LOT. And I think kids are only able to absorb a limited amount of new information. So the redundancies of K are a benefit to the kids.

All that being said, do I wish that they had more challenging programs for the kids that are ahead - sure. But having another, older child, I see that those "break out groups" do happen starting in first grade...with reading levels, math, etc.

Keep encouraging your daughter. Keep learning fun. And when she gets into K maybe start a second language, a sports team, swim lessons or something "new" to keep her challenged in other areas.

Finally, use K to make friends! Schedule playdates. And maybe ask one of those "new friends" to join a sports team or park district class with your child.

I think your child will do great. Try not to look at K as coming to a screeching halt academically. Look at it as the opportunity to focus on other learning areas while reinforcing what she already knows.

Best of luck!

We're wondering about that with our son next year in Kindergarten because his day care (along with our enforcement at home) has really done a fantastic job of teaching letters, numbers, basics you'd expect to be taught in Kindergarten.

But, they still have to go through the normal maturing process, learn to focus for longer periods of time, learn the social system, etc. I think that's the most invaluable part of the process.

Plus, you can do so many things at home to keep them engaged if Kindergarten is a little below their current comprehension level. We're both working parents, but our son loves working in workbooks in the evenings tracing his letters, working on phonics, coloring. He's the one who enjoys it, so we spend the time helping him.

I, too, think your SIL is a little jealous or just has been brainwashed by someone else. Why wouldn't you want your child to be extraordinary?

In both the 4 year old preschool that my daughter was in and now Kindergarten the teachers said the kids will all learn at their own pace. Meaning if your child knows more, then they will keep getting pushed more. If they need to go slower they will.

At some certain point I imagine for the most part they all catch up to each other. I don't think there is anything wrong with sending her to headstart.