Need help regarding home schooling for a 2 1/2 year old?

Question

A family I know has a 2 and 1/2 year old with a chronic illness that will necessitate home schooling. He is VERY bright, as in, he knows the word "prefer" and what it means and how to use it. He understands relationships, recently when a neighbor showed up with one of her two boys, he asked the neighbor "where is your other son?"

I think he can start right now, I would like to help them out and provide some resources to get him going. Any ideas?

Answer 1

It sounds like they're doing fine with him already and really unless they've indicated that they want that kind of help it might come across as a bit pushy. I'd certainly have been a bit put out if someone had turned up with school supplies for my daughter, particularly if they hadn't talked to me about the style of education I was planning on. I know you're trying to be helpful, just tread carefully.

Answer 2

Lots of great ideas listed here! Number one though is that this is not your child. Have you been asked to help? 2 and 1/2 is a bit young to start schooling. My son's best friend appeared to be extremely bright at a very young age and his parents rushed to push him through as much school as quickly as possible in order to capitalize on his apparent genius. Now, at 11 years old he's hit a wall, so to speak. He's not been able to grasp multiplication tables no matter how much they continue to push. School has become a nightmare instead of a joy. If and when your friends ask for help, encourage them to let the child grow and develop at his own pace.

Answer 3

At that age they are learning through play and observation. They can stock up on Leap Frog toys and read to him daily and by the time his is "school age" he will be ready for what ever they decide to do.

I suggest that if a parent is going to home school him, that they start their research now. That way they know what to expect instead of jumping in blindly.

Answer 4

You have to be at least 5yrs old to start home school.

We are going through www.k12.com

You should be able to find out through that site or get a # to call and ask.

Good Luck

Answer 5

I liked the answers from sander.  She had a lot of good ideas.

I guess there is a delicate balance here - you don't want to cram info down the kid's throat, but certainly you want him to meet his potential.

I would say to look for preschool books at Walmart and places like that; when my kids were that age there were some WONDERFUL ones with colorful stickers and such.  A Beka Books has preschool stuff that will help with teaching numbers and letters, and they have art stuff for that age.  They have stuff for 2's, 3's, and 4's, and if this kid is advanced, I'd probably order all 3 sets; they don't have TOO much for 2's and 3's, so it won't be THAT expensive, although I realize this isn't your child...

There are also lots of preschool board games out there that teach a whole lot of skills, and this is the best way to teach little ones - through fun.  That also SO strengthens the family bond!

The library also has LOTS of kids' books that can help with this stuff - if every week this boy had a book or two that illustrated letters and numbers, and a few of these very very simple science-type books - even if his mom just went through and pointed out pix - he'd learn tons of stuff.

Mostly I think the mom needs to go with the boy's interests and desires at this point.  When my daughter turned 2 she got a lot of preschool workbooks from us for her bday - she was just very bright and verbal and wanted to 'play school' every day.  If she had not been this way, we would not have 'pushed' her.  She was just playing and really enjoyed it.  I also read to her for an hour each afternoon, and we had SO many art supplies for her.  [She did have a little brother, but thank goodness he slept constantly till he was 9 mos old...]

Really, any interacting the mom [or others] do with him is going to be 'education' at his age. It is just what the mom chooses to use is the issue here.

Answer 6

Starting "formal" schooling before he is emotionally reading can turn a child's natural love for learning off.  So while I wouldn't recommend "school" for him, there are still LOTS of ways to teach him things.

You can get foam letters for the bathtub and while he is in the bath, talk about the letters.  In a conversational way, you can tell him what letter it is, what sound(s) it makes, what color it is.  You can group some letters into three letter, short vowel sound words (cat, van, dog, men, kit, sad, etc.) and leave them for him to discover.

Get a magna-doodle and draw shapes for him while he is eating a snack (any time a child is sitting still ANYWAY is a good time to sneak in some learning - bath time, meal time, in the car - if someone else is driving!). Tell him the shape, count the sides, count the corners.

Count out cheerios as you give them to him.  Have him count them as he eats them.  Have him count how many are left.  Numbers are abstract until a child understands that they STAND for something.

Read to him ALL the time.  Read stories, grocery lists, signs on the street, signs at the store, the newspaper, magazines.  Everything and everywhere.  And don't just read TO him, read your own book while he reads his - let him see you reading.

Limit his television to no more than an hour a day, and make sure it is educational programming.

Use "adult" words when speaking to him.  You probably already do that, because he knows the word "prefer."  But kids won't USE a good vocabulary if they don't hear it.

Give him lots of opportunities to use a crayon or pencil.  Most little kids don't have great fine motor skills, but unless you give them lots of chances to practice them, they won't get better.  It can be frustrating for a preschooler who can read to have trouble writing.

There are computer games for toddlers, check those out.  LeapFrog, Reader Rabbit, JumpStart are all good ones.

LeapFrog makes a GREAT DVD set.  The first one is Letter Factory.  That is a great resource for a bright toddler to learn letters.

Enjoy your son!

: )  P

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