What a 5 year old should know?

Question

My daughter has just turned 5. I would like to know what academic skills are proper for her to have and be learning.

She is learning to read because she chooses to and can read small words. She can do adding and subtracting using objects to twenty. She also has a better vocabulary then most kids twice her age. She can write her alphabet, but not spell other then her name and a few small words. We would like to homeschool, but are nervous about not meeting standards.

Thank you for your help in advance.

Answer 1

I have a four-year-old son who is in a preschool but is learning from an ABeka kindergarten program.  It sounds like she's good.  She should be able to write her own name, know basic personal information, basic reading (C-A-T; D-O-G), etc.

I'm dating a man who was a former homeschooler, and is a HUGE advocate for it.  The program his parents used was KONOS, a character-based unit studies cirriculum, and while I have only recently started looking at it, it does sound fascinating.  In addition to the cirriculum, KONOS has a Yahoo! Group and a really informative website.  IF I were to homeschool ,this is the way I'd want to go.

Also, the man who is the head of the company, and his wife, who published the material, homeschooled four boys, and has some great insights when it comes to homeschooling and raising "normal" kids.

Answer 2

That is the whole point of homeschooling is you are not bound by standards nor should you even concern yourself with that. It is pretty much a given that children that have parents that work with them in homeschool are far ahead of Public schooled children.

I think you are just looking for some assurance. Believe m e I can assure your Daughter is well ahead of most of these kids in school.

Just keep working with her and don't worry so much about comparing her with other children. This is where you get in trouble because every child is unique and works at their own pace. Just because a child may not be reading at the age of 5 doesn't mean that they aren't just as smart or smarter than a child that was reading at 4.

I should know. I have taught in both Public and Private schools for years. I quit to stay at home and now homeschool our almost 6 year old Daughter. She is not fully "reading" by herself yet, but knows so many things that the average child has no clue about. She is extremely bright and is a self learner. I am not worried because I know that the reading like everything else will click and she will be off on her own reading books without assistance. I do not ever compare her to other children. Why should I? It does no good because we don't live their lives nor do I care what any other child is doing. All that is important to me is that "my child" is enjoying learning and grows up with a real love of learning and not force her into living a tedious life.

Enjoy homeschooling- take your time to smell the flowers- there is always plenty of time for academics, and remember NO ONE ever gets to learn everything. We continue to learn the rest of our lives. Teach her the basics and everything else is icing on the cake.

Answer 3

Here are the standards for K from world book:

http://www.worldbook.com/wb/Students?cur...

You can find other grade levels there as well.

I would ignore lotsaopinionsa advice above.  Homeschoolers tend to do just fine socially.

Just relax and let your daughter move at her own pace.  That is the beauty of homeschooling.  It sounds like she is doing just fine or even above average.

Hope this helps!

Answer 4

surpass the standards.  teach her phonics so she can pronounce words that she isnt familiar with, most school programs strart this at 2nd grade which is too late.

Answer 5

She is already above the standards and would probably run into problems in a typical classroom.  I now homeschool my 7 year old for the above reason.  Go to google and search characteristics of a gifted learner and see if any apply to your daughter.  I hope you homeschool because I know that you both will be alot healthier and happier.  Being in a typical classroom with a smart child is a nightmare.  Follow your heart and good luck to you both.

Answer 6

Do the kid a favor and let her go to a school with friends at least by 6th grade.  One thing home schooled children DON'T get at home is social learning.  Your fears about what they can pick up from other evil children is going to deprive them the most important lesson in life.... the lesson of learning to learn for yourself and being exposed to choices.  The longer you keep blinders on your child, the more isolated and nieve she will be.  Believe me, I met some homeschooled kids in college and many of them go nuts with partying and s*x and stuff because it's all so new to them and they are alone and free for the first time.  Freedom, like anything else, should be gradually attained so that they know how to handle it instead of abuse it.

Anyhow, on to your question.  For any state that you may live in, you can obtain the standards of learning from the school board.  For each major subject matter, they have a list of things that is supposedly standard.  But seriously, if you are going to home school, you should be destroying these standards.  They are really low.  Sounds like your daughter is well on a normal range of skills for 5.

Answer 7

First step, if you haven't, check with the state to familiarize yourself with the homeschool rules.

http://www.hslda.org/hs/state/default.as...

That'll take some pressure off you.

Second step: deep breath, it sounds like she is doing fine!

(You'll always meet kids above and below where your child is. Don't panic if someone's child is reading two grades above yours. Trust me, within a short period of time your child could catch right up with them. I've seen it.)

Third -

A website that outlines what kids from K-8  should know.

http://www.cps.k12.il.us/Parent/Your_Chi...

Sonlight offers suggestions on learning for each age level.  http://www.sonlight.com/5years.html

The book: What Your Kindergartner Should Know

http://www.amazon.com/What-Your-Kinderga...

(The reviews are helpful.)

If possible, find a homeschool support group. They will point you to materials, books, resources, ideas....plus it helps to gauge your child against others sometimes.

Observe your daughter, kids often have individual learning styles - tactile, auditory, visual, etc....you can model and enhance learning by playing to her learning style. (Search the web for learning style quizzes.)

Good luck!

P.S.

The Phonics Game and The Math Game are two great learning sets. (Far better than Hooked on Phonics IMO.) Remember though that English breaks many of the rules. At her age she should be focusing on sight words and the Dolche list. Search: Dolch list, Dolch Sight Words

One link:

http://www.mrsperkins.com/dolch.htm

(edited: 11:20 to add book link)