Homeschooling my kids...?

Question

I am homeschooling my kids, ages 3 and 4. When I teach them its at the same time, same material. My 4 year old pretends like she doesn't know the answers. I know this because when I ask the 3 year the 4 year always yells out the answers. How can I get her to stop pretending like she doesn't know?

Also, my 3 year old gets mad/frustrated if I tell her the answer is incorrect or if I try to correct her. For example, I asked What month are we in and she says Monday. I say Today is Monday but the month is September. She gets upset and says I'm going to my room! How do I deal with that? I told her that we learn by making mistakes and that mistakes are ok, but she stays mad and won't come back to class.

Any suggestions?

Answer 1

She's three. You really expect a three year old to care about the day or the month?



Let her go ride her bike and enjoy her age for the very, very short time she has to do so.

Answer 2

It sounds as if your three-year-old wants to *be* there but isn't really ready to participate... So, why not just let her be there as a spectator? She can hang out, watch, listen, and probably learn quite a bit that way. Just because she's there doesn't mean you need to question or correct her.



For that matter, maybe your four-year-old would do better with a different approach instead of the question/answer one. Being asked to give right answers might be making her feel pressured or making her uncomfortable in some other way. What if, instead, you just showed her things and told her things? Instead of saying, "What day is it?" say, "Hey, it's Monday!" Talk about things that are going to happen on different days of the week. "Aunt Jane is coming to visit on Wednesday. Today's Monday, so tomorrow is Tuesday, and then Wednesday is the day after that. So you'll get to see Aunt Jane the day after tomorrow."



Talking about these things for a few minutes at a time here and there throughout the day might work a lot better than getting them to sit down at the table for a "class." Half an hour or an hour may seem like a short time to you, but it can feel like an eternity of sitting still for a four-year-old. And the kinds of things that a four-year-old would be learning don't really require a sustained period of study. Saying that today is Monday so tomorrow is Tuesday just takes a minute, and she might remember it a lot better if she just gets that little bit of information and then gets other little bits here and there. If she's sitting at a table for an hour, she might be thinking more about wanting to get up and run around than about the days of the week.

Answer 3

My kids are one yr apart also, so we've always done a lot together. [They are in grades 9 & 10 now.]



What I would do is make a game out of these questions you ask, so that the 4 yo gets a little reward - jumping forward a tile in the kitchen, or getting to put a sticker on the paper, or...whatever the game is - for answering correctly. Then ask the 3 yo the exact same question, and she 'should' get it right that time.



It also sounds like the kids aren't being very cooperative here, and it's hard to tell what's going on from your brief description. Maybe if you could create an atomosphere of fun and excitement that revolves around learning, they might both want to participate more in appropriate ways? I would say that if your 3 yo goes to her room, cheerfully say to her retreating back, "We'll miss you, sweetie!" Then go back and be THE MOST FUN MOM EVER with your 4 yo. The 3 yo will WANT to come back to be part of the fun, and if you can do this a few times, it could extinguish her wanting to go back to her room. I would say to NOT try to talk her out of her room when she goes back there - that is reinforcing her bid for attention.

Answer 4

Have you ever seen a preschool? It's games all day long. 3 and 4 years old is too young to expect them to do schoolwork. When I was three, I could barely sit still, let alone focus on a lesson. (I still have trouble with that. :P)



Just play with them. An educational game or two is okay, but they won't a) end up as drug dealers if they don't have lessons when they're three, or b) look back bitterly and curse you for not spending more time drilling them when they were in preschool.



Just relax. You'll have more fun and they'll learn.



Remember, they've only existed for about the amount of time someone is in high school. Not too long ago, you were measuring their ages in months. I know little kids are like sponges, but their brains just aren't developed as yours is.

Answer 5

It sounds like you are trying very hard to teach your children, which is good. But you are going over their heads, which will frustrate them and turn them against school.



Teaching preschoolers can be so much fun, because they love to learn. Preschoolers usually need hands-on activities with very little workbook time. I often tell parents to not do more than three or four workbook pages per day with preschoolers. Preschoolers are still developing their fine motor skills.



A fairly balanced preschool program that is free is Letter of the Week. I highly suggest starting with the preparatory curriculum, because it covers a lot of preschool skills that are needed in the following levels.



Read to your children every day. Some books that preschool children are Curious George, Dr. Seuss, Make Way for Ducklings, If you give a Mouse a Cookie, McDuff, Spot, and more.



You may also want to consult with a homeschool academy for suggestions, I would recommend Charity Christian Academy.

Answer 6

First, drop the school approach, 3 and 4 year olds really should be learning through play and everyday life. Pushing the sit down and study model, well you've already seen the results, it doesn't work and you end up with an upset and angry child.



Second, recent research (see below) suggests that children under 12 don't learn from mistakes, their brains just don't work that way. Reinforcing and rewarding correct answers works, correcting or punishing wrong ones doesn't.

Answer 7

It sounds like you are handling it well. Let her go off and play if she wants to. Eventually, she will see how much fun you are having with you other daughter and she will want to come play too. It's a great idea to teach them together!



Best of Luck!

Jana

http://www.purehomeschooling.com/

Answer 8

You should get them seperate workbooks and teach them at seperate times, or it may be time for your 4 year old to move on to some harder stuff. You should try a harder textbook for your 4 year old.



But I also agree with everyone else.. they are young just let them have fun! Play lots of educational games , chillax :] haha

Answer 9

i agree with the first person play with them educational games, numbers letters, colors and give lots of breaks