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  1. #1
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    Pre JK Prepardness for 3.5yr old?

    Hello all!
    I am stuck with what to do, if anything for my son. He is 3.5 (4 in April) and has the mind of a little sponge. He will start school in September but I am concerned if I should wait to have any assessments done, any if at all. Please keep in mind that many of my friends, and his doctor do not know this as we don't broadcast this or encourage much of what he learns. I know that all kids have strengths and milestones are reached at many different levels and it usually means nothing at all. But I also don't want to sit back and watch him become bored in kindergarten because he knows the academic requirement they will teach him then. I do understand that there is much kindergarten will teach him besides academics such as following instruction, taking turns, playing games with rules, etc.
    Here is a brief list of what he can do:
    abc recognition, upper and lower case since 22 months.
    he can recognize at least 100 words
    he can read several books, easy reader types.
    he can tell the time on a non-digital clock (whatever they are called lol)
    he can count to 1000 easily, forwards or backwards.
    also he loves to count by 2s, 4s, 5s, 10s, and 100s
    he knows the days of week in order
    he also has been able to recite the alphabet backwards since about age 2.5 at least. - again, something we have NEVER sat him down to teach him (why would we??)
    he knows his phone number, last name, date of birth
    he know the age of his parents and his sisters birth day.
    he knows his address, house number, street and city.
    he can count in French to at least 50
    he can spell over a hundred words no problem
    he knows all the relevant shapes including how many sides a pentagon, octagon, hexagon has.
    the list can go on but it seems every day he is picking up something new He can get obsessive with it at times like when the microwave is running, he must count backwards with it and will not stop or be interrupted until it is complete. Things like that make me a bit concerned.
    Socially I feel that he is just fine. he can play really well with his peers, (daycare group has 4 others aged 3yrs and 4yrs). He understands empathy and has great wit and humour.
    Has anybody known a child like this and if there is anything that should be done before he starts school?
    TIA ladies.
    Last edited by KingstonMom; 11-04-2013 at 08:41 PM.

  2. #2
    Euphoric !
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    The wait for testing can take several months so that is lost instructional time for sure. Also if he is bored at school he will come across as having a learning disability rather than a gift. I had a child in care that went off knowing a lot more than others and it wasn't until grade 3 after the parents and the school were at their wits ends with the child that the parents paid nearly $1000 for private psychological testing only to find out child scored in the 97th percentile - opposite to what everyone expected to learn. He was put into a private school where there is more individualized instruction and extras.

    A child that learns that well on their own should not be subjected to the stifling of school - ever thought of homeschooling,lol.

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  4. #3
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    It sounds like your child is very bright! Take advantage of every learning opportunity for sure- he's at a very absorbent age! I agree with playfelt in that it would definitely be an advantage to be in a situation where his abilities are recognized! A private school might be the way to go- an environment where the program is made to fit your child and not the other way around. I worked in a well known private school environment for 14 years as a head teacher. If you'd like to message me with any questions feel free!

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  6. #4
    Starting to feel at home... jammiesandtea's Avatar
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    I agree with the other ladies, private school or homeschooling may give your son more of the individualized programming and instruction that he'll need. I was at a similar level as a child, reading at essentially an adult level before kindergarten, etc, and my parents were approached about skipping me past a grade a few times, which they declined because they felt it was better for me socially to remain with the kids my age rather than shoved in with older kids (and I agree, given their options at the time). I was given some enrichment work over the years, and exempted from all the weekly spelling tests, etc, along with given the opportunity to help other students, as a means of keeping me stimulated. These things helped, but there were many times I was bored silly.

    If I had a child as bright as yours clearly is, I'm not sure I would entrust the public school system alone to educate him in their main stream.

    If testing for giftedness has a waiting time, I would look into it now so that he could be tested before entering school, and so that you could be given all of the options for keeping him enriched and educated at a level that corresponds with his abilities. Actually, if it were me personally, I would want the control of homeschooling him myself, with the additions of whatever other programs or supports were available to us to supplement where needed.

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  8. #5
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    Thanks ladies for the input. I just want to give him every possible opportunity available to him.

  9. #6
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    my son tested in the 99th percentile, he drove his teachers nuts in JK and SrK. We moved him to a Montessori style school( that was offered here in Ottawa by our school board) for grades 1 2 and 3 but finally sent him back to our neighborhood school for the rest of his education. He is now in grade 11 and adjusted very well to public school but really needed to be in another program for those first years til his peers kind of caught up to him. I know how hard it can be to have a child marked as "different" you will have to work very closely with his school to make sure his needs are being met. I wish you luck it is wonderful having such a gifted child, enjoy him

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  11. #7
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    I actually just had a discussion with a friend this morning. If there is any way you can afford to have your son go to Montessori (not just for kindergarten but the long haul) then this would probably be the best option for a child as advanced as your son. With the new play based kindergarten program I have children who were in my daycare last year and this year, that are bored with jk and sk and don't want to go to school....and they are not as advanced as your son. All the best.

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