This Can't Be Right...

[Hunni Bee]

A mom whose son used to go to our daycare came and visited with us for a while this evening. Her almost-3 year old son now goes to the national chain daycare where she works. She showed us his HOMEWORK...which was an entire PACKET of letter-tracing sheets, shape and color matching worksheets, and nursery rhymes to memorize to complete by Friday. A two year old, mind you. She said the two/three class was learning Spanish, ASL, and all sort of academic stuff because the state wants to start preparing them to pass the standardized test in elementary school!!

WHEN DO THEY PLAY? How horrible! To make a 2 year old sit and try to trace letters!

I do a curriculum with my threes and fours, which includes colors, letters, shapes, animals, plants, etc...but we do NO worksheets as an activity. I would never force them to sit and trace a boring page full of letters if they weren't ready for it. Most of their day is PLAY. I do send home "homework" weekly...these week it's "color the ladybug red". Its mostly to help the parents know what we are talking about at Circle Time and go over it with their child.

I hope I'm not holding my kids back, and if it turns out I am, then I guess I'll step it up a bit. But this seems wrong to me, to force very young children into academic stuff when they really should be playing. They already have 13+ years of school ahead of them!

What do you all think?

[countrymom]

are those kids going to be smarter, not really they will learn to hate school earlier thou. I can understand why children are not allowed to play and do art and use their imaginations anymore.

[sharlan]

IMHO, THAT IS REDICULOUS!!!!!

I have a "curriculum" for my two littles that we do 3 days a week. Somedays they're willing to sit for 15 mins, somedays for 30 mins, and other days for 5. We sit at the table and discuss numbers (right now it's 1-4), letters (Ii, Uu, and Ee), and concepts (different). We have a worksheet for each. When they are done, they are done. I encourage the work, but never force it.

We also practice tracing, cutting, coloring and using glue sticks.

Every two weeks, we have a "lapbook" that we work on. 1st one was on Chicka Chicka Boom Boom. This one was on the body.

I also set out "sensory" tubs with colored rice, beans, or sand. I put the letters and numbers and items that match what we are working on under the rice or whatever and give them toast tongs to find them. After they take out what I've put in, they fill it with trains or insects.

After we do our "schoolwork", Grandpa takes them out front to ride bikes.

The ONLY reason I do this much is because the 4 yo has some autistic tendencies and fine motor skills issues.

We (the schools) are pushing these kids way too fast. Everything is "teach to the test". Well, there's a lot of life that's not on the test.

Also, he goes to preschool 2 days a week where he has Mandarin for 2 hours a day.

[cheerfuldom]

Is this strictly homework or all the work that is done during daycare? Why is a 2 year old being sent home worksheets?

[Hunni Bee]

Is this strictly homework or all the work that is done during daycare? Why is a 2 year old being sent home worksheets?

No, that was just his homework!! God knows what he's being forced to do all day.

[daycare]

Wow that's nuts.. It shuts their little minds off when thy are forced to sit there and trace letters.

I try so hard to explain to the parent that preschool is about the process not the product. The product is what the parents want, the children just want the process of it. :: poor kid..

[cheerfuldom]

thats alarming. I not shy in admitting that I am not pro-public schooling. We will be private schooling or homeschooling. The emphasis on standardized testing, curriculum for very young children, and at the expense of recess/play/well rounded education is not acceptable to me. I love all the subjects you mentioned by the amount and way it is being taught is not appropriate.

[Michael]

thats alarming. I not shy in admitting that I am not pro-public schooling. We will be private schooling or homeschooling. The emphasis on standardized testing, curriculum for very young children, and at the expense of recess/play/well rounded education is not acceptable to me. I love all the subjects you mentioned by the amount and way it is being taught is not appropriate.

I feel the same way.

[Hunni Bee]

Wow that's nuts.. It shuts their little minds off when thy are forced to sit there and trace letters.

I try so hard to explain to the parent that preschool is about the process not the product. The product is what the parents want, the children just want the process of it. :: poor kid..

I do very little product art...very few worksheets...very few things that result in everybody's stuff looking the same. Sometimes parents (and other teachers) will see one of our projects and saw "Yeah, but what it is supposed to be??" Its supposed to be ART. Heck, I don't know. Why dont you ask the child? They made it.

[kendallina]

thats alarming. I not shy in admitting that I am not pro-public schooling. We will be private schooling or homeschooling. The emphasis on standardized testing, curriculum for very young children, and at the expense of recess/play/well rounded education is not acceptable to me. I love all the subjects you mentioned by the amount and way it is being taught is not appropriate.

I agree with this as well!

Homework (WORKSHEETS!) for a 2-year old is horrible! I have never heard of such a thing.

[Kaddidle Care]

A lot of parents want that Baby Einstein and think their little darling is the cutest, brightest, etc. These schools feed on parents like this.

These kids are big stress balls by the time they reach School Age.

[Meyou]

That's just gross. Why can't they just play and run and jump and laugh like they're suppose to? It just breaks my heart that we're making babies grow up so fast.

I print the odd "worksheet" out for my kids but it's just for fun based on whatever they like at the momment. I have two printed for October that are both halloween themed with little mazes on them but they have letter tracing at the top. I printed them for the mazes. They also like find the difference and matching ones but I print them strictly for an alternate activity on rainy days so we have something new to do. NOT so that they learn that B is for bat at 2.

[nannyde]

It's actually pretty slick.

They get to have the kids do school at HOME.

Think about it... it's perfect.

[Cat Herder]

It's actually pretty slick.

They get to have the kids do school at HOME.

Think about it... it's perfect.

That is what I was thinking....

I was trying to decide if I may incorporate it.

They expect me to be able to do it with 6 under two (if I don't send home product type artwork the phone calls start)....let's have them do it with only 1 child to see how silly it really is.