If you
have a question you'd like us to answer, email the Question Board!
questionboard@teachmemommy.com
How old should a child be to begin home preschool?
A good time to start is age three or two years before the child
begins school. That doesn't mean you shouldn't spend activity time
with younger children. Reading to children should start when they
are babies, and there should always be time spent in finger plays,
painting, playing with play dough, etc. However, by age three, most
children have a long enough attention span to appreciate and enjoy
a more structured learning situation.
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We live in an area with very few children for my son to play
with. Don't I need to send him to a preschool, so he can have
interaction with other children before he begins kindergarten?
The answer to this depends upon how old the child is. If he
is three or under, I would say, "No!" He can become just as autonomous
on his own at this time alone with you than with others. This can
be the time to build his skills-listening, drawing, thinking, counting-then
he will have the self-confidence he needs when he is with other
children more. If he will be starting school in a year, short periods
of time two or three times a week are a good way to introduce him
to situations involving other children and social experiences. You
could contact other mothers and have a play group where the children
would rotate homes and spend a morning or two a week together.
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I am a working parent but would like to spend some quality time
with my child every day. How can I best utilize your book?
The units and days are organized, so you can select how many
activities you use and how many books you read. The preparation
time is minimal. The book is set up to coincide with the school
year with lesson plans for three days each week. If you are not
going to be able to spend that much time, you may want to eliminate
a chapter from time to time to coordinate your lessons with the
seasons. I know a divorced father who has his preschooler on the
weekend. He uses Teach Me Mommy
to have activities planned when he sees his daughter.
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I have three preschoolers. How can Teach Me Mommy work for
me?
I always tried to have our nursery school activities when the
baby was down for a nap. Younger children have a shorter attention
span, so I provide them with other toys to amuse themselves at the
same time.
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Won't a child be poorly adjusted in kindergarten if he hasn't attended
a commercial preschool program?
Our children have had no problems adjusting to school and leaving
home for that time each day. Rather, since they had adjusted to
learning situations in our home, they were eager and willing to
start kindergarten. Their teachers have frequently commented that
they are confident and knowledgeable in so many subjects. They have
interaction with other children at church and in our neighborhood,
so it has not been hard for them to make the adjustments to being
with other children in school.
The results of research conducted internationally supports my own
experience. In an excellent review of studies undertaken in
13 countries to determine results of various types and settings
of preschool instruction, the first two of five generalizations
that emerge are these:
- "There is widespread evidence that participating in a preschool
program promotes cognitive development in the short term and prepares
children to succeed in school."
- "There is no strong or consistent evidence that the form of
the preschool experience (pedagogic approach, daily schedule,
or setting [i.e., home preschool vs. commercial preschool]) influences
long-term outcomes for children."
The reviewer goes on to cite a massive study in the U.K.:
"Comparisons among children who attended play groups, private
or public nursery schools, or no preschool at all showed that
experience in any preschool (including play groups) contributed
to cognitive development and school achievement throughout the
period studied. Disadvantaged children gained slightly more from
attending preschool than did more advantaged children. Contrary
to the researchers' expectations, preschool experience did not
affect aspects of children's socioemotional development, such
as self-concept, skill in getting along with other children, or
their ability to apply themselves to schoolwork."
The researchers concluded that "preschool experience per se
had more influence on children's subsequent development than the
type of preschool attended. 'Provided the child receives proper
care, has interesting activities and other children to play with
(which are common elements in the majority of preschool institutions),
the actual type of preschool experience matters very little.'"
(Italics mine. Source: Early Childhood Programs in Other Nations:
Goals and Outcomes, Sarane Spence Boocock Ph.D., professor
of sociology at the Graduate School of Education at Rutgers University,
1995. Available online at: http://www.futureofchildren.org/lto/05_lto.htm)
Of course, every child is different and so I say again,
meet your child's needs.
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I don't have a lot of free time in my day. Can I really do
preschool teaching successfully?
If you're like most (68%) of the mothers in America with children
at home, you are in the labor force. There is a definite amount
of time involved in preparation and organization for each day's
study. Hopefully, this manual will make it easier for you. Even
if one doesn't have to work, we all spend time each week doing housework,
cooking meals, preparing for church, and volunteering in the community,
etc. Isn't time spent with our children well worth it? After
the initial preparation and material gathering, the work is minimal.
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I run a preschool. Your ideas are excellent. Can I adapt
them?
Certainly. Sometimes the phraseology needs to be changed. In
units such as Chapter 4, Day 1, Who is in My Family?, you
may want to have each child bring a picture of his/her whole family
to share. You can put the pictures on a bulletin board for the week.
If you have children of other nationalities or ethnic groups, their
parents could be good resources for the December holiday chapter.
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I have found that I need to go back to work. How can I choose
a nursery school or day care center for my preschooler?
That is a very important but sometimes difficult question to
answer. Here are some criteria you might want to use:
- Ask other mothers about different schools and what they liked
or disliked about each. Of course, everyone's opinion is different,
but it should help you narrow down the field.
- Talk to the school director and determine his or her philosophy
about preschool education. Some may put a lot of emphasis on play,
while others may emphasize intense learning. Only you can determine
what approach you want to see used with your child.
- Visit the school and sit in a classroom to get a feel for the
attitudes of the teachers. This will tell you a lot about the
atmosphere there. Plan on spending at least 30 minutes.
- Check on the ratio of children to teacher. Eight or ten to one
is ideal. If there is a large class with only one teacher and
no assistants, you can be sure that there will be neglect for
many (even though the teacher wants to meet everyone's needs).
- Determine what kind of training and background the teacher has
had. I was surprised to learn that many states have no requirements
as to training and teacher competency when giving preschool licenses.
A teacher doesn't need to have a college degree, but they should
have had some education in preschool or young child instruction.
You still should try to have your own nurturing time with your
child, however, whether he is in someone else's nursery school or
not. The activities in this book will help you do this with a minimum
of time and preparation.
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Just out of curiosity, how did your own children do in school?
Now that all my children have graduated from high school, I
think I can look back with some perspective. When I first began
doing Teach Me Mommy with my own
children, I was motivated by my desire to spend quality time with
them. I wanted to nurture them and strengthen the natural bonds
between mother and child. I had never intended to push my
children to learn beyond their peers by accelerating their learning
experiences.
In the past, I have hesitated to answer this type of question for
fear of appearing immodest. However, in response.
- all seven of our children were invited to be in gifted
programs in their schools
- two were National Merit Finalists and two were Semi-Finalists
- three were presidents of their school's National Honor
Society
- four were school newspaper editors
- six graduated in the top 5% of their class
- two were finalists in Governor's Honors for the State
of Georgia
- two were STAR students (highest SAT scores in high school
class)
Although our children have excelled academically, they have also
achieved in other areas as well. We have had five Eagle Scouts,
one Atlanta Football Club Scholar Athlete, three All-State Orchestra
or All-State Chorus members, six student body or senior class officers,
and one Miss Teen Of Georgia, as well. As you can understand, there
are many other things that go into raising successful children besides
preschool. I believe, however, that the foundation laid in our Teach
Me Mommy program gave them a significant head start.
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If you have a question you'd like an answer for, email us! questionboard@teachmemommy.com
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