Afraid to let her move ahead in Math

[MrsBrooke]

My daughter (5) is loving math. We're almost finishing up Saxon K and she's begging to start the Saxon 1 as soon as we're done with K. And I know that one of the great things about homeschooling is that they can go at their own pace, but I worry about the future...bear with me here:

If she goes super fast and gets into logic stage stuff when she's really young, will it throw her because developmentally her mind isn't ready for it? Or will she be ready for it (because she's done the work and arrived at that point) and it won't matter? Experiences?

I'm afraid that by letting her get ahead that it will mess her up in the future. And as I write that, I realize how silly it sounds, but the fear is still there. And, I'm assuming she'll keep up with this fast pace she's got going on (1-4 lessons a day, because she pleads to do more math), which may not prove to be the case.

Am I just exhibiting classic "new homeschooling" jitters? :D Was I conditioned to hate math and just cannot understand why she likes it this much? ;) It seems like such a wonderful "gift" to have a liking of math...I'm afraid that by getting ahead she may hit a wall and then hate it. But if I keep pulling back on the reins, she'll inevitably get frustrated...

I really could use some encouragement/advice. Perhaps I'm making something simple into something complicated. :glare:

[WishboneDawn]

Don't look too far down the road. If she enjoys math and wants more just give it to her. Find some math riddle and puzzle books as well to keep her going but mostly, don't start creating futures that don't exist. Simply follow her lead.

As for her love of math, relax a bit and see it through her eyes. It's through watching my kids that I've come to enjoy and love math myself and once you love it you see it everywhere and realize it's awfully hard NOT to love it. It's really like a divine universal language.

[hferguson10]

I agree - I have really stressed myself out looking "too far down the road", but after 8 years homeschooling, I can see that sometimes we are ahead of the game and sometimes we are behind, and sometimes ahead in one subject and behind in another with the same kid.

Now I really don't start freaking out until they are hitting high school - which is now. :001_smile:

Until then, you have time - and I am sure I will find that even after they hit high school, I shouldn't have freaked out as I did.

Hang in there!

[HeatherInWI]

I've been in similar situations twice. In both cases, I let the child continue and keep learning. My son eventually slowed himself down a bit, but is still a couple of years ahead of the average. My daughter, however, was conceptually ready for algebra at nine, etc. Let her keep moving along and take it year by year is my best advice.

[Mommy2BeautifulGirls]

If she goes super fast and gets into logic stage stuff when she's really young, will it throw her because developmentally her mind isn't ready for it? Or will she be ready for it (because she's done the work and arrived at that point) and it won't matter? Experiences?

My 5-year-old is finishing up 1st grade math right now, and I keep thinking I'm not moving fast enough for her. I think that with math you can let them keep going without worrying about "stages," so long as you know she has a good grasp of the concepts. It's the other subjects where I would think it would be trickier to move forward. For example, if she's 4 levels ahead in reading or history, there is probably a lot of reading material that she's not quite ready to be exposed to yet. (Example: I run into this with my daughter. She's into animals, and at her reading level there is a lot of information about predator/prey relationships. She can handle it, but sometimes I think it comes out in her play in ways that I think are a tad bit too violent for a 5-year-old.)



Am I just exhibiting classic "new homeschooling" jitters? :D

I am the same way with my children. In ALL subjects. It's so hard when you have a pre-conceived idea of what is "normal" for a certain age. When homeschooling, and I have to remind myself of this every few days, you have the luxury of letting the child lead the speed of the learning. That is what is so great about this option.

Hope this helps. :)

[skaterbabs]

I firmly believe that with formal academics it's better late than early. HOWEVER - if she's asking for math, give her math. My DD did the same thing. "Mommy, let's do math today." I gave her cheap $1 store workbooks and let her play.

We'll start formal academics over the summer and she's reading on a 2nd grade level and doing 1st grade math simply because that's what she *wanted* to do. She won't be six until October.

[WendyK]

If you ever get to that point there really is no shortage of math *stuff* to keep her busy until she is ready. So if she is interested and asking, I would go for it.

[Mommy22alyns]

Sometimes I worry about our future too, but I have enough trouble planning for next month!

I'd let her go on to Saxon 1. It's actually pretty easy. It can be overwhelming when your kid is dragging you along, but I try to accomodate it as much as possible. ;)

[JudoMom]

I start my guys in Saxon 1 when they turn 5. We haven't had any issues so far :001_smile:.

[EKS]

First off, I don't see any problem allowing a 5yo to start Saxon 1. Many people use Saxon 1 in kindergarten.

But if your daughter seems to be gifted in math you might want to take a look at other math programs that are more suited to these types of students. For example, Singapore not only runs about 6 months to a year ahead of many American programs but it also offers supplements that are more challenging than its core curriculum materials (the Intensive Practice and Challenging Word Problems books).

[kamom]

I regretted starting my son out to early. He loved it, but now he is 8 yrs old and struggling in 4th grade CLE. I love CLE but will have to switch him to a easier program. He ran up against it and is having a hard time grasping everything. I wish I would have slowed him down instead of just letting him go.
I've not been sure this whole year how to make it easier for him, so I had him do half lessons. Fourth grade math is hard for an eight year old! So do think ahead.
I really regret having to switch him to Saxon, but I compared and it seems like that's what I have to do, to keep him stimulated yet not overwhelmed this next year.
IMO do think ahead!

[wimseycat]

I would let her continue on at the pace she wants. If at some point she wants to slow down, you will be far enough along that it won't feel like you are going to fall behind in math. My ds is 12 and will be in AP Calc next year. After that, we will see what we can find. There are plenty of options in the area of math that there will always be something new for a math lover to conquer.

Annika

[wimseycat]

I also want to agree with Kai about Saxon. If she continues to enjoy and be gifted in math Saxon can become tedious and you may want to consider switching.

Annika

[musicianmom]

At the classical school in my town they start Saxon 1 in K.

[MrsBrooke]

Oh thank you! Alright, not so weirded out by it all. :D

Thank you for the Singapore recommendation...it's nice to have options.

[Karin]

Fear not. For one thing, many consider Saxon 1 to be K math. I did. However, there are so many cool things you can do to make math richer, such as add CWP, or the free programs at CSMP or MEP that will give her such a deeper, more fun, and richer math experience that you may wish to consider adding something like this.

I am biased--my eldest did three years of Saxon, but it's not my style, nor that of my younger two. We switched before my second dc was done Saxon 1. My eldest learns math by reading the book most of the time.

[Pamela H in Texas]

I allowed my kids to do whatever they wanted when they were little, pretty much. I believed in Better Late than Early and yet believe in allowing kids to learn what they want, when they want also...at least when they're little. I do insist on certain things for big kids.

Anyway, my daughter "played" with things as much as she wanted. I didn't worry about how "ahead" she got. She started Algebra at 7. She slowed down. She played with some parts but not others. I didn't worry about it. Later, we did a couple high school math programs and she went to college at 15 for more.

Honestly? If I had it to do over again, I would have gotten a little more structured about it a little earlier (not 7 early, but probably 9 or 10). That would have put her even more advanced, but I think there would have been other benefits we missed out on by letting her wait sooooo long to "do school."

Anyway, it all works out one way or another. Most probably, she'll slow down some later, even needing a break altogether. If not, that is fine too. I mean, what is the worst that will happen? She'll start the high school and college sequences early? I just don't see that as a real drawback.

BTW, have you considered using more than one math program? We've ALWAYS had more than one going on at a time, even when things were kid-run. There are some neat benefits to doing 2 or 3. It might not slow her down though. Doing a few didn't seem to slow her down, just changed what we did, how and when. My son also has done at least two programs at each level.

ETA: I saw another poster's concern that her 8yo is struggling. Mom is assuming it is because child was advanced earlier on. Well, it's possible he's just not ready for the next level of math. Math often DOES change to an intermediate level about 4th grade. But that doesn't mean it was a mistake to let them go their own pace for K-3. It just means that that kid has slowed down or needed a break. Next year or the following, it may all "click" again and allow him to finish up all of 4th-8th grades in 18months. Learning isn't linear. I don't know that we should hold kids back because they may hit a hiccup later. And even if we DO hold kids back, they still may hit a hiccup (though I guess it might not be as long). *I* would just do DIFFERENT math for awhile until the kid is ready to move on.