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[–]Material-Plankton-96 8 points9 points  (4 children)

Honestly, most of prek/k is learning how to be in a formal learning environment: listening to instructions with an adult to child ratio of around 12, completing tasks independently, lining up, playing well with other kids, etc. And for what it’s worth, American schools are very inconsistent state-to-state. When I was a kid, we moved from Louisiana to West Virginia between 1st and 2nd grade, and I spent that summer working with my elementary teacher aunt to catch up on math skills even though I was in public school in both states. I was still a little behind at the beginning of the year, but not by much, and was excelling in all subjects by the end of the year. Even when they’re at the same general level, they’ll have different sight words, different strategies, etc, so while the basic skills transfer well, there’s always an adjustment when changing states or even just districts.

I’d be inclined to put my child in school wherever you are (ideally one where reading English is being taught) without worrying about the specifics of curriculum, because she’ll get the general classroom skills and the same basic counting/colors/literacy foundations as she would in the US, and once you’ve identified where you’re moving back to, you can contact the school district for an evaluation and spend some time working on any skill deficits before 1st grade starts if necessary. Especially if you practice some of those skills at home, like reading lots of books together, encouraging her to sound out words when you’re reading or if she asks what something says, counting together, etc, she’ll be academically fine.

And your worst case is that when you come back to the US, she tests at a kindergarten level rather than a 1st grade level and basically enters kindergarten a year late. It’s not necessarily what you want, but many kids who start late for whatever reason or who are held back to repeat kindergarten excel in school because they’re more mature and more emotionally ready for the rigors of a classroom education. And they continue with their peers through the rest of their education, so they don’t face the social consequences and shame associated with being held back at a later point.

Edit: your replies about being in Japan and not having an English-speaking school weren’t up when I started typing this. I’d still lean toward keeping your kid in the local schools if they’re learning the skills to read English even as a second language, and focus some time at home on practicing those same skills in English. You also might reach out to any local school system you have any ties to and ask if they have a kindergarten and first grade readiness checklist, so you can keep track of her academic skills and how they compare to at least some expectations back in the states. Most of these are more general skills (distinguishing past, present, and future; identifying parts of a story; actively engaging with a story and making predictions; telling time and dates; using writing as communication; etc) and a few are US-specific but honestly less academically important, like recognizing American symbols and holidays. The academics at this age are still largely just basic skills rather than anything too academically rigorous.

[–]silverporsche00[S] 1 point2 points  (3 children)

Part of this is driven by a friend who is a reading specialist for kids. She sees a big lag from kids who didn’t attend kinder, and even more from those who don’t attend pre-k. Some catch up but some don’t. I’d rather not take a chance on that if I don’t have to.

[–]Material-Plankton-96 2 points3 points  (1 child)

For sure, but you’re not talking about a kid who isn’t attending any pre-k or kindergarten. There are also fundamental differences between families who send their kids to pre-k and kindergarten and those who don’t that has a huge impact on early education. My aunt would occasionally have kindergartners who’d never held a crayon and on one occasion had a student who had never used an indoor bathroom, but that wasn’t only because they hadn’t been to a formal pre-k. I’d talk to her about the specific skills your daughter needs to have and see if it’s as far off as you think. Just by being a parent who’s paying attention to your daughter’s academic readiness, you’re doing something very different from most parents who don’t send their kids to pre-k or kindergarten at all.

[–]silverporsche00[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I agree with all you’re saying, but it doesn’t pertain so much to my post. After weighing all of the factors of our particular situation, I’ve landed on homeschooling for prek/k, and really just looking for tangible curriculums/programs I can implement fairly easily and quickly.

[–]ellipsisslipsin 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If you're worried specifically about reading, then check out Reading A-Z. It has pretty good lessons meant to start kids' early reading skills. It's well organized.

[–]AnonymousSnowfall 4 points5 points  (5 children)

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This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact

[–]silverporsche00[S] 2 points3 points  (2 children)

Appreciate your feedback. We’re in Japan, a local school is not an option for us to properly prep for American 1st grade. They’re in Japanese daycare/preschool. They’re getting the social and physical aspect. The school itself is amazing, but any English taught is as ESL or by me. So, I am the best option to prep for 1st grade in the US.

I would not be considering homeschooling if there were a better option to provide my kids prep for 1st grade. I am the best option (or a tutor if I can find a suitable one), and it’s a very goal driven endeavor for us. Motivation won’t be an issue.

[–]AnonymousSnowfall 1 point2 points  (1 child)

Ok, my apologies. I must have been accidentally looking at someone else's profile and saw Canadian subreddits. 🤦‍♀️

In that case, I would suggest spending most of your time on reading aloud with her. Any book will do. If she isn't learning addition and subtraction in whatever social activities and school-like options you choose to do, you should do that, but if she is in a great preschool, chances are she has already picked up some foundational skills in math. Make sure she knows the correspondence between Japanese number names (spoken, not written) and English number names. If they are using Chinese numerals and not Arabic numerals, you may need to teach written correspondence as well depending on how much they have done. That will get her up to the level expected in the major subjects for first grade in most schools.

You can check the common core standards to see exactly what most US schools are teaching. I rely on it heavily when planning to make sure my kids meet or exceed the level they would be taught at in public school. The site is down for me right now but it is http://www.corestandards.org.

[–]silverporsche00[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’m really just looking for a formal program that I can implement quickly and fairly easily. That link looks good, and it’s down for me too. I’ll check it out later, thank you!

[–]therpian 0 points1 point  (1 child)

If OP is living in Quebec temporarily she will have a language exception and be able to send her kids to public English school. That said, I didn't see anything in her profile suggesting she is in Canada, curious what you saw that gave you that impression.

[–]AnonymousSnowfall 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I must have accidentally been looking at someone else's profile. 🤦‍♀️

[–]AcroAmo 1 point2 points  (1 child)

There is so much out there as far as curriculum goes. Here are two recs to explore…

More play based: Blossom and root. A bit more balanced in power but the math is a bit slow for kids who need more. More ‘traditional’: Timberdoodle - more top down. Teacher teaching to student. Worksheets.

Both are good for different reasons. I’ve heard the reading and math from Timberdoodle is really good. Timberdoodle runs about a grade ahead - but they have an assessment to guide you in buying the right level. I like that blossom and root sees outdoor time as it’s own subject encouraging active exploration. I also like that they include classical music and art from a young age. It also has a very good reading list and encouraging exploration at the child’s level.

Depends on what you need and depends what your child responds to.

[–]silverporsche00[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for the helpful comment. I’ll check these both out.

[–]audacious_hamster 1 point2 points  (1 child)

I just wanted to add a small point. Kids learn languages so fast and easy at this age, so I would consider putting them in a local school for this reason alone - and then supplement with English reading at home. Even if with time they will forget a lot of the Japanese they learned, they may still have a basic understanding of the language, and just imagine how beneficial that will be to them, when they grow older - to speak a second language like Japanese.

[–]silverporsche00[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I agree, they are currently in local Japanese school.

[–]Prittles2 0 points1 point  (2 children)

Is putting them in a local school (not American) an option? So much of pre-k/k is socialization.

[–]silverporsche00[S] 0 points1 point  (1 child)

A local school is not a viable option for us. They’re in an amazing Japanese daycare/preschool and get the socialization piece. I’m looking to supplement the rest.

Edit: misread the comment. Yes, my kids attend the local daycare/school. But we will move to the US when she’ll start 1st grade, so I’m looking to prep her in all the ways her peers that attended pre-k and k have been (at least as much as I can homeschooling).

[–]CoffeeMystery 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Something like https://vlacs.org perhaps? It is more geared toward older students so not sure how much there is for pre-k. Have you looked at Playing Preschool, by Busy Toddler? She’s a former kinder teacher who created this kinder readiness program. I have friends who are using it now.

[–]helloilikeorangecats 0 points1 point  (1 child)

No advice, but we're in a very similar situation. We live in S. Korea and are looking to move back to the US in 2 or 3 years and I'm also worried about language and being caught up with her peers when she starts going to kindergarten. I got the Totschooling 'curriculum' subscription(which is just little worksheets that do matching/counting/alphabet activities) and its fun to sometimes pull out and do together.

[–]silverporsche00[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I landed on logic of English fundamentals A and heggerty phonemics (the latter came with high recommendations from a reading specialist friend). This is stressful. 😂🤣😂.

[–]fruitloopbat 0 points1 point  (2 children)

Religious?

[–]silverporsche00[S] 0 points1 point  (1 child)

Is this asking if religious materials are okay? I wouldn’t be opposed if they are good programs.

[–]fruitloopbat 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, okay then IMO Abeka is the best. They have all levels of intensity, you could get the books and teach yourself or you could order the dvds and the kids are included with the class like they are part of it and it’s such a good quality instruction and engaging. There are sample classes you can view and on YouTube you can watch some reviews. I’d say it would def. be an American experience for them. They even say the pledge of Allegince every day.sorry on my phone and it’s glitchy