If you have a child who pretty much taught him/herself to read at a young age,

[ourbabygirl]

and loves doing little workbooks and other academic-type things, were they really bored in preschool and kindergarten?

My 4 year old can read really well (board books that we get from the library that she's never read before), as well as most of the BOB books and lots of early readers (levels 1 and 2, anyhow). We read to her, of course, but I think she mostly taught herself to read.
She'll sit in the car and read through books really slowly and carefully, and often will take a Magnadoodle and copy words onto it from a big (Priddy) picture book she's looking at. I've gotten her a bunch of workbooks from Amazon and the dollar store (she loves doing them first thing in the morning and during her quiet time in the afternoon), and she just whips through them. Sometimes at night I'll see her light on in her room, and I'll peek my head in and see that she's reading a little daily devotionals kids' book. She doesn't show off about any of it; in fact, she gets quite embarassed if we call attention to the fact that she can read so well (she'll stop doing it if she's in the middle of reading a book out loud), or if we brag to the grandparents, she pushes us away and runs out of the room.
She can also do some simple math, and I'm just wondering how things will go once she's in full-time school (she's in her first year of preschool, so she'll start K in the fall of '14).
We have good public schools here, and we've been planning to send the kids to public school because private is so expensive, but I want to make sure that there's enough differentiation at the elementary level, when it comes to reading and math, especially, for kids to be challenged appropriately.

Anyone BTDT? Goldenpig, if you're out there :waving4:, your daughter comes to mind, but I know that you're sending her to private school. Can anyone else weigh in on this?

Thanks so much! :)

[ABO Mama]

Kind of sounds like me with the reading. I was (still am!) a whole word reader, and therefore a horrible speller. I was never taught much phonics in school, but I think that would have helped. I've used more phonics with DC. Try the Kumon books.

[stonecali]

DS is like that... he is in currently in public K and is not bored. It is probably because he just likes doing ANYTHING school related, even if it is "easy" for him. He gets home from school and wants to do "homework" - he doesn't even have homework - so I bust out those workbooks from Kumon, Amazon, Costco, etc. and when he runs out I just buy more and move up a grade level if we have run out of the current grade level. Because of this, school is probably easy but he LOVES school.

Also, our school is pretty good about trying to challenge the really "academic" kids more. The kids are split into smaller reading groups with all the kids who can read and they get assigned specific books to read during free-time that matches their ability. Also, some of the kids who are really good at math are adding and subtracting different numbers than the rest of the kids (three digit numbers while the rest of the kids are doing single digit).

Maybe go talk to your future public school and see if they challenge the kids who need it (and how they accomplish this)?

[sarahsthreads]

I think a lot depends on the particular public school. DD1 was reading chapter books (like Magic Treehouse, Rainbow Fairies, etc.) before she started kindergarten.

She's been challenged along the way, though obviously school is easier for her than it would be if she hadn't gone into it already reading. We had the benefit of being able to opt in to a very well-run multi-age program starting in K. We decided if any of the teachers would excel at differentiation, it would be the ones that had multiple grade levels in their classrooms to begin with! It has been a good fit for her.

So far, she's been able to do pull-out enrichment programs - her favorite was an independent study group with a couple of other really advanced readers from other classes hosted by the school librarian. She was able to study "Anchent Egypt" in 1st grade because she just really was (and still is) fascinated by the subject. :) (Unbelievably, they had the kids in this group do powerpoint presentations - with spell check off. So. Cute. And crazy when you consider that I was still using hand-written transparencies for presentations in college.)

In her 2/3 class she finally has some kids that are reading close to her level, so their reading group does a "book club" format and the teacher facilitates in-depth group discussions.

So, yes. I think there are public schools out there that can challenge bright kids.

Sarah :)

[brittone2]

My DS1 was a very early reader, and my DD was early as well.

I suspect my DS1 is gifted, and my hunch is that DD may also be.

We had already considered HSing prior to putting those pieces together, but being able to differentiate to their needs is one of the reasons HSing works well for us. It certainly isn't the right fit for everyone, but it has worked well for us. It allows for asynchrony (my DS1 and DD work several grade levels ahead in math; DS1 does not enjoy writing even though he has excellent verbal skills).

The amount and type of differentiation is going to really vary from school district to school district, depending on type of program, teacher knowledge, class size, gifted education funding, etc.

Some parents also choose to supplement or "afterschool" depending on what resources are available at school and their child's interests and needs. There is an afterschooling forum over at The Well-Trained Mind, which is primarily a HSing forum.

[mjs64]

No BTDT, but I think little kids have a lot of social learning to do at school beyond reading, math, etc. Like sharing, waiting one's turn, transitioning from activity to activity, navigating early friendships. I'm sure it varies by child, but there will likely be all kinds of opportunities for learning (thus avoiding boredom), so I wouldn't be concerned until there is an issue.

Edited for clarity.

[goldenpig]

Anyone BTDT? Goldenpig, if you're out there :waving4:, your daughter comes to mind, but I know that you're sending her to private school. Can anyone else weigh in on this?

Thanks so much! :)

Yes, your daughter sounds like mine...she started reading and writing at 3.5 and was reading chapter books like Rainbow Magic Fairy the summer before kindergarten (she turned 5 in August). She likes doing workbooks and word search puzzles and Puzzle Buzz. I bought her a Brainquest workbook from Costco and she finished it on her own--she liked doing it (I bought her grade 1, but she could probably do grade 2).

We went back and forth about public vs. private and ended up sending her to private because they seemed more committed to differentiated learning, but our public school does not have GATE or anything for gifted kids anymore due to budget cuts.

At DD's private school she is in a reading group with 4-5 other kids in her class who are reading at a similar level, and they are giving her worksheets that say "grade 2-3" at the bottom, so I know they are trying to differentiate. The teacher did say she is more at grade level with her math skills, not super advanced.

I've also talked to my friends who have their kids in the public schools in our city and they are all happy with the schools. There's a lot of social learning and other stuff going on besides academics, and their kids seem happy. However, it doesn't sound like there is much differentiation going on and not much emphasis on teaching reading, more on letters and phonics at the K stage there. I know one mom from preschool whose daughter went to public K, and she said her daughter was really bored and acting out, so she switched her to our private school for 1st. But I've also talked to another mom who has a gifted kid and is happy with the public school (she does a lot of "enrichment" activities on her own after-school like takes her daughter to museums, etc.)

So I think public can definitely work, as long as you give your kid lots of stuff to read in their free time (not a problem, right? I too find my daughter reading after I put her to bed, and I also read by night light when I was young!), develop a close relationship with the teacher and discuss ways to supplement and enrich her academics (maybe your school has pull-out programs/GATE or the teacher is more willing to differentiate?), and do after school activities or other learning experiences (my daughter is learning chess this year). Also, I don't know when your daughter's birthday is, but if she's on the older side, maybe there's a possibility to start her in K early? I was tested and my parents had me skip K and go straight to 1st grade at age 5 (July bday). I went through public school and had GATE pullouts starting around 3rd grade I think? I also was in combined classes for 4th/5th grade as a 4th grader and 5th/6th grade as a 5th grader, which helped. I know they really frown on skipping grades nowadays though, and DD is on the young side so I didn't look into skipping. Emotionally and developmentally I think it's better for her to stay with her peers and just get some differentiation in the areas where she's ahead.

Don't know if this is helpful but maybe others can chime in with their public school experiences too.

[KpbS]

My DS was a crazy voracious reader pre-K too. Preschool wasn't boring for him b/c we picked a school with a play curriculum and he only went 2 mornings a week. He much preferred to be at home playing the rest of the time. ;) Kindy was fine lots of other things to learn/do, we homeschooled for 1st (I taught it as 2nd b/c that was a better fit for him academically), private school for this year. He has another high reader in his super small class and they have their own reading group with separate projects. I am hoping he'll be a part of the gifted program next year (starts in 3rd) and there is a chance his class will be a combined 3/4th grade class which would be great for him academically. Our teacher this year has been very tuned into to challenging him. His spelling challenge words are 7th/8th grade words like chlorophyll, conquistador, etc.

[RedSuedeShoes]

I agree with PPs that you should get to know your school(s) specifically. Talk to the school, and to as many parents as you can.

My oldest (he's 12 now, and in 6th grade) taught himself to read at 3.5. He was reading anything and everything - adult books, the dictionary, etc. as well as kids books. He continued to be a voracious reader throughout elementary school. He has not been bored at school. He attended a Montessori preschool, so he could choose what he was interested in and pursue it. He's been at a math and science school, with accelerated math curriculum, since kindergarten. The school also has a really high percentage (around 50%) TAG kids, so the teachers are used to kids who are gifted in at least one area. We chose this school over our neighborhood school because we were worried it would be too easy for him to either be bored and/or slip through the cracks there. For instance, when we visited the neighborhood school (which is a very desirable school in our town - gets good test scores and raises lots of money) and I asked the vice principal to describe their TAG program, he said, "If a class is reading, and one kid reads at a higher level, the teacher will bring that kid a different book." To which I thought, "Uh...that's not TAG, that's teaching!"

[baymom]

Both my kids were early readers and we've had two very different experiences at our public school. DS's kinder teacher was off the charts amazing and regularly went above and beyond to challenge and encourage him. I was shocked that at pick up the very first day of school, she approached me to talk about how to offer him deferentiated reading work, since he was already reading fluently. Unfortunately, she retired that year, so DD couldn't benefit from this dedicated, incredible teacher. Instead, at our parent teacher conference and numerous times throughout the year, DD's (new) teacher would tell me, "Your DD is really excelling in reading! I wish I could offer her more challenging work, but you know, I just can't find the time!". Grrr!! Like I'm supposed to sympathize with that?! Just felt so lame and lazy after having had DS's teacher. Meanwhile, DD would complain daily about how bored she was because she already did this last year.

DH and I worked with DD a lot at home to provide her with more of a challenge and keep her interested in learning. Luckily, her 1st grade teacher this year is phenomenal and we feel really lucky. DD reads at a 5th grade level, according to her teacher, and thankfully not having a great year last year didn't really affect her, like I was worried about at the time.

In retrospect, I wish I had reached out to the principal during the summer and expressed my concerns about DD (getting bored) and hopefully gotten a better placement. At our school, we have 4 kinder classes and I later learned that several parents had approached the principal over summer.

[citymama]

I am on my phone but haven't read the previous posts. DD1 was reading quite long books at 4, and DH kept worrying the same thing too - she'll be bored in K. Well, she wasn't - there's a lot more to school than learning how to read. K was a challenge for other reasons (many English language learners in her class and a few with behavioral issues) meant that the teacher was working hard just to manage the class. But first grade has been a delight and although DD is reading at 3rd or 4th grade level, she's learning a lot in math, science, writing, and most importantly, social skills. You'll also be surprised how many other kids are advanced in one thing or other - I volunteer in class and have noticed that one of her first grade classmates is doing division - in his head! Another was reading English and Korean at age 2! Yikes! And there are others who aren't reading in first grade yet.

[american_mama]

My DD1 was reading well before kindergarten; I remember she read a short story aloud to her preschool class. She didn't read chapter books but probably could have. She was not bored in public kindergarten, in part because she likes being part of group activities and apparently was happy to sit and pronounce "p-p-p like pop". And as others have said, just learning about school and class processes was interesting to her.

Her teacher didn't do a lot of differentiation for her, but did refer her to the gifted teacher who, on her own time, wrote thought questions about DD's simple readers for us to discuss with her at home in lieu of repeated readings: "What season is it? How do you know? What do you think the relationship is between the characters? Why?" The questions were good at getting DD to infer, explain, connect, and read between the lines, even with very, very simple readers.

However, in retrospect, it was a wasted year in ways. I would advise any parent in this situation to find out if there are reading peers in the same class or grade, and to really push for those kids to be grouped together. Our school did this in subsequent years, but in DD's year, there either were no reading peers or there wasn't the organization in place yet to do that grouping (she had a brand new principal that year who was new to the elementary level, and he did a lot of cleaning house so there were a lot of new teachers for a while).

She also had some problems in first grade being "too far" ahead in reading without the school having an adequate response. The formal reading groups were ok, but the school also tried to do a book club thing during lunch, but it was way too informal, IMO. The teacher was not organized or committed (split time between two schools, had infant twins, probably was planning a cross-country move) and because I perceived her running this group as a favor, I never felt able to push for a better approach. First grade was very good for her in accepting and developing the pattern of doing her homework, which is important.

Things got more academically appropriate in second grade. The gifted program started in a small way. More kids had caught up to DD's level - or maybe she stagnated! - and the school was more organized. DD's teacher often asked DD to work with other kids on their math problems, whcih I think was very good at getting her to verbalize what she was doing, break it down, and improve her social skills with other kids. I think some parents would not like this approach, but for DD, it was good.

In 3rd grade, the school got very good at differentiating her instruction, perhaps because of more testing information, perhaps because of some strong advocacy by the gifted teacher. Most of the work fell on the gifted teacher's shoulders, but she did well with it.

[cilantromapuche]

DD in first grade goes to read to the kindergartners and has some kids to run her own reading group. Some parents are appalled but since we've been there with DS and he was fine. She loves it and since the first part of school was rocky and she didn't want to go to school I don't have a problem.
I actually have more issues with math since DS has had to skip up some grades in math and I think they could do things differently with DD who is on the same path.

[mom2khj]

It's really going to depend on the school and the teachers.

DD1 read very young. She still reads off the schools charts, they can't test her level because their test doesn't go high enough.

I was very worried when we walked into Kindergarten orientation and her teacher started discussing the kids learning their letters, when DD is already reading chapter books and doing multiplication on her own (without realizing that is what she is doing though).

Fortunately, our school does have a gifted program and so far I have been extremely happy with how they challenge her in all subjects. It's not just harder work, they are teaching them to be thinkers and learners.

[pastrygirl]

My son is/was advanced academically, but behind socially. He has an IEP, too, so it's a little different for us. He misbehaves if he's bored, but he has an aide to help keep him focused. I'm not sure what will happen when he no longer qualifies for an aide. I suspect we'll have to look into tougher coursework to keep his mind occupied.

I almost redshirted him instead of sending him to K, and am SO GLAD I didn't! He's in 1st now and I just can't imagine how much havoc he would wreak if he was in kindergarten right now.

[jjordan]

My dd was reading fluently (eg Ramona books) before she started kindergarten. We told her teacher, who had the school reading specialist assess her, and they ended up letting her spend an hour or so each morning with a 2nd grade class for their reading time, while the kindergarten did their reading stuff. Other than that she was in the regular kindergarten class. She LOVED kindergarten.

We had heard of another family whose kids were reading before they started kindergarten, though I don't know at what level, and their teacher (same school as our dd, but different teacher) didn't really do anything different with them. I don't know if our dd would have liked school quite so much if she'd been stuck in the kindergarten class for all of their reading development stuff.

So to some degree, it probably depends on what the teacher & school are willing to do.

ETA: Our school cut their gifted program so there's nothing formal in place for early academic achievers, they just do whatever on a case-by-case basis.

[Asianmommy]

My older DD was similar, started reading on her own at age 3.5. We decided to send her to a Montessori school for pre-K to Kindergarten, so she could learn independently at her own pace. In 1st grade, we transitioned her to public school. Our school offered different reading groups and different math worksheets, as well as a challenge spelling list in 1st grade. In 2nd grade, there were different math classrooms, plus a pull-out program for creative writing. In 3rd grade, she started the GATE program. Now, she's in 5th grade, and she has loved going to school every day from day 1.

I wouldn't hesitate to bring up your child's need for more challenging work, if necessary. For some strange reason, there were no challenge spelling lists offered in 4th & 5th grade, although we had them in 1st, 2nd, & 3rd grade. So, I emailed DD's teachers and asked for it (respectfully!). Honestly, they were both very accommodating and thanked me for my input. So, it's definitely worth a try if you find yourself in that situation.

[lovin2shop]

DS1 taught himself to read at around 3.5, and is still reading four plus grades over grade level. He is in public, in a pull out gifted program (which is separate from regular curriculum and is pretty limited), and he really enjoys school. The kids are grouped by level for both reading and math, and they are always allowed to do independent projects or reading when they have finished work early. I did look at private schools, but it actually seemed that most were geared towards the upper academic range of a typical student, and did not really provide any gifted differentiation. We haven't ruled private out completely, but at least for elementary, we felt that our public schools were a great option. I do sometimes worry that DS focuses on being the top student too much, and as someone else posted on another thread today, identifies all his self worth in being "smart" even though we try hard not use that word. We do try to challenge him outside of school a bit so that he can face challenges without fear of failure, but we try to make it fun at the same time.

[squimp]

Yes and no. My DD started reading when she turned 4 and I did not find that she was bored in pre-K or K. She was a leader and a role model for the other kids, she inspired her school to have a spelling bee, but no she was not bored. A good teacher will allow those kids to keep on doing what they are doing and encourage them to keep moving beyond.

I did find that K placement was really important. My DD was placed in a K class where at the meet and greet her teacher's jaw kind of dropped and she said something like "she is on another level from any other student coming into my class this year" which made me nervous so we quickly asked the principal if we could move into another class which was a better fit. It was a K/1 blend and she didn't stand out as much in there.

[Melbel]

All 3 of my DC were early readers. DS was reading on his own by age 4 (self-taught) and decided to teach DD2 how to read one day at age 3. DD2 learned by age 4 too, but did not escalate to complex material as quickly as DS (who went from Dick & Jane to dinosaur encyclopedia (retaining what he learned).

None of my kids have been bored in pre-K/K, but were not exactly challenged either (private school but pre-primary curriculum was more play based; real reading and more academic curriculum hit 1st grade). To the extent that my kids were truly asking for more educational challenge, I helped them at home (purchasing books, workbooks and an occasional academic extra-curricular such as chess and math camp if they asked).

[dcmom2b3]

Ha! DD's first reading has a BBB connection, so I'll share:

Was on the boards one afternoon, DD was 2.5, maybe 3. I was reading a post by Bubbaray and DD pointed at the icon and said "Doggie!" I said "yes, that's Bubba." She said "No mama, that's Bubbaray."

She wasn't bored, but much of her engagement and growth in public PK was social, not academic. (eg she was the student that the teacher could trust to befriend, engage and encourage her special needs classmates, mediate disputes, etc.). In some respects I think she regressed, however. Syntax and grammar especially. I think that was a result of a bunch of factors: curriculum, cohort, student:teacher ratio, etc.

She's been in private school for K this year, and is being challenged academically for the first time (though still socially the "it" girl. :rolleye0014:) If I could have afforded private PS and PK I think I would have done it with hindsight. But at the time, in the moment and day-to-day her public school was just fine.