I went to Yale, now I feel like I need to go home and quiz my 4 year old.
Here's one suggestion -- download the Ladybug picnic song. That will at least get him or her counting to 12! And it's an awesome song.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is this your oldest child? You will find that kids have their own timelines and their own priorities. And worse: once they recognize your priorities, they tend to shift gears and head in the opposite direction.

I feel like I am not cut out to be a parent. I'm mentally and physically exhausted. DH is the breadwinner and expects me to take care of all the home stuff. I think I am going to have a mental breakdown. We already outsource most of the cooking and cleaning. Now I'm wondering if we should get a tutor. I feel like I should be able to teach my children how to read and write. I cannot.

Let school teach your kid that stuff. You'll be amazed how into kindergarten your kid will be. Right now he's 4 and needs to be a 4 YO.

You want a job description of a Mom?

Love and accept your kids exactly for who they are (and are becoming). All the counting exercises and tutoring will never do as much for your kid as just having fun finding out who they are. And helping them find out who they are with all their strengths and weaknesses.

More damage has been done to kids because of parental expectations than almost anything else. I'm 45 and my Mom is *finally* starting to calm down and accept me for NOT HER and HER EXPECTATIONS.

Anonymous wrote:This is a troll post right?

Um.. you know there are probably lots of people like OP around here. I've seen a few posts on this forum from Ivy educated parents that are disappointed that their young ES DCs aren't "gifted" or have top scores, or aren't showing signs of wanting to do well in school, etc...

This is a troll post right?

I had to check the date on this post. I feel like I read this exact same thread a few months ago ...

Hiring a tutor for a four-year-old seems a bit crazy. Is he in preschool? Let the preschool teachers take care of what he actually needs to know to be ready for K. Your role should be enriching him. Teach him what the numbers actually mean not how to say them in order. Read lots of books with him, go on nature walks and to petting zoos, cook together, and have lots of conversations. Learning how to recite numbers takes no higher order thinking skills.

Did a speaker fall on his head when he was younger?

Ignoring previous comments and giving actual advice:

Solid Strategies for Teaching Counting at this age are very active. For instance:

1. Count Stairs. Every time you go up or down. Do it together. Alternate who says even/odd numbers. Slowly lower your voice while DS is counting. Etc.

2. Movement Counting. DS.. count how many times you can jump on one foot. Count how many times you can jump on the other. Count how many times you can leap frog. Etc.

3. Clean Up Activities. DS.. clean up 20 legos. Lets count until you are finished.

4. Outdoor Treasure Hunt- DS, lets go find 20 leaves/acorns and put them in this basket. Count together when you look for them. Count what is inside the basket when you are done. Etc.

5. Counting Videos/Music. I don't care about screen time/etc. On weeknights, my kids are allowed to watch Learning videos. The Leapfrog Numbers videos are cute. We have the CD as well. The kids love them, learn a little, and get some down time so I can clean/cook/etc.

Anonymous wrote:

We just had parent teacher conferences for both kids. Both kids are very social and well behaved in class. Preschool teacher did say that our child is well versed in animals and dinosaurs. Teacher seems to really know my child. She said she will work with us on numbers and beginner reading. I think the problem is that the kids in class are so advanced that my child is getting left behind. Older child is getting extra reading help along with a small group of the emergent readers. 1st grade does not do sight words but the teacher said she will send home lists for my child. My son hates when I try to teach him sight words but he always does his homework. If he thinks the sight word list is part of his homework, he will work on the words with me.

OP, if I were you, I would trust your children's teachers. Are they worried? If not, don't you worry. If they are worried, then ask for their advice and seriously consider following it.