My DD is about to turn 5 (in May). She currently attends a preschool/daycare program, which is mainly play-based, or for her it is about socialization and playing with others. They do "academics" but it is stuff that she already knows (letters, numbers, opposites, etc.). Her class is made up of children just turning 4 and those turning 5. She has some articulation concerns for which she gets speech therapy through our county. I don't think that her teachers have a clue as to what she really can do. I think that they make judgments based on her difficulty with speech. I don't mind because she is having fun and enjoys going. Her preschool does have a more academic program, but it is in the afternoons, and I work in the mornings and pick her up before that program starts.
At home we work on reading and math concepts. She reads to me pretty much every day. She is not a "self-taught" reader, like many here, but she picked it up pretty easily through a couple of reading programs and internet programs. I try to do activities to stimulate her mind. If she wants to play on the computer, she usually has to do an "academic" game (Reading Eggs, IXL), before she can go to a "fun" site.
I had/have a learning disability, so we had her tested prior to starting kindergarten. Turns out she has a pretty solid IQ. We started working on reading as a way to make sure that she didn't struggle with reading, the way I did in school. I wanted to make sure that she gets has a solid foundation in phonics (which is often lacking in our schools).
So, am I really just hothousing my DD?
