Start LHTH now?

[hs.mama07]

Hi ladies!

My son will turn 4 this month and I had originally planned on starting LHTH. Now that we’re here, though, I’m wondering if we should wait. He’s a very active, hands-on, wiggly sort of boy and when looking through the guide, I think I’d need to use the younger options for devo, math, and “count on me.”

So my question is, if we use the younger options for most of LHTH, will he be ready for LHFHG? Would it be better to just wait to start LHTH until he’s ready to use the older options? (I’d prefer to not do LHTH twice).

Thanks for your help!!

[StephanieU]

LHTH is still gentle, and kids can grow very quickly. I would say start now, but only do 2-3 days a week. That way it would take you close to 2 years to finish, which would put you at a great age to start LHFHG. If it becomes a huge battle, you can back off on the school of course. But, my kids (2 and 4) like the Bible and younger devotional. If you think the older devotional is too much, then you could buy just that. But the older Bible is still short enough for my 2yo. And the count on me - I think they can just count. They don't have to know how to count by 2. But, if they have two in the first, and then four int he next, it helps them learn how to count by 2, etc. You can obviously help tell him how many to draw.

[MelInKansas]

I guess it depends. Is he ready? Is he interested in school? Will he sit down and listen to you read aloud willingly (or even eagerly)? How is he with following directions? You could always start it and then see. There is no need to start if it will just be a struggle. But if he is ready and it would be something positive for you to do together, and help him grow and learn, then you could start. If he does it all with the younger options he would still be ready for LHFHG at the end. Many of the boxes increase in difficulty and many skills are covered (including beginning writing) in LHTH.

The skip counting in LHTH doesn't necessarily need to be mastered in order to do LHFHG. It's more of a helpful skill than needed. From what I have seen skip counting is not required for Singapore math. However you might be surprised at how your son picks up on it. I have been really surprised, my oldest was terrible at it and never really got it in LHTH but my 5YO is doing really well with it so we have skipped up to the 3's and 4's.

I hope this makes sense. What I am trying to say is, it is really up to you. There is no need for him to start formal school work at this age. On the other hand it's not harmful to do so. Some kids are interested and excited to start. My DD who is almost 5 has been chomping at the bit to start school since age 3. My son who is now 2.... we will see what he wants to do and is ready for and I will not be in a hurry to add my 4th guide!

[chillin'inandover]

I started LHTH when my daughter was 4. We took it slow. I used both resources. This stretched out the guide. She did LHTH for part of her kindy year with kindergarten resources from LHFHG. When she was ready she speeded up and caught up. She will start back up in the fall as a 3rd grader (8 in February) and in unit 5 of Bigger. We only school 4 days. She had issues with language, focusing, understanding, and sitting. She was on an IEP for speech and focusing if she was to attend ps. I think she was just slow to gain the needed skills. She was a preemie. When she was ready she was able to double up lessons in LHFHG and Beyond.
I never rushed LHTH. She has plenty of time to play everyday as "school" is short each day. In LHTH it is about 30 minutes, LHFHG is about 90 minutes, Beyond is about 120 minutes. I like LHTH as it included so many skills I would have forgotten to include. I faithfully did the whole guide as written. Many things I might have wanted to skip, but the learning was so vital. Many things kids may have just picked up on their own she needed that lesson. Finger plays, games, drama activities were key. I love that the Bible was so carefully woven into the entire day. Very valuable lessons that have stuck to this day.
The early years are gentle, slow, and full of fun learning. The resources taught a lot of skills. I remember going over and over them until they stuck. Very valuable lessons like not stealing, stranger danger, and being kind. The pictures, stories, and Bible verses were a good learning tool and she delighted with me reading it again and again. Because we took it slower her mind had time to catch up with her age. We are required to test annually from 7-16. (17 in 10/14). She did her first test this year and was in the highest category in all areas tested. All praise and glory to God! This was the child who finished LHTH in kindergarten!

[hs.mama07]

Thank you so much ladies. It's good to know that we can get started using the younger resources and he could still be ready for LHFHG. He says he wants to do school like big brother, but he doesn't really understand what it'll be like yet. We'll take it slow and see how it goes...and if he's not ready, we'll just wait a few months and try again later! (And now that I've read your comments on skip counting, he may be more ready for that than I realize. He already counts pretty well...we'll see!)

[Gyminey]

The only thing that I would add is that you might be surprised how different his skill level is in a year! I started my little guy when he was three turning four. I tried not to care if we were "on track" for a certain amount of days or whatever. We just started and had fun with it. As our year went along, I watched as things started to click with him. He started asking specifically when we were going to do certain things (that is one thing I love about the program is that you get into a great rhythm and the kids know what to expect!). My son loved it so much, and my two year old started joining us as well. We ended up picking up speed big time, and he is now going into LHFHG in the fall. I couldn't believe how much he grew and developed through the year. If you can let go of the idea of an exact schedule (which was really hard for me to do!), then you can just move with your child as his abilities allow and have a lot of fun. Since I have all little ones at home, I really liked that "doing school" added structure and purpose to our morning. As an aside, we used the older Bible but the younger devotional...because I wasn't paying attention when I ordered! But my kids loved both

[hs.mama07]

Thanks Amanda, that is good to know that your son was ready for LHFHG and fun to hear how he grew and changed over the course of the curriculum. That's just so neat!! I'm excited to get started and see how it goes!

[hs.mama07]

Just wanted to share that we tried a few days of school and he REALLY enjoyed it! When we finished yesterday, he said, "let's keep doing school" and proceeded to make up his own subjects. We're going to start with the younger options (except the Bible) and just take it slow (well, if he lets me take it slow, lol). Thanks for your advice!