Pondering Placement
Question: Hello to the Austin family! Could you please help me with placement in Heart of Dakota for homeschooling my 5 1/2 year old son? He will be 6 in October, and this fall will be his kindergarten year. What placement would you suggest for my kindergarten 5 ½ year old son? Looking at the first page of the placement chart he is…
- 5 1/2 years old and turning 6 in October
- ready for phonics instruction
- he did the sample phonics lesson from The Reading Lesson and did well
- at the beginning stages of writing
- dislikes handwriting and coloring
- writes the ‘J’ and the ‘u’ in his name really well, but the ‘d, ‘a,’ and ‘h’ are questionable
- occasionally writes from right to left instead of left to write (but this is sometimes normal, and he’s not dyslexic)
- can draw a stick figure and most of the body parts
- ready for gentle intro to basic parts of speech
- he was a little late to the game with speech due to allergies
- he tested for speech therapy and did not qualify
- math will be no problem, as he is strong in this area
With handwriting being second on the placement chart in order of importance, would Little Hands to Heaven be best? Although with him just finishing Pre-K, perhaps Little Hearts for His Glory for kindergarten would be a better fit? I know it is not advised to repeat the same guide twice, so I don’t want to repeat Little Hearts. Which guide would you suggest I place my kindergarten 5 1/2 year old son in this year? Any advice is appreciated!
Reply: Thanks for sharing your findings about your son in regard to the placement chart!
That is always the first and best step to determining placement! We find this information incredibly helpful, as every child is different in needs and skills. As I was reading through your initial post, I think Little Hearts… would be a good fit for your son. It sounds like he fits well there on the placement chart overall. Much of what you shared as far as fine motor challenges isn’t that uncommon for boys upon entering Little Hearts. Your description actually fit my own third little guy when he began Little Hearts as he was turning 6.
Three Factors to Consider When Choosing Placement Between Little Hands… and Little Hearts…
There are three factors to consider when choosing Little Hearts… or choosing doing Little Hands… with Little Heart’s… kindergarten options. First, we want to consider your son’s age. Second, we want to consider the fact that he has already been through quite a bit of kindergarten readiness. Third, he seems to really make strides when you work with him one-on-one. In conclusion, all of these factors make me lean more toward Little Hearts… with the K options.
An Easy Pacing Schedule for Your Kindergarten Son and for You
This could perhaps be done just 4 days a week, stretching 9 weeks into the next school year to finish. This plan would allow him to grow up a bit before getting to Beyond. But, it would also keep him moving forward more closely with his age-mates. While I dislike comparisons, age does help give us some guidelines when we’re trying to decide between two good options. In your son’s case I think it tilts the decision more in favor of Little Hearts.
Once you get Little Hearts… and its resources that go with it from us, you’ll be able to tell better. You’re also welcome to return anything within 30 days for a full refund or in exchange for something else. This should help ease the decision-making process a bit!
Blessings,
Carrie
P.S. For more on placing your child in the right guide, click here!
