Should my two daughters do different pacing in the same guide?
I think Preparing Hearts for His Glory (PHFHG) is going to best suit us for our debut into Heart of Dakota (HOD). I have two girls, ages 8 and 10. My 10 year-old is going on 11, and is probably advanced in terms of grade level. So, I have decided to get the extension books for her. But, my 8 year-old is what I would call an average student. She will not be 9 until mid next year. So, I have a question about pacing. Do you think it would be possible to have her work half-speed while my older daughter is going full-speed? In my mind it is working, and I am thinking that possibly after a year of half-speed or possibly not even that long we could move her into full-speed. Then, we could do something similar for her for HOD’s Creation to Christ (CTC). So, technically we would probably take 3 years to do both PHFHG and CTC. Then, my second daughter would be 11 1/2 years old going into the next level.
Any thoughts would be gratefully received. I want this to work for my blossoms, and I really believe it will. Still, I don’t want to cause any of them to be discontent with what we are doing. I am praying about this, and I’m sure God will make sure I do His will.
Sincerely,
“Ms. Please Help with Half-Speed and Full-Speed Pacing for My Two Daughters”
Dear “Ms. Please Help with Half-Speed and Full-Speed Pacing for My Two Daughters,”
In thinking through what you’ve shared so far, I have a couple of thoughts running through my mind. One thought is that if your 8 year-old places in PHFHG best on the placement chart, then you should just be able to do your two kiddos together (using extensions for your older child). If your 8 year-old is not ready for PHFHG, it is likely she’d instead place in Bigger Hearts for His Glory (BHFHG). Since you’re pondering doing your kiddos separately anyway, then it would likely be better to just place each child in the program where she fits best as an individual. If, instead, it is more important for you to keep them together, then it would work best if you found the right fit for your 8 year-old first, and then pondered whether your older child could also fit there with extensions.
The reason I share this is because it can honestly be a fuller and richer academic year for a child to go full-speed in a guide where he/she fits than to do half-speed in a guide he/she is not quite ready to do. You can click here to see our guide placement charts. Hopefully this will help make clearer what pacing would be best for your two blossoms!
Blessings,
Carrie
 Reply to Carrie from “Ms. Please Help with Half-Speed and Full-Speed Pacing for My Two Daughters”
I looked to see whether my 8 year-old would do okay doing Preparing full-speed. I really think she will! My younger daughter is actually further advanced in most skills than I realized. I look forward to getting both of them writing cursive. Well, I am so encouraged by what I have read here. I am really looking forward to following HOD, and the plan God obviously has for us. Just feeling grateful!
