Kindergarten Help

There are two computer games that my son likes to play, one of them you have to pay for or apply for a free copy but it's www.studydog.com and the other is free at www.starfall.com. Both are strictly for reading and go step by step. Best of all they are fun to do and easy to use. I personally think they expect kids to learn many things too early and too quickly. But that's for another board! lol I also have the leap frog video's and my son really likes them.

I saw someone else has suggestiod it and I completly agree. The letter Factory. My son is in kindergarden too and I had the same problem he was behind and did not know any letters, Now he knows almost all of them after one week with that DVD. It's amazing.

Hi im in the same situation as you are with my kinder. My son is 5 and we just moved here from ok and the schools here in florida are shoving too much too fast down the children's throats if you ask me. In oklahoma it wasnt like that, they actually had a normal kindergarden program, it was fun. Why are they making these 5 year olds do 1st and 2nd grade work? I feel like its ridiculous. My son gets very frustrated. We even attended pre k so what he was taught should have been enough to prepare him for k but they say he is behind here. It makes me very angry because it's not like this in other states. A kindergarden should not be crying or saying school is hard yet. They should just let them be kids and stop pushing so hard.

I have a 4 year old that is not in Pre-k, but I'm teaching her to write, etc. I know that if she senses that I'm frustrated wtih her not getting something, then she becomes even more frustrated.
I don't know if your daughter watches the Doodlebops, but they have a song on there called 'Try Again'. I know that whenever my daguther gets frustrated and tries to quit I'll bring that up, I'll say "What do the Doodlebops say when you can't do something?" and she will say "Try Again!" and she'll usually try till she gets it. Many shows (Barney, Doodlebops, Blues Clues) have songs or messages like this, and if your daugther has seen it on TV and you bring it up it might help her be a little less frustrated. I think it goes along with the kids will listen to anyone but their mother/parent thing.
Also, try getting the older sibling to help. My daughter had a friend 2 years older who was in kindergarten already, and she would listen to what her friend taught her, too. Any one but the parent, lol.
Hope this helps!

I did remedial rreading when I put my daughter in school at fourth grade. I used the book "reading reflex" and it helped me to tune in on my daughter. I used Bob Bookds- a series of books with 3 to 4 letter stories. I also did what I called "karate chop reading" , kind of a joke in my family but it workded. I made her sound out each consonant and vowel and then say the word. What happened with her was she overmemorized and got overwhelmed and shut down when it came to the blends. So even with blends, like bl or cr she had to sound them out. After she mastered that we did what I call the true blends, qu, ch, sh. We played a card game called soundo (it came with a curriculum I used) It was like fish except letters. If you wanted an "s" you had to make the sound and use the work snake(if that was the picture with that card. I got boggle jr. We worked 20-30 minutes 3 times a week. and after a few months she was reading. I used to say she crackee the code for reading, she had all the tools but just couldn't assimilate. She's extremely bright and gets great grades now.

Another consideration is, when is her birthday? My older daughter's birthday is 8/27 and I delayed starting her a year. Having her start kindergardten at four years old or going to college when she's 17 didn't feel right. She is a very confident 9th grader now and we're very glad about our decision.

It's still early in the year yet. She might click into things soon. Just keep working with her and also, keep reading to her. My kids love it when my hubby reads a chapter book to them. I would try and hide my anxiety if I could over this situation. I always made sure my "late reader" knew that I thought she was highly intelligent, especially in math. I believe that kids tend to go towards the self fulfilled prophecy. If she was down on herself about the reading, I would just act like, yeah, right now reading is hard but it won't always be. And you're great at math-which she was. I used a bridge analogy, I'm going to walk with you part way across the bridge and then you'll walk the rest of the way when it's time.

Sorry for jumping around but I remember a friend using sand or cornstarch in a pan for her son to write his letters-?tactile learner. Good luck with your daughter. LaurieK

I Have a tutor for mine, twice a week for one hour sessions, sometimes its better learning from someone who is not mom.Give her incentive to sit and do the work like a reward for trying.Just what has worked for us..Best of luck

Hi, H.!
Buy a book " VTech Write & Learn Letter Book ". This is a great book. My son learned alphabet from this book for a week.

http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/ref=br_1_4/602-###-#...

you can also buy this book in stores: Toys"r"us, Walmart.

Good luck,
V..

Hello H.,

First, my son had similar problems. I bought him letter magnets for the refrigerator. Some kids learn differently, he was a "hands-on" kid and loved working the letters into words. When I started, I started with the beginning of the alphabet and only worked three letters at a time with him. Then he wasn't getting overwhelmed. I also had a chart with him that he got to put his own stickers on when he learned letters. He loved that part. It made him feel very proud.

Second, if you are working with her that much and she is still not retaining a lot...maybe she has a learning disability. It never hurts to have her screened. One of my nephews had one and with him he learned everything right up to speed quickly. My other nephew had a hearing problem, so he couldn't understand anything that anyone was saying and it made it difficult for him to speak properly. Once he got his ear tubes, it was like night and day.

Hope these two things help. :)Take care.

Well, I didn't see this in any of your responses, but I had my oldest daughter help the middle one. Sometimes kids respond to their sibling or friends better than other methods.

H.,

I was a preschool teacher for three years before becoming an assistant director at the preschool and believe me, it is way too early to be concerned that your daughter is not getting the letters. The school year just started and there is time that she will catch up. It took my daughter until the middle of kindergarten to get it and I worked with her everyday at home. She has gotten all a's and b's since then. She is now in the second grade and doing just fine. I would just continue what you are doing. Work with her at home and it will come. If she doesn't start getting it by December then I would consider asking her teacher what resources are avaliable to you.

Try Preschool Prep's "Meet the Letters". This can be order on Amazon.com. Or, "Letter Factory" is good and is available at Target.

HI
Have you seen the Leap Frog Letter Factory and Leap Frog Word Factory on DVD? The Letter Factory teaches the letters and there sounds and the word factory build words. This is how both my kids learned there letters and there sounds. These are the first 2 videos in the series there are 3 others a second word factory, a math factory, and a storybook factory for later on.
There is also a CD that they sell in the toy section with the songs from the viedio on it and it comes with the flash cards that look like the movie letter. An example of one of the songs that they sing in the Letter Factory is
The A says Ahhhh the A says ahhhhh every letter makes a sound the A says ahhhh.
Hope this helps.

D.

Hi H.,

My name is L., this might help your daughter. I have a website you can go to www.DiscoveryToysLink.com/LisaRyan, they are all educational toys and it guides you to each age group and their needs. You can directly purchase the products on that link, but if you would like to view the catalog page by page or read about the company go to www.DiscoveryToysInc.com . The company has been around for 30 years, their products are wonderful, safe and guaranteed for life. I hope this helps you and most importantly her, this might make things a little easier!

LisaM

I wold try to find out what "type" of learner your daughter is, would be a big help.
Is she an auditory, visual or tactile learner?
If she is having trouble seeing and remembering, than she is probably not a visual learner. Then decide on one of those many reading aides that have been suggested and stick to it. My so is in 1st grade so I remember having to get him to memorize and recognize those site word as well. He's done a little of all of the above suggestions, and it just came after a while, from the computer to the leap frog to reader rabbit to the phonics books, but just keep working w/her to see what style she truly perfers and then stick to it. I think the goal is consistency and stimulation, just keep working w/her it will come what she get her style then you can both get into a rythm of learning. Fortunately my son loves to read so I have to make sure and provide the materials and give him variety because he gets bored on the same thing easily and that frustrates him. hope this helps.
M. b

Hi H.!

How frustrating for you and for your kindergartner! Especially when she's in the middle of her two sisters! You say she "seems" frustrated and she "seems" like she wants to cry. Have you asked her how she feels? What I mean is why are these things frustrating her? Could there be a learning disability? I was so advanced throughout elementary school and had a lot of pressure on me to be very smart that I was never diagnosed with anything. However my competitiveness and need to be the best helped me overcome anything until it was perfect. My sister and I discussed (when we were adults!) that we each thought we had dyslexia and had never told anyone or each other! It was obviously mild enough that we didn't struggle too hard, but I still recognize it to this day! I'm not saying she has a learning disability but don't rule it out. Repetition is so important. Sing the alphabet song everyday while she's brushing her teeth and right before she goes to bed. Back when I learned how to read, they taught phonics. I hope to be able to teach my son that way as well. Maybe you can try a phonice program? Label things in your house. Maybe she learns best by hands on. I do. T for table. M for microwave. A for apple. B for baby. Find things in your house and EVERY day ask where is the A? What does A stand for? Where is the B? What does B stand for? Etc., etc. Try and find something in the house that stands for every letter except maybe X! Quilt, Zipper, (a toy xylophone?) If you need help coming up with household items that start with the alphabet, let us know! After she starts to master each letter, change your items. A also stands for airplane! B also stands for book! I still wonder why this frustrates a 5 year old. Have her try and verbalize what the problem is. "Mommy, the letters all look the same." Maybe she has a cognitive problem? Explain how letters are written and give her a practice writing tablet with and example. Like, the letter "A" is one line this way and then one line the other way and then connect them in the middle! The letter "B" is a "1" and a "3" put together! The letter "C" is only one line, but it curves! The letter V is like an upside "A" without the middle connection! The letter "W" is two "V's" put together! Are there any letter that she CAN make right now? Have her start with letters she can do and that will boost her confidence. Like C, E, F, H, I, O, V, W, X. I would love to hear how everything turns out, but I do agree with one poster who said it is VERY early in the year and maybe she's also acclimating to school. Work with her until Christmas and see what happens. Have her big sister help her too! God Bless and Good Luck!

J.

You might want to give some thought to getting a tutor. I have kept a tutor for my daughter pretty much since first grade. With standerdized tests now, the teachers really have alot of material to get thru and some one on one can make a world of difference, believe me. I find that the one on one also relationship they develop with the tutor/teacher can help boost their confidence in themselves tremendously. The tutor that I have also teaches skills in helping with the memory. I know of a couple of tutors if interested. My email is ____@____.com.

How is your daughter doing?

Pam

hi, I am not sure if this will help at all, but I was told to start a book called How to teach your child to read in 100 lessons. They sell them on ebay too. All my friends say this got their child reading in less than 14 lessons. Also another girlfreind of mine who is a teacher recommends reading Dr. Suess books because of all the rhyming it causes them to remember and learn to read and do sounds sooner plus they have them at the library. I hope this helps, it sounds so frustrating. Good luck!

I just read your request and want you to know that it will get better. Some children learn slowere. It gets frustrating, but don't give up. The flash cards and workbooks are a great help. Continur to do them daily. Another great learning tool, which is fun for the children is "Leap Frog". You can get it at WalMart, Target, any toy store. They have really helped my nephew, who is behind developmentally. He goes to special classes at school to help him. I have taught preschool and am working rght now on my BA degree in Elem. Education. My focus will be on the primary grades, and children like your daughter. If I can help in any way, please let me know. My phone # is ###-###-#### or ###-###-#### cell. I work M-F during the day. My daughter has ADHD and had a lot of trouble until I had her tested. We then figured out the specific areas she needed help and developed a plan at the school to help her. She takes Concerta each morning before school which helps her focus and concentrate, so she can learn and retain the info. She is in 5th grade now, and doing much better. Give me a call and maybe we can get together. I would love to try and help her. Be patient and don't stress her out. Find a fun way to teach her, and praise her often. When she sees herself start to succeed she will gain confidence and want to do more. My daughter struggles with Math. Just call me.

Joy Neilson

Hi H.
Is your daughter a summer birthday? Young in her class? I am a firm believer that that plays a huge role in the childs ability to learn. She may not be ready. It may be beneficial for her to try kindergarten 1 more time before moving to 1st grade and really struggling. It could be a maturity problem which is common and actually happened to me. Just a thought. It will be a long 12 years through school if that is the issue unless you give her one more year to be the oldest in her class.

If she is a 'young' 5 year old, it might be that she is developmentally not ready yet to learn her letters and sight words. Perhaps if you call the school you could get them to recommend someone who can test your child for her developmental readiness. Good luck!

I had the same problem with my son. Try making it into a song or game. They tend to remember more when its fun for them.

My daughter is now in the first grade, last year she had a hard time in the beginning. At first I felt awful because she had not attented pre-k. (Very long story there). I found that with the site words, games worked wonders for her. Simple games such as matching, goldfish, and such. It takes away the "stress" of memorizing them, and makes it fun. Before we both knew it, she was right on track. As she learned more and more site words, I changed the games up a bit. Having her make short sentences with the flash cards. I also have a computer game for her called "Reader Rabbit". She started with the pre-k level, and is now playing the second grade level.

Trying to find out what "type" of learner your daughter is, would be a big help. Is she an auditory, visual or tactile learner?
If she is having trouble seeing and remembering, than she is probably not a visual learner. She may respond better to hearing, and for that I recommend either the Leapfrog Catapiller pull-toy (has phonics sounds, words and music) or the Leapfrog Phonics Bus. I have seen these in good condition at the consignment shops, if you want to pick up a slightly used one.
Our local library in Winter Garden has Leapfrog Learning Pads and Software, so, check with your local library for resources.
If your daughter is a tactile learner, she learns by doing, and will respond best to games.

H.: As a future teacher and of course student, I feel for you and your daughter. How about talking with the Vice Principal and asking her/his advice on the situation. Perhaps there are tutoring programs within the school that can help your daughter. For example, some schools have programs where fourth or fifth grade students will tutor younger ones. Perhaps you daughter needs to be evaluated for a learning disability, i.e. dyslexia, etc. Better to find out if she has any now than wait.
I am unaware of any state exams given to kindergarteners; the FCAT does not begin until third grade.
Working with your daughter is great! That you have purchased flash cards and practice with her is terrific. Remember, she is only five years old. School should be fun right now. Children are learning the very basics of group interaction, the alphabet, numbers, communication. There are many philosophies of education out there and teachers usually stick with one, maybe two. While I am sure that your daughter's teacher has the best of intentions in mind, she may have a very different philosophy than other Kindergarten teachers.
Talk with the administration, they will guide you to on campus resources. Read books. Talk with other teachers. Talk with other parents. Be gentle and have faith.
Best of luck to you and your precious five year old!

Hi Hillary,

It sounds like your little girl might be feeling a lot of pressure to learn and that can make it worse. The best thing I've ever found to help a child learn letters is a DVD called, "The Letter Factory." It is put out by Leap Frog, the people who make a lot of electronic learning toys. Anyway, my little girl loved this dvd. She watched it all the time because she thought it was funny. It helped her learn her letters and the sounds they make in just days. The one she had got scratched so I bought another one just last week at Target for $10. I think it was one of the best $10 I have ever spent.

I hope this helps.

L.

Hi H.. I'm so sorry that you and your daughter have to go through that. I was a little stumped on this at first. The only suggestion that I can give is to pray that God gives you the strength to encourage your daughter and to help her to not become so frustrated. Also, instead of just going over a few letters and sounds each night, you might try just singing the ABC's over and over with her. Make it fun, and try to involve your other children. If she feels like she's having fun and is being accepted by her peers at home then maybe she won't be so inclined to become frustrated when she's at school. Also, when my daughter was that age I had her watch Barney. I know it sounds redundant, but, her vocabulary is amazing now. Once she gets used to singing the ABC's then you can start showing her each letter as you sing and point to it, after a while of that, instead of singing it, when you point to each letter you just make the sound it makes and make sure you reward her when she gets it right! Best wishes to you both and I will be praying for you!
L.

well since my oldest is only in pre-k i'm not sure how well this will work, but i would try making up songs with the words she needs to know. i would think the sillier the song was the funner it would be for her to learn these words and hopefully the easier. let me know if this helps any. you could also try rhyming the words.

All kids are different. My oldest was a fast learner & loved to read & soak up as much as possible. But my sons couldn't sit still long enough. It sounds to me like she is feeling the pressure of having to know these things & that makes it a chore no matter how fun you try to make it. I am surprised that her teacher didnt' suggest having her tested for a learning disability, like dyslexia. I agree it is alot of pressure to put on someone so young, especially if it's thier first time in a classroom. My kids all used the phonics program & that helped alot. Maybe having your older child work with her with a tape or video for reading will make it seems less like punishment & more like a game.My daughter actually taught my son how to read by listening to the tape & reading the books with him. They have them at the local library,both audio & video tapes of phonics. Good luck & keep us updated!

H.,

I know it sounds a little odd to suggest TV for a reading issue, but Sesame Street is a great way to learn your letters. I KNOW that's how my son learned them- it was the only show he watched, and we were not teaching them to him. One day, he pointed at the cover of a novel I was reading and picked out the W. It was quite shocking.

Also, this popped into my mind while I was reading your post, just because kids knowing sounds has so much to do with hearing- have you had her hearing checked? If she was a little one with ear infections, she might have some loss, and isn't hearing the sounds clearly.

Best of luck to you- as a reading teacher (high school) I know how hard it is for kids who struggle with reading. The suggestion to let her be the oldest in her class is a great one. I have plenty of students who repeated a grade (or two!), and they're all fine with it. They just want to learn, and be successful. Age really isn't and shouldn't be a determining factor.

H.,
I am so sorry to hear that you and your daugther are so frustrated. I am a specal educator and have worked with children all ages and am a huge believer of each child having their own learning style - as well as that each one learns at their own pace. It is sad that schools push our children so early to learn academics. However, unless you decide to pull her out of school - you have to figure out a way to help her. I would start by talking with her teacher. What programs are they using? Is there someone in school who helps students who show signs of struggling? I also recommend finding someone outside of school to work with her, if you feel that you are having a hard time doing it yourself. I have worked with children who struggle with reading and find that the best programs are multi-sensory - they work on many senses at the same time, so that the child learns better and retains the information more easily.
If you want to call me please do not hesitate - I am happy to help in any way I can.
A.
tel. ###-###-####

My son also had difficulties in Kindergarten. He turned 5 the week before school started. We spoke with the teacher, vice principal, and guidance counselor at his school and had him placed in a special program that they had. We also worked with him at home. By the end of the school year he was doing much better but he still was not where he should have been. They advanced him to 1st grade and he continued struggling. They said that they did not like to hold children back in Kindergarten. They said that 1st grade might do him good. All in all we ended up holding him back in 1st grade and he is now a second grade honor student. My point is that she may not be ready and I would get her whatever help you can but dont push too hard. Sometimes it makes them feel worse than they already do. I know it can be frustrating. My daughter breezed through kindergarten so I had a hard time dealing with my son not excelling the same way that she did. I wish you the best of luck. Keep us posted.

When my kids started school, I bought them the hooks on phonics program. it is expensive, but i truly believe it paid off. They are both straight A student now. My son is in the 6th grade and my daughter in second, I had a conference with my daughter's teacher last week and she has been recommended to the gifted program.
I hope you'll consider the program and if you are interested I can dig it out of the attic and sell it to you.