What do you do to teach your children?

Hey, I think it sounds like you are a terrific mom. Don't pay any attention to those nay sayers talking behind your back. I dealt with them too. At age three my oldest was reading, writing, holding conversations on the phone, learning to type, adding and subtracting single digits, plus she could turn on our computer, choose her desktop, and play her games, or go online and play at her saved sites. Everyone thought I was pushing her too hard. But what they didn't understand, was that I was not pushing at all, she was in fact pulling me along with her for the ride. She potty trained herself, she walked at 8 months. This girls was S M A R T. I decided to homeschool before any of my children were born. So when I realized I just couldn't "play" with her all the time, she was hungry for more, I suggested she start Kindergarten. She had just turned four. During the three summer months that followed she completed the entire kindergarten curriculum! I never even suggested she work on anything all summer, she came to me every time, and sometimes would just go pick up her books and sit in the sun. She has leveled out now. She's still one "grade level" ahead of her peers, even though now we are unschoolers(which sounds a lot like what you are doing) and don't keep them confined to grade levels, Truly she is at level or slightly above in every area, and some 2 or 3 grades ahead of her public school peers. I still do not push her. There will 2 or 3 weeks that go by, that seem like she has done nothing educationally, and WHAM I notice a huge improvement in some area. Its simply amazing. She is my first out of four. They are all completely different, but I carry the same philosophy for each one of them, and they are all at or above level. Just goes to show that those nay-sayers have no clue about what is really going on inside our homes. Don't listen to them. Keep up the great work. And maybe consider not stopping. Why should your kids have to sit and be bored in a class with 20-30 other kids? When they could continue at their own pace???

Personally, I feel , when we devote so much time to our children we are also quite sensitive to their moods and if they feel slightly burdened we automatically stop. Children, need plenty of attention and I also gave my best to my son till he came to his 5th std. Even after that I was always concentrating on him. When he was 2 years old I used to sing[both nursery rhymes and classical music loud within his hearing. He has a very good ear for music and this base came in handy for his violin classes later. In school, I worked hard at his spelling and calculation[simple arithmetic] and till date he is excellent at both. After he came to the 9th grade , once when I saw that he had not got the maximum marks in Mathematics , I took efforts to refresh my Algebra lessons and would do sums along with him every day for half an hour. After he enrolled himself for his CA [a very difficult course where the pass rate is less than 6 percent throughout India]I used to gently ask him about his having finished his lessons [I had also taken down notes when he had to handle two courses at a time[his Bachelors' and CA.] he was one of the youngest persons who passed the CA. He emerged as a rank holder in his final exam [ an all India rank]. Later, he passed a very tough competitive exam and is a Management Graduate and is a consultant now. You are certainly not doing too much with him and if you treat him very gently, showering all your attention and love on him he would achieve his full potential I am sure. God bless you!

I don't think you do to much. Every child and parent has thier own way. I am not one to set down and do work sheets. I teach though play for example I will get the lagos out and we will build a house together I tell the kids mommy needs 2 blue small ones. We go to the zoo and talk about the animals and we just go for a walk we count how many cars are park side by side which one are pulled inn and which ones backed in...... I am sure you get the point.

I don't think you do too much with your children. You aren't pushing them. They enjoy what they are learning and enjoy doing it with you. It shows because they have an interest in learning. I always put in learning with everyday activities. For example, as I would put clothes into the drier - look at the red sock, small shirt, big shirt, etc. or I would count outloud when walking up the steps. Don't worry about what those other people are saything. They are just jealous, or ignorant. Keep up the great work and have fun being a mom.

I teach my children not to waste their time. I tell them to work hard. Hard work must be a habit we enjoy. Without working hard we can not cash in on opportunities when they knock the door.We remain only spectators. Be yourself..no matter what....is another aspect that I stress.

You can never do too much with children, and it sounds like you have struck a good balance with reading and sports. They have a passion to learn at that age and you are helping them. There would only be cause to complain if they weren't happy and that isn't the issue here. You're not doing too much, in fact it sounds like you're doing a great job!

I say..let the kid read, if that's what he likes. But balance that out wiht physical activities to keep him healthy. Other than that, the best thing is for him to be is HAPPY! Take that kid outside to romp through a mudpuddle and play in the rain. Get him on the swings for some fun and let him play. Society will get him soon enough and educate him. Let him be..just a kid fo the short time he can and..give him a coloring book and crayons and who cares if he colors out ofthe lines, makes a pumpkin purple, etc..just PLAY! (I suggest "Candyland" or "Chutes And Ladders."-If you ant him to play with numbers..UNO is a fun game1) If he's smart, he'll still enjoy roller skates or a bike to ride, right? (Good for his sense of balance to be developed.)Every learning experience does not come from a classroom or from academic pursuits. Find some other kids his age and let him learn to hit a wiffle ball or play kickball. These are also very valuable to a child. Plenty of time before bedtime for the kid to read a few minutes. He doesn't have to go to Oxford at 3. Better for him to have great childhood memories later on! (And get the kids a dog or other pet, so they learn to car for something that needs them. Also very valuable as a lesson in caring.)

I don't believe it's possible to do too much with your children when it comes to education. The foundation for future learning is built upon what we provide them as parents. Sure you run the risk of having a child who is bored the first few years of school, but I would much rather spend time looking for additional projects for them than to rip my hair out trying to get them caught up. Right now,your children are little sponges. They completely absorb everything you throw at them. Keep up the good work!