HOW DO YOU KNOW IF YOUR CHILD IS READY FOR PRESCHOOL? Most schools start taking children at two-and-a-half years of age, or when potty training has been complete, but a more appropriate gauge may be when you, the parents, are ready to send your child off into the big world of edu- cation. If you are ready, it’s easier to weather the transi- tional period. Some tears and reluctance at drop-off are normal. Agood rule of thumb is after two weeks, the child is still fretful when you leave, or if it tugs on your heart- strings too much, maybe it’s better to try again later. Sara meets Kumon (And Kumon Won) My 4 year-old daughter Sara is a fireball of activity. She is charming, bright, and a lot of fun, but her frenetic energy is sometimes taxing. So when I heard that the Kumon sys- tem is excellent for getting kids to sit quietly and concen- trate, I decided to put it to the test, just for the rare pleasure of watching Sara sit in one place. Kumon teaches reading as well as math, but the Evergreen Center, headed by Nancy Nelson, does math only. When we arrived, Sara ran up and down the room, trying to help set up tables and chairs, peering into the candy jar, and investigating every little nook and cranny of the room. Nancy Nelson was par- ticularly busy that day, since it was the last day before Christmas vacation, and every student, it seemed, had a brightly wrapped present for her, which they presented to her with shy and eager smiles. There was almost 35 chil- dren present at the height of the Thursday’s session, many of them vying for Nancy’s attention, in spite of the fact that she had 6 aides helping her. When Nancy had a spare nanosecond, she sat Sara down at a table with number buttons to match up with a numbered grid. “This warms them up,” Nancy explained to me. Within seconds, Sara was engrossed in setting up the buttons in neat rows, her tongue clenched between her teeth. Nancy then asked her to count them, and Sara did so. There were three sets: 1 through 10, 11 through 20, and 21 through 30. Sara faltered when the numbers got into the 20’s, but Nancy worked with her patiently, letting her mull htrough her mistakes, or gently moving her onward, com- plimenting her on her efforts. Then came the workbook. There was tracing, number recognition, counting, and number writing. Nancy said in Level 5A, there was a lot of emphasis placed on counting and tracing, in preparation for writing numbers. Sara was most happy doing the workbook; in fact, she tried to race ahead of Nancy’s patient questions. She squirmed a little, but Nancy gently reminded her how to sit properly in her chair. Sara placed in Level 6A1, which
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When Nancy had a spare nanosecond, she sat Sara down at a table with number buttons to match up with a numbered grid. “This warms them up,” Nancy explained to me. Within seconds, Sara was engrossed in setting up the buttons in neat rows, her tongue clenched between her teeth.
is not genius as I expected, but not bad either. And she sat still. I have the pictures to prove it.
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