Good sleep beats out math lessons in my book.
My kid's a napper. Still, at age 5, he collapses daily for a serious, 2-hour long, snoozing, sustaining nap. His bedtime is 8pm, but still he NAPS. Next year he'll be facing full-day kindergarten, where the schedule doesn't include rest time on little mats anymore.
Full-day kindergarten is the norm now. In our case, he'll be facing an 8+ hour day (7 hours of school plus bus ride). That's a demanding schedule for little tykes.
At a recent Open House, I raised the Nap Question. "He'll adjust," the teacher said. "They all do." "What about a quiet rest time with a book after lunch?" I asked. The teacher told me they do math after lunch. "You don't want him to miss math, do you?"
Well, yes.
If his brain needs to sleep, a math lesson will go over like a lead balloon. Sleep helps organize learning and is key for memory and focus. A generation ago, sleep used to be considered an essential part of the school day for kindergarteners. Kids haven't changed in that time. Schools have.
Besides, he's learning math and science everyday:
- Pouring sand and water - learning about volume and displacement
- Seeing who gets the biggest cookie - size, concepts of bigger and smaller
- Inventorying his stick collection - counting, sequence
- Taking one of his toy soldiers out of the battle - subtraction
- Adding more pirates to his boat - addition
He's five. He'll get it; I'm not worried. For now he's getting what he needs through naps and play. Formal math can come later when his brain is ready to receive it.
Let kids sleep. It's the best learning a young brain can do.
How do we teach good sleeping skills? What do we hope to achieve when we push young kids ahead of their developmental abilities? Where does SLEEP rank among priorities in your life?
wow! that is amazing he still naps and goes to bed at 8pm. Good for you! I say sleep should take a priority over everything! I agree kids will learn when they are ready to learn it.
Yes - it is pretty amazing. He loves his sleep. Sleep does get short shrift these days.
The thought of all day kindergarten makes me very sad, I can imagine such a long day for my child at the tender age of five.
I think this is a main driving force behind my research into the option of homeschooling. I am still on the fence about the idea but I am seriously leaning toward the HS side.
Sleep ranks at the top of my list right now, I can count on one hand the number of times my two year old has slept through the night so far !!!
I'm sure you're not alone about your reasons for looking into homeschooling, especially for the younger years. As for all-day kindergarten, all-day preschool is getting to be the norm. Thanks for sharing your comments!
As a Holistic Health Practitioner I can tell you with certainty that our body repairs itself during sleep — body, mind, and spirit.
Yes - yes! For all ages indeed.
I am a single mother who works and goes to school, and so my 3 year old son is in an all-day preschool program 8 hours/day, 5 days/week. It's hard to be away from him so much, but I am soooo lucky to have found the amazing school he goes to. The kids have outdoor free-play all morning, then lunch, story time, nap time, and snack time, and then more outdoor free-play in the afternoon. There is no math time. His teachers insist that, at this age, the most important things he learns he learns through free-play, and the only really structured, important activities they do during the day involve healthy eating and sleeping rhythms. They do occasionally sing the alphabet, though:) His school goes up to age 5, and I don't plan on taking him out of it until I have to, even though I have to pay for it and I could get him into public Pre-K programs when he is 4.
You are a wise and wonderful mother. Love the sound of your son's preschool program! Free play mixed with the rhythm of food and sleep is exactly what young kids need. Good for you in keeping him in this safe haven for as long as you can. I know the temptation of free programs is strong, but there is a cost to it. Thanks so much for sharing your story!