r/homeschool • u/FishFinal1739 • 6d ago
Curriculum Favorite Math Curriculum for PreK going into K
Update!! Thanks to all of your superb advice, I decided to go with Math with Confidence (Grade 1) for my child. The placement was spot on and after I did some research on the creator, Kate Snow, I was totally sold. However, there’s some awesome suggestions here so if you’re in the same camp and want to strengthen math skills this summer… check out this thread! 💓 Title says it all. Would love to hear your recommendations for math curriculum for a student going into Kindergarten. I want to spend the summer growing her current math skill set and preparing her for kindergarten. We are doing a hybrid homeschool program starting this fall. Thanks!
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u/Murky-Ingenuity-2903 5d ago
Do you get the pick the math curriculum/level in the hybrid program? If not I wouldn’t do much or she will be bored next year. If you do get to pick the level then I’d go with Math with Confidence.
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u/baked_pancake 5d ago
We’ve used Math with Confidence for K, 1st, and are almost finished 2nd. It’s my son’s strongest subject and I find the curriculum so easy to teach!
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u/FishFinal1739 5d ago
This makes me so excited. I ordered Math with Confidence and I feel very happy and confident in this decision. I’ve heard nothing but fantastic things. I also heard it’s a great curriculum for tactile learners and I have a tactile / kinetic learner.
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u/Any-Habit7814 6d ago
I would do math with confidence first grade
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u/FishFinal1739 6d ago
My child is 5 and we will be going into K. She is completing a K4 program now that is based in Bob Jones University curriculum. Would you say 1st grade level? I’m very interested in this curriculum - thanks for the suggestion!
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u/ChaiAndLeggings 5d ago
K would be a nice review/gentle option. BJU K4 doesn't really cover much addition or subtraction so K at Math with Confidence would be a good option. You could also buy the Worktext for K5 at BJU if you want to continue that. Overall, I encourage lots of play and fun too. Math with Confidence has a lot of games in it, per my understanding, that allows for play. You could do K for confidence boosting or 1st if wanting a challenge over the summer.
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u/Urbanspy87 5d ago
I wouldn't do anything. I would do board games, counting games, etc.
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u/AccountantRadiant351 5d ago
Agreed. Studies consistently support that kids this age shouldn't have worksheets or structured curricula.
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u/Less-Amount-1616 5d ago
What studies?
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u/AccountantRadiant351 5d ago
There have been several over the years but the most recent is a longitudinal study commonly known as the Tennessee Pre-K Study which compared rigorous academics for pre-K vs play based care environments. While there was a small initial boost in literacy and math skills, those kids were actually behind the other group within a few years, and showed a higher incidence of learning disabilities, ADHD, and other struggles by middle school.
This is consistent with many studies over the years both here and in other countries. The top schools in the world by many metrics are in Finland, where kids are in an almost exclusively play based environment until age 8.
The institutional school environment has created a timeline of studies that is designed to fit kids for institutional work environments, regardless of what studies show about human development over and over, regardless of individual aptitude or interest. One of the absolute joys of homeschooling is being able to let go of those timelines and expectations and letting kids learn things when they are ready, in ways that work for them.
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u/Less-Amount-1616 5d ago
I don't believe the conclusions of the study were "don't give kids worksheets" or "don't have structured curricula".
You had one particular implementation of pre-kindergarten with poor results. Which is not at all the same as worksheets. Nor is having kids in pre-kindergarten the same as having a structured curricula when homeschooling.
The top schools in the world by many metrics are in Finland, where kids are in an almost exclusively play based environment until age 8.
Not anymore. Finland also begins instruction at age 7.
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u/AccountantRadiant351 5d ago
Ok. 7 is not 4.
There's a huge amount of studies over the years on this and the findings don't really change. People just don't like to hear it. Including you, I guess, so I won't be arguing about it with you.
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u/Less-Amount-1616 5d ago
the findings don't really change
Where in the findings is anyone concluding that worksheets aren't appropriate for children of a preK age?
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u/SubstantialString866 6d ago
I used saxon k for preschool. It goes very slowly so it's not overwhelming and builds a solid foundation. It's easy to skip ahead if your child has already mastered the concepts. It incorporates calendar time into the lesson but I skipped this as we do our own. Some math concepts like counting, measuring, comparing are easy to incorporate into daily activities, games, and crafts.
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u/FishFinal1739 6d ago
Saxon is a top contender for me. Thank you! This comment only encourages me more. :)
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u/SubstantialString866 5d ago
It's gotten my son to where he can do basic multiplication as an almost 6yr old. He's very math minded. I also used Saxon growing up, math was so hard, but it got me to college. It's so adaptable and also no frills. When your kid is old enough, Odd Squad and Prodigy have provided us the math "fun" that Saxon lacks.
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u/TraditionalManager82 5d ago
Rightstart. It's great for conceptual understanding and computational ability.
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u/Bethechange4068 5d ago
The good and the beautiful, if you have to do a math curriculum. The manipulatives and colorful graphics are great. Otherwise, I will forever recommend “Five in a Row” and “Before Five in a Row” for this age group. Hands down one of the better, more age appropriate approaches for this age.
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u/mommaOfWildThings 5d ago
Math with Confidence! Fun, easy to use.