Children of average ability

[shylyn]

buds:

Here's a link to my sleep routine for your perusal. I'm insomniac.
http://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2082

Alloo Buds
Oh dear..at this time u still find me at this forum..indeed I'm hooked as well..loggin in daily, esp during working hours, to check for new updates..very informative and engaging lah..but luckily, still..I managed to sleep like a dead log..erhh..ur hubby not so bad, sleep like a bb eh? Hee..for me, even when e sky fall down, i don't even know..heheh...so my boy hv to take care of himself when I'm with him alone at night..hee..cos this mummy is really like a dead log when she sleeps. :lol:

buds:

[
Heh.. copy you ok. Kinda worried i will get tracked!!! :!:
Jedamum has tracked the furthest so far. Hide!

heheh..unlike u, whereby u r ur own 'boss', I do hv a boss to report to..hence, part of me always worry whether my co. got a tracking system to track e websites I visited/surfed on a daily basis...I'm getting paranoid lah..

buds:

[
Oit! Just turning 3 oni hah.. dun be so kiasu haa.
Please DON'T teach your
boy number bonds ah! Don't teach yet.

The problem with over-teaching is that children will soon get
easily bored without new stimulation on a regular basis, esp
the bright ones. Then come P1 they will find the school work
boring and exhausting.

heheh...if I'm not Kiasu...then Chief Kaisu will ban me from this forum how?? nah..honestly, I'm kiasu..but i know my limits..wont over stress/over teach my boy...anyway, before i can do so, he will also walk/run away to do other things

buds:

Yep, you're right. Job related yes, cos i've been in the line for like
15 years (i think?). So, i've eventually along the run, acquired a fetish
for learning materials, teaching resources, children's music, puppets,
books books and more books.
I dun go buying branded clothes or shop
incessantly like other tai-tai mummies... indulge in kids' stuff benefit my
own as well, right? So, whadda heck... hehehee..

High 5!! u sounded just like me! I can go nuts buying stuff for my boy..or rather educational stuff like books, art & craft, VCD etc..whenever i go shopping, I'm always on the lookout for interesting things to engage my boy in..used to buy clothes/bags/shoes for myself..but after having him, priorities changed..instead, trying to curb my spending on his things too..cos hubby also complain that i buy too many things..heheh..& i'm complaining that I don't hv proper storage for my boy's stuffs. Too messy!

buds:

[And correction to hubs statement, \"not working anymore\"...
I shud say, \"not working for the moment\" does not equal to
don't want to work anymore. Ahak! :lol: I love working.
So now i work here, in KiasuParents, only thing for FREE.
But i still like. Keeps me stimulated prior to going back to
workforce.

Wow..Chief Kiasu...u heard this??
Honestly, glad to hv met u via this forum, definitely love to meet up with u in person someday..

buds:

ut past few years when i applied for freelance assignments
i usually get like, wud prefer you to be under management
instead for your experience will help new school blossom..
But... but... i want to be with the kids.
Having said that, i love to teach parents too but not do ctr's
admin with parents and do sales throughout my 8 hours in
office.

Guess that's the reality of life..u don't always get to be paid to do the things u want ..few r that lucky..glad to say, for myself, I'm still enjoying my work..& this is after 8 yrs..& counting..

buds:

I can do that... and mebbe help some mummies along the way
too. Save money and teach at home This way, i can still be considered
teaching right? Mebbe can invent new terminology for that.

Oh yes..u r definitely teaching..in fact, machiam like a 'higher level' teaching..like the Master behind those martial arts experts..oh dear..think i fail in my similies..heheh...anyway, u get what i meant hor? :oops:

buds:

Its ok, shylyn. My younger one does that too. Doesn't easily conform to
the norm. For pre-school not so jia-lat hor.. Here and there, bits and
pieces not according to the instruction, not to worry. Likewise for my
girl, she reads the instruction \"colour\", she will circle, and all the answers
are correct. When we ask, she say i hate colouring. So, i say ok... What
if mummy helps, then she'll light up and say, ok! Mummy help then okay.
She dislikes major colouring work, she says its a waste of time just
colouring, its not learning... Ok lah, ok lah... so not to discourage her
entirely, we'll let her circle AND colour. For the counting bits (since she
said she liked to learn, right...) i ask her to indicate the number. Like
doing working for pre-school like that. Example, circle 15 ducks in the
pond, she shud write the numbers 1 to 15 under the ducks she counted.
Then, we colour. Hah! Trick her to practise writing oso. Cool lah for me.
The teacher also knows she's quite advance. So... you see lah. Can be
a nuisance oso in school, dowan to conform. Hehee..

Hmm..i kinda realise why my boy don't really fancy colouring..mabbe like what ur gal tot, it's a waste of his time..might as well circle instead..target achieved in the shortest possible time rather than waste my time colouring & trying to do so within the black lines..hahah..yep..i can read my boy's mind.
I guess both ur girl & my boy are not e conformist..they will question e rules & regulations..headache if not managed properly..just wondering how to manage such kids..so how do u do so w ur girl?

buds:

Big gem or small gem? Haha!

Since you say, I GEM, :love: i post up these specially for you, sista!
Hope it helps... and INSPIRES!

To me..big or small doesn't matter..it's e quality of the gem! So u r one shiny gem in the forum to me..:D

Gam Xia very e much!!! But e pictures rather blur..hee..i just see that they r for toddlers but r they CD rom or VCD or CD? & as for the Dora ones..hehehe..cham lah, my boy is being associated w Dora ..hope u dun hv this Dora image when u think of him..hee

Oh yes! I saw the activity package by School Zone b4..but don't rem that it goes for $11 only..I didn't get that cos at that time, felt it wasn't relevant to my boy as yet..hehe..too many stuffs in my house rem? But thks for recommending..I'll get it once my boy is ready with his writing.

[buds]

Heyya shylyn,


Sorry, my touch screen feature on my handphone is faulty.
And it has jammed up all other features and simple functions
in it as well. Long sigh… Recce-ing around…

I ask Chief sponsor me one phone to serve his clients here
much better, and i think the iPhone wud do just that. I’m so
fed up the pics are super blur man…

Once i find another pic-snapping option friendly enuf to upload
easily on my laptop, i’ll swap the pics. Btw, the toddler fun skills
pack are all CD-roms - 4 CD’s in one pack.

Oh yes, the school zone folder costed almost slightly more than
double when it fist lauched. You’re right abt that.

[tamarind]

jedamum,

My boy only spends less than 15 minutes a day learning phonics and reading since he was 3 years 3 months old. He attends half day school only, the rest of the time he plays with his toys, invents new games to play, scribbles on paper, invents new songs to sing, etc. He is often ill and has to stay at home for weeks. I only have time to teach him when I return home from work, so he plays all day long. He certainly has a very carefree life !

He is reading very well now, able to read the words in newspapers A child does not have to spend a long time to learn everyday. The most important thing is to be consistent, use the right methods, and start early.

In fact, my boy thinks that I am playing a game with him when I teach him phonics using my DIY word cards. Even now when I have completed teaching him phonics, he still likes to bring out the word cards to play. He used to complain about reading one page of the Ladybird series. But he has slowly developed an affection for the books now, and he can read a page in less than 10 minutes.

I was only getting him to practice writing once a week at home on Sundays. But nowadays since his PCF class is making him write a lot in school, I don't ask him to practice at home (lazy mommy lah). His writing is slowly improving.

Shylyn,
I think I know which jurong thread you are referring to. I wanted to join that thread but was too busy, I will certainly find the time to do so. You are certainly doing a good job to be sensitive to other's feelings

My boy is at the PCF kindergarten at BLK 665. If there is no one to look after your boy after school, then best to keep him in full day CC. Montessori CC has a very good curriculum and I like their method of teaching. In fact, the Montessori pre-school was my first choice, but I could not afford to send 2 kids there, so I have to settle for the next best thing.

buds,
Thanks for sharing all those nice materials Kids will certainly love them !

I also want to share the Scrabble for kids. My boy likes it, and he is very motivated to try to spell the words. It is great for kids like him who cannot write well, but is able to read and start spelling.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3499/3256120277_60d50f4228.jpg\">

[shylyn]

buds:

Heyya shylyn,


Sorry, my touch screen feature on my handphone is faulty.
And it has jammed up all other features and simple functions
in it as well. Long sigh... Recce-ing around...

I ask Chief sponsor me one phone to serve his clients here
much better, and i think the iPhone wud do just that. I'm so
fed up the pics are super blur man...

Once i find another pic-snapping option friendly enuf to upload
easily on my laptop, i'll swap the pics. Btw, the toddler fun skills
pack are all CD-roms - 4 CD's in one pack.

Oh yes, the school zone folder costed almost slightly more than
double when it fist lauched. You're right abt that.

Yoz Buds
wow..u indeed a night owl..posting late in e night..
Heheh...do let me know if Chief really sponsor u hor..hee..me kaypoh loh.
Hmm..i never seen e Toddler Fun Skills pack b4..where are they sold commonly?? For how much? I hv some CD rom bought during a Popular sale but yet to use it..i even bought an expensive Memory CD Rom..but also never use b4...really waste a lot of $ on these stuffs Luckily I'm self maintained..hehehe..

[shylyn]

tamarind:

My boy only spends less than 15 minutes a day learning phonics and reading since he was 3 years 3 months old. He attends half day school only, the rest of the time he plays with his toys, invents new games to play, scribbles on paper, invents new songs to sing, etc. He is often ill and has to stay at home for weeks. I only have time to teach him when I return home from work, so he plays all day long. He certainly has a very carefree life !

Hi Taramind
Noticed u always post soooo early..frm home or frm office?? Dun tell me u go to work sooo early?? At tt time, I'm still ZZZzZ..hee
Heheh..think my boy also led a carefree life..cos we tried to make learning fun for him..think he only dislike writing..which i'm still trying ways to make it fun for him. My mum used to ask me whether i'm overstressing my boy but to me, i feel that once u make learning fun for them, they wont feel that they r being stressed.

tamarind:

He is reading very well now, able to read the words in newspapers A child does not have to spend a long time to learn everyday. The most important thing is to be consistent, use the right methods, and start early.

I agree w u..consistency is the key. Once u start early, they will take it as part of their routine & wont detest it. Btw..u r doing a gd job at teaching ur boy to read!!

tamarind:

I was only getting him to practice writing once a week at home on Sundays. But nowadays since his PCF class is making him write a lot in school, I don't ask him to practice at home (lazy mommy lah). His writing is slowly improving.

Hee..call me kiasu..I'm trying to get my boy to practise daily..such that it become his routine..can see some improvements in his hand eye coordination..at least now, he can successfully trace some lines..though he will grew fed up & anyohow do after a while..

tamarind:

I think I know which jurong thread you are referring to. I wanted to join that thread but was too busy, I will certainly find the time to do so. You are certainly doing a good job to be sensitive to other's feelings

Hmm..I'm surprised that u knew which thread i'm referring to..as i go by a diff nick under there..^_^
Thks..I dislike arguements mah..tt's why i'm trying my best to b sensitive whenever i can..teaching my boy to be so as well..

tamarind:

My boy is at the PCF kindergarten at BLK 665. If there is no one to look after your boy after school, then best to keep him in full day CC. Montessori CC has a very good curriculum and I like their method of teaching. In fact, the Montessori pre-school was my first choice, but I could not afford to send 2 kids there, so I have to settle for the next best thing.

part of the reason why i still remain at one..hehehe..anyway, i still hv drawbacks on my boy's cc...this morn when i sent my boy there, the class is soo disorganised & the teacher, bochap..think she also sian of me sending my boy into class late & forcing my boy away frm me..cos he clung onto me like a koala bear..actually, i felt that my boy dun like her..as he readily let other teachers carry him frm me instead of letting her carry. Sighh...dun really hv a gd feeling abt my boy being in her class..but then again, i cant really ask for an exchange of teacher..

[buds]

shylyn:

Yoz Buds
wow..u indeed a night owl..posting late in e night..
Heheh...do let me know if Chief really sponsor u hor..hee..me kaypoh loh.
Hmm..i never seen e Toddler Fun Skills pack b4..where are they sold commonly?? For how much? I hv some CD rom bought during a Popular sale but yet to use it..i even bought an expensive Memory CD Rom..but also never use b4...really waste a lot of $ on these stuffs Luckily I'm self maintained..hehehe..

I bought it off Popular atrium sale @ causeway point if i'm not mistaken.
Yes, i will post picture of new hph if that reali happens... :lol: :lol: :lol:

Btw, you have PM.

[tamarind]

shylyn:

Hmm..I'm surprised that u knew which thread i'm referring to..as i go by a diff nick under there..^_^

Oh then I am wrong about the thread, please email me I answered your other questions in the singaporemotherhood forum

I wanted to make my boy practice early, but I realized that his fine motor skills are simply not well developed before the age of 4. I guess every child is different. After 4 years old, he is improving steadily. I am glad that his PCF kindergarten had lots of writing everyday which is very good practice for him.

shylyn:

part of the reason why i still remain at one..hehehe..anyway, i still hv drawbacks on my boy's cc...this morn when i sent my boy there, the class is soo disorganised & the teacher, bochap..think she also sian of me sending my boy into class late & forcing my boy away frm me..cos he clung onto me like a koala bear..actually, i felt that my boy dun like her..as he readily let other teachers carry him frm me instead of letting her carry. Sighh...dun really hv a gd feeling abt my boy being in her class..but then again, i cant really ask for an exchange of teacher..

Yes we cannot control what type of teachers our kids will have. The only way is to change school lor. My girl used to attend Berries class at Bukit Batok. Her class has many noisy and naughty boys, the teacher was unable to control them. I felt that it is very important for my girl to learn in a quiet and organized environment. So no choice I changed her to the Berries at Woodlands last year. There were only 2 boys in her K1 class, and both were very well behaved, and the teacher kept the whole class under control. I felt that I made the right move. But the traveling from Jurong to Woodlands is not fun

I understand that there are not many good quality CCs in our area, so you may not have other choices. I think you should feedback to the principal about the teacher. You can request that the principal do not reveal that you are the mommy who complain, so the teacher will not know. If the principal should be someone with integrity, so long as your complains are reasonable, she should deal with it appropriately.

[shylyn]

tamarind:

Oh then I am wrong about the thread, please email me I answered your other questions in the singaporemotherhood forum :).

Wow...today machiam like having a one to one conversation w u
Ok..shall email u the link shortly..

tamarind:

I wanted to make my boy practice early, but I realized that his fine motor skills are simply not well developed before the age of 4. I guess every child is different. After 4 years old, he is improving steadily. I am glad that his PCF kindergarten had lots of writing everyday which is very good practice for him..

Wonder what is the normal age for a boy to develop his fine motor skills such that he can control his pen and write properly. Recently, I noticed my boy being able to trace accordingly (if he put his mind at it) and he is able to write 'T', \"E\" & \"I\"..he is trying to write his name but appears like lines/strokes on the paper. In fact, previously, he will shiver when he is holding his pen..scared us..cos tot what is happening until i realised that he is trying to write but his fine motor skills r holding him back.

tamarind:

Yes we cannot control what type of teachers our kids will have. The only way is to change school lor. My girl used to attend Berries class at Bukit Batok. Her class has many noisy and naughty boys, the teacher was unable to control them. I felt that it is very important for my girl to learn in a quiet and organized environment. So no choice I changed her to the Berries at Woodlands last year. There were only 2 boys in her K1 class, and both were very well behaved, and the teacher kept the whole class under control. I felt that I made the right move. But the traveling from Jurong to Woodlands is not fun

I understand that there are not many good quality CCs in our area, so you may not have other choices. I think you should feedback to the principal about the teacher. You can request that the principal do not reveal that you are the mommy who complain, so the teacher will not know. If the principal should be someone with integrity, so long as your complains are reasonable, she should deal with it appropriately.

Oh yes...i replied your concern in the other thread..but luckily it's once a week..i'm thinking of signing up for the BB branch..see how it goes 1st..cos nearer (direct bus), plus i got a friend there as well ^_^ ..
Hmm..think i will find sometime to chat w e centre supervisor..my boy's class's asst teacher changed again..tot the centre should notify us b4 changing?

[shylyn]

buds:

I bought it off Popular atrium sale @ causeway point if i'm not mistaken.
Yes, i will post picture of new hph if that reali happens... :lol: :lol: :lol:

Btw, you have PM.

Yoz Buds
MIA yest & today...starting to miss u oredi..hee :oops:
Aiyoo....u feel cold a not? heheh...btw, I hv replied to ur pm..let me know if u hv not received it.

[tamarind]

shylyn:

Wonder what is the normal age for a boy to develop his fine motor skills such that he can control his pen and write properly. Recently, I noticed my boy being able to trace accordingly (if he put his mind at it) and he is able to write 'T', \"E\" & \"I\"..he is trying to write his name but appears like lines/strokes on the paper. In fact, previously, he will shiver when he is holding his pen..scared us..cos tot what is happening until i realised that he is trying to write but his fine motor skills r holding him back.

shylyn,
I think the majority children should be able to write well after 5 years old. But every child is different and some are able to write since well since 3 years old or even younger.

I heard early childhood experts say that we should not make a child write too much if his fine motor skills are not good enough. I think I need buds to confirm whether this is true or not.

My suggestion is that you use toys like kids for scrabble. I posted earlier, and I am posting it here again.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3499/3256120277_60d50f4228.jpg\">

Your boy can learn to spell many words using this toy, and there is no need for him to try to write them. When he is able to write well, all these words will start pouring out from him (on to the paper )