tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38893560.post5630067103258675761..comments2023-10-08T12:11:52.993+13:00Comments on New Zealand Conservative: Five year olds can't hold a pencil - oh the horror!Lucia Mariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10485990994973953860noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38893560.post-85986844732720978532009-08-01T18:23:14.958+12:002009-08-01T18:23:14.958+12:00Small children are sponges. It's why they'...Small children are sponges. It's why they've learned to walk and talk without being explicitly taught.Lucia Mariahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10485990994973953860noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38893560.post-65821220120831355772009-08-01T17:41:50.446+12:002009-08-01T17:41:50.446+12:00Thanks for that, now that I read my comment again,...Thanks for that, now that I read my comment again, I think I need to qualify it, we do try to limit time spent and it is always shared time with me, playing two player games (of the non-violent variety) I am amazed at how quickly he pics up the controls, seeing as he can't interpret instruction manuals :)Ciaronhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05007117694321366334noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38893560.post-70874180108364816122009-08-01T17:30:32.029+12:002009-08-01T17:30:32.029+12:00Leonidas,
It might be worth really limiting the p...Leonidas,<br /><br />It might be worth really limiting the playstation for your child. I strongly suspect that it was a major factor in my eldest son's learning difficulties. I think it encourages passivity and a zone-out effect that is detrimental to brain development.<br /><br />I allow games now both kids are older, but only on Friday afternoons and Saturday morning. That's it.<br /><br />Basically, the research shows that the more time children spend playing video games (and watching TV), the worse they do at school.<br /><br />Of course, I may be making a huge assumption here, and the games are already limited, but, I just felt I had to let you know. As one parent to another, and having been there.Lucia Mariahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10485990994973953860noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38893560.post-44197101652582191212009-08-01T14:44:22.697+12:002009-08-01T14:44:22.697+12:00My 3/1/2 year old can count to 100, spell any word...My 3/1/2 year old can count to 100, spell any word you show him can recite with 90% accuracy at least 5 of his favorite books, turn on the telly, load and watch dvd's and is getting seriously good at PlayStation, but penmanship, it's a struggle to get him even hold it correctly. He want's to hold pens ( and utensils, come to think of it) like a knife......Ciaronhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05007117694321366334noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38893560.post-14707745238066979542009-08-01T12:48:54.984+12:002009-08-01T12:48:54.984+12:00I'm sure I had a point with this comment, but ...I'm sure I had a point with this comment, but now I've been distracted again about what I should be doing with my kids ...Lucia Mariahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10485990994973953860noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38893560.post-49738921734446703482009-08-01T12:48:09.798+12:002009-08-01T12:48:09.798+12:00Now that I've had my rant, I can see I'm g...Now that I've had my rant, I can see I'm going to have to explain aspects of this post in far more detail.<br /><br />Both my children recognised letters and numbers by age 5, could count to 20 ... but my oldest couldn't hold a pencil, and my youngest could, but a great deal of effort was required to write his name.<br /><br />I tried to teach my oldest to read at age 5 using a phonics based programme - he wasn't ready. The concept of blending words was just too much for him. He went to a Steiner school at learned to read at age 9. Now, at age 12, he is reading chapter books without any trouble.<br /><br />When my youngest went to school, he quickly figured out how to "read" the books by memorising the words and taking cues from the pictures. Since we've been homeschooling from age 6, I've spent alot of time since teaching him the phonics rules for words, and last year we focused alot on being able to read words based on those rules. Now he can sound out words he's never seen and his reading is really taking off at age 8. But there was alot of foundational work done that also is helping with his spelling. If you know the rules for how words work, spelling becomes much easier because each word doesn't need to be memorised.<br /><br />However, this child's memory is fantastic. He learns Latin words much faster than his 12 year old brother. He loves memorising poems. He's developing a love of language without being forced to write "creatively" before he is ready. For his fine motor skills are still not good enough for sustained writing.<br /><br />Which reminds me, I'm going to have to go back to specific handwriting practice, I dropped it this year in an effort not to overwhelm him with writing (which he hates).Lucia Mariahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10485990994973953860noreply@blogger.com