Walk away from the workbooks....

I was at a local big box store yesterday and saw a table full of 'educational' books.  What caught my eye was the "Get Ready for..." workbooks that started with PreKindergarten and went up.   I thumbed through the PreK and Kindergarten ones and thought, "Wow, no wonder parents are so stressed about their child starting school!"

One issue I have with this type of workbook is that much of what is in these workbooks isn't even taught in those grades.   Really, a four year old needs to be able to add money? No.  How about working on being nice and sharing?  I have no doubt that some kids will memorize the skill but they will not truly understand the concept.

I frequently tell teachers with whom I work, if kids know everything you want them to know before they come to you, what is your job?   It is the teacher's job to teach letters, numbers, sounds etc.  While it is nice (and easier for us in the classroom) to greet children that first day of school who already know these skills, it is not required.

My other issue, and maybe more important to me, is that these skills are taught in isolation rather than in authentic situations.  Many kids can do something in a workbook but they do not transfer that skill to everyday life. Once I was observing a classroom and a child was 'doing' a worksheet on periods.   The child was putting a dot at the end of each sentence.   When I asked the child what he was doing he said, "My teacher said a dot goes at the end of the line."  He was 100% successful on the worksheet, but when I watched him writing later in the day he never used a period.  He could do the skill in isolation but couldn't transfer that skill to real writing.

So, walk away from the workbooks.  Don't succumb to peer pressure.  Talk and play with your children.   Use real situations to teach concepts, when you get change back at the grocery store, ask your child to hold the quarter etc.  That is real learning in authentic, real situations.

If you are curious as to what is taught in the different grade levels in Texas visit Texas Education Agency.  Here  you will find the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills, (TEKS)