Question: Please help me with placement for my multiple ages of preschool and kindergarten children!
Hello Heart of Dakota! I have a question about placement for multiple ages of preschool and kindergarten aged children. I have a 3 year old, a 4 year old and a 1.5 year old. My two older kids will be 4 and 5 in the fall. I am wondering where you would place them? We have started Little Hands to Heaven with the older two, and they both really enjoy it!
Do you think I would be better off trying to draw out Little Hands for an extra half a year to be able to combine them both in Little Hearts the following year (a 6 and 5 year old)? Or, should I just go ahead and do all of Little Hearts with my son this coming year with a prayer that I don’t get overwhelmed running two, and down the road three programs? I’m just not sure what to do with my five year old this coming year if I do combine them. Only doing Little Hands doesn’t seem like it would be enough for him even adding in math and phonics. But, my desire to combine them is strong. What would you do? I want learning time to be fun… oooh, I dislike making decisions like this!! Please help!
Answer: As your two oldest children are close in age, combining them makes good sense.
Hello! I agree that since your oldest two children are so close in age, it will be a good idea to combine them as much as possible down the road. So, with that in mind, I’d continue with Little Hands to Heaven (possibly 3-4 days a week for this year). Then, next year, I would pick it back up and finish Little Hands.
When your 4 year old is close to 5 (or seems ready), you can easily begin to add any K options from Little Hearts that she’s ready to do. Possible options would include a phonics program, the first handwriting workbook (A Reason for Writing K or Italic A), the Do It Carefully / Finding the Answers fine motor skills workbooks, and/or the Essentials Kindergarten Math A / Essentials Kindergarten Math B with hands-on activities from the Little Hearts guide. By adding the pieces you feel your oldest is ready to utilize when she’s ready, you won’t be holding her back in any way but will also get a chance to steep her in the Bible through Little Hands and keep her with your younger one.
If you do happen to go through Little Hands to Heaven faster that is fine too, as you could always slow Little Hearts down to half-speed when you get there. So, don’t feel like you must draw Little Hands out more than you’d like. Simply do what your kiddos are ready for, and you won’t go wrong.
Blessings,
Carrie
P.S. For more info on Little Hands to Heaven, click here!
P.S.S. For more info on Little Hearts for His Glory, click here!
