How do I know if I can skip K4?

I am still working with my 4 year old on the LOTW curriculum. I want to move onto K4 through COAH and then K5 before he turns 6 next fall. Is this too much or is there a way to combine some learning so he can be ready for first grade in fall 2016?

I think you are getting a bit ahead of yourself. The better question is: what skills does my child need to have mastered for him to be ready for 1st grade. If he gets there by fall 2016, great! If not, leave him in “kindergarten.” Homeschool grades only really matter for outsiders anyway, let him excel where he is good, and keep pace where he is weak.

My son also has a fall birthday. We did Erica’s LOTW when my son was turning 3. Memoria Press Jr. K when turning 4. We are calling this year Kindergarten (he turned 5 in November). He is reading at a end of 4th grade level and doing a 1st grade math program. Even then, for all extracurricular activities, I am calling him PreK. He will start “1st grade” this fall using All About Spelling 3; Math Mammoth 2; and continuing through reading books, copying poems for handwriting, and doing Erica’s Expedition Earth.

He could explode forward in learning to read and count this year, or he could decide he does not care about letters and numbers and dig in his heels. Reading will happen when he is ready for it, there is no rush, no stress, and no hurry. Let him master each stage as he is ready and determine whether fall 2016 will be Kindergarten or 1st in another year.

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