Hi all.
My son is in first grade and just blows through Math. We’re doing Math You See and he’s just finished all the curriculum that we had. It’s only February and I don’t want to just say we’re done and good job…and then pick it back up in the Fall. We schooled through the Summer last year and I plan on doing that some this year too. He loves to do Math and is really good at it. My gut says to just buy the next level and keep him going on it. Is there any downside to doing that? I figured that with homeschooling there would be things he’s ahead on and things he struggles with more in other areas.
I did this last year in K with my daughter and we hit a point where she struggled. looking back i wish I would have just done more review and games and worked more on memorizing things like basic addition subtraction facts instead of racing ahead. She seems to grasp new concepts pretty easily but does not have the quick recall I would like her to have to make it truly easy for her in the future when things get more complex!
I’ve read that many people doing MathUSee will also supplement with Kumon or another brand workbooks. I just placed an order yesterday for MathUSee, and that is our plan. You could choose some workbooks to practice addition, telling time… Or, MUS isn’t grade level. It’s skill level, so you could proceed with the next level, and just take it at your child’s speed.
I’d try the next level, since it sounds like what he’s ready for. If you start to see him struggle, you’ll know you have to adjust pace and slow down. Easy enough to do, if you see it happen. You can always set aside the harder level for awhile if it seems to skip too far ahead of your child. Odds are you’ll get to it shortly in the future, if not now. But the ability to move ahead to the right level of challenge? I’d seize the opportunity, particularly if he’s engaged and enthusiastic about what you’ve done so far.
I don’t use MUS, but I do find that my daughter works on grade level in some subjects and ahead of grade level in others. In my mind, this is one of the primary benefits of homeschooling, since we can cater to her individual strengths and challenges.
Whatever you do, there are no dead ends. If it isn’t working, trust yourself to make a change.
I normally do a couple weeks break and then break out the next level. No sense in waiting. If there seems to be problems down the road, you will have plenty of time to slow down.
Another option is to go deeper and work on the math skills in different ways using another program. Maybe an app or computer game. That way you can see if there is memorization involved, or if all of the concepts are being learned.
