And so it begins
Sean is in K1 this year and it is no longer all fun and games anymore.
There has been a big academic step-up for the K1 children. Where previously there were none, Sean now brings home a considerable amount of homework every week.
All the reading assignments and worksheets from school, from his Chinese enrichment class at Berries and his music class really do add up. (And for this reason, I am very reluctant to sign him up for any more enrichment classes.)
Last week, it was a page of tracing and counting kite shapes, one page of colouring, one page of cutting and pasting pictures beginning with the letter 'A', two pages of matching Chinese phrases to their respective picture and choose-the-correct-sentence and a few pages of piano practise drills.
Of course, at their age, the onus is really on us parents (and by parents, I really mean me) to make sure they are done on time.
To get him used to the rigor, I now spend an hour or two going through his work with him every afternoon (he doesn't nap anymore).
Even on days when he does not have homework, I will let him do some English/Chinese writing or math exercises or run through simple piano drills with him.
Now Sean is an exceptionally dreamy kid who needs a lot of prodding to get moving. Even the simplest tasks like writing his name and the date can take forever.
It takes up a lot of my time (because I really need to hover over him, else nothing gets done) but I think these daily exercises enforces what he is learning in school/enrichment class and teaches him the values of concentration and perseverance.
Haha, I sound like a Tiger Mum but really, even if I am one, Sean is not at all cut out to be a Tiger Kid! (I get the feeling Ryan will take to learning quite differently - we will see!)
For now, Sean seems to be taking everything in stride and is enjoying the learning process.
Ah, this is just the beginning. I know it is only going to get tougher from here but we will take it one day at a time :)
There has been a big academic step-up for the K1 children. Where previously there were none, Sean now brings home a considerable amount of homework every week.
All the reading assignments and worksheets from school, from his Chinese enrichment class at Berries and his music class really do add up. (And for this reason, I am very reluctant to sign him up for any more enrichment classes.)
Last week, it was a page of tracing and counting kite shapes, one page of colouring, one page of cutting and pasting pictures beginning with the letter 'A', two pages of matching Chinese phrases to their respective picture and choose-the-correct-sentence and a few pages of piano practise drills.
Of course, at their age, the onus is really on us parents (and by parents, I really mean me) to make sure they are done on time.
To get him used to the rigor, I now spend an hour or two going through his work with him every afternoon (he doesn't nap anymore).
Even on days when he does not have homework, I will let him do some English/Chinese writing or math exercises or run through simple piano drills with him.
Now Sean is an exceptionally dreamy kid who needs a lot of prodding to get moving. Even the simplest tasks like writing his name and the date can take forever.
It takes up a lot of my time (because I really need to hover over him, else nothing gets done) but I think these daily exercises enforces what he is learning in school/enrichment class and teaches him the values of concentration and perseverance.
Haha, I sound like a Tiger Mum but really, even if I am one, Sean is not at all cut out to be a Tiger Kid! (I get the feeling Ryan will take to learning quite differently - we will see!)
For now, Sean seems to be taking everything in stride and is enjoying the learning process.
Ah, this is just the beginning. I know it is only going to get tougher from here but we will take it one day at a time :)