headstart for 3 year old boy
My son will be 3 years old in April and I wanted to know if there are any programs he can benefit. I know there are many out there and that's part of the problem...which one to choose. I've have a couple of friends talk about Head Start and a couple others talk about the YMCA. Since they are both two separate programs, one for more education and the other more for athletic purposes, it's hard to choose, or are there some programs somewhere in the middle? If so, which ones and how "good" are they?
Also, are there some websites who rate this activities and how trust worthy are they?
I'm in Southern California, near Tustin.
Also, are there some websites who rate this activities and how trust worthy are they?
I'm in Southern California, near Tustin.
Pick the educational program. The brain needs stimulation at this early growing period. Head Start is a proven benefit.
Young people can be physically overstressed.
Young people can be physically overstressed.
I'd pick the physical program.
ESPECIALLY for a boy.
the muscles need to be actively exercised and develop large-scale coordination.
If he has developed athletic skills and physical confidence that boys need, this will promote social skills and he will be able avoid many of the pressures and stigmas and focus time to learn anything you want to teach him.
My 5 year old has spent his formative years engaged in a variety of activities: soccer, swimming, karate, BMX racing (dirt track), YMCA activities and more. (not all at the same time, of course)
his developmental ability shows it. he's now very competent and capable of playing and competing with kids his size and bigger. (not serious competition, but just as little boys do)
his social confidence has increased tremendously.
now he's starting Kindergarten and he loves it. This fundamental confidence (as bolstered by his capabilities) allows him to focus on academic subjects without anxiety
of course, we taught him as much as he wanted to know at home. he knows all his letters, has beginning reading fundamentals, and understands some basics of various science subjects.
we don't think he needs to start out Kindergarten as a genius. we don't want him to be placed in some "gifted" class that gets segregated and ostracized from the rest of the population. He'll go to Harvard or Stanford just as readily than some kid who's been pushed to learn 3 languages and calligraphy by the time their 5.
ESPECIALLY for a boy.
the muscles need to be actively exercised and develop large-scale coordination.
If he has developed athletic skills and physical confidence that boys need, this will promote social skills and he will be able avoid many of the pressures and stigmas and focus time to learn anything you want to teach him.
My 5 year old has spent his formative years engaged in a variety of activities: soccer, swimming, karate, BMX racing (dirt track), YMCA activities and more. (not all at the same time, of course)
his developmental ability shows it. he's now very competent and capable of playing and competing with kids his size and bigger. (not serious competition, but just as little boys do)
his social confidence has increased tremendously.
now he's starting Kindergarten and he loves it. This fundamental confidence (as bolstered by his capabilities) allows him to focus on academic subjects without anxiety
of course, we taught him as much as he wanted to know at home. he knows all his letters, has beginning reading fundamentals, and understands some basics of various science subjects.
we don't think he needs to start out Kindergarten as a genius. we don't want him to be placed in some "gifted" class that gets segregated and ostracized from the rest of the population. He'll go to Harvard or Stanford just as readily than some kid who's been pushed to learn 3 languages and calligraphy by the time their 5.
when it comes down to it, 3 and 4 and 5 year old kids need to have FUN.
whatever you choose, make sure the kid happy and having fun. if it's a chore, your intentions will backfire.
personally, at age 3 i would one or more of the following: soccer, gymnastics, and swimming lessons
by late-4 or early-5 i would consider a martial arts program if theres one available that has a kids program. far and away this has been the most positive benefit we've seen. hands down the best, i highly recommend. Our son's confidence has soared.
when it's that time for you, go observe a class or two. make sure the master instructor is upbeat, cheerful and uses positive reinforcing. I would stay away from any martial arts studios if the instructor is very stern or negative about mistakes. IMO that kind of training atmosphere is not appropriate for kids under 12.
whatever you choose, make sure the kid happy and having fun. if it's a chore, your intentions will backfire.
personally, at age 3 i would one or more of the following: soccer, gymnastics, and swimming lessons
by late-4 or early-5 i would consider a martial arts program if theres one available that has a kids program. far and away this has been the most positive benefit we've seen. hands down the best, i highly recommend. Our son's confidence has soared.
when it's that time for you, go observe a class or two. make sure the master instructor is upbeat, cheerful and uses positive reinforcing. I would stay away from any martial arts studios if the instructor is very stern or negative about mistakes. IMO that kind of training atmosphere is not appropriate for kids under 12.
I completely agree with rwj04, sounds like our 5 yr olds are in the same boat. I couldn't even begin to describe the difference that these physical activities have made. We didn't want him to enter school and be bored.
Hands down go with Head Start. There was a long term study that showed an incredible benefit to preschool. Of course this study showed the impact upon lower income black children and your children may be of a different demographic, the proven results of that study are to substantial to ignore. Unless someone is aware of a similar study showing the impact of physical programs, I would go with the proven path.
behenderson, yeah, I'm just curious, do you have any children? if so, have you sent any of your own children to Head Start?
Because I'm willing to bet that if you have kids, you did not send them to Head Start.
Head Start does not give children a "head start" in the sense some of you might think, such as getting a "jump on their competition" or "accelerating" their learning/development so they will be beyond that of the baseline grade K or 1 student.
Head Start provides educational background for pre-school age children from low-income and other at-risk populations (migrants, indigents, etc), whose parents do not have the resources to adequately prepare them to enter the public school system at Kindergarten or 1st Grade. Their goal is to help at-risk children so they don't enter Kindergarten or 1st grade at a disadvantage and start accumulating social and academic failures until they eventually fall through the cracks.
....
Otherwise, if you have the time and resources to spend with your child, you're already teaching him/her the basic academic fundamentals of letters and numbers. that's all a kid needs for kindergarten.
I swear, the most annoying parent to me is that mother who's always telling anyone who will listen about how "gifted" their three- or four-year-old is. I swear I've never met so many genius kids with 180 IQs in my life. </sarcasm>
In fact, reasearch shows that there is no statistically significant effect of trying to accelerate your child's learning prior to kindergarten, beyond working with them on the basic fundamentals. as long as you're active in their school and work with them at home, they're going to wind up doing just as well as those with the parents who push their Baby Einsteins into Post-Modern Fingerpainting and French Poetry for Toddlers.
The REAL effect -- Especially for BOYS -- is to get them socialized so they can navigate their physically- and socially-demanding world. Boys who are coordinated and athletically competent (notice i did NOT say "gifted") will be focused and able to much more readily adapt to difficult social pressures and challenging academic demands.
whatever you choose, make sure it's fun. kids are going to be in school for 13 years plus (hopefully) at least 4 years of college. don't force them into school when they're 3 and 4 years old. let them be kids, already. wait til at middle school (preferably high school) before you try and slap an "advanced placement" label on them.
Because I'm willing to bet that if you have kids, you did not send them to Head Start.
Head Start does not give children a "head start" in the sense some of you might think, such as getting a "jump on their competition" or "accelerating" their learning/development so they will be beyond that of the baseline grade K or 1 student.
Head Start provides educational background for pre-school age children from low-income and other at-risk populations (migrants, indigents, etc), whose parents do not have the resources to adequately prepare them to enter the public school system at Kindergarten or 1st Grade. Their goal is to help at-risk children so they don't enter Kindergarten or 1st grade at a disadvantage and start accumulating social and academic failures until they eventually fall through the cracks.
....
Otherwise, if you have the time and resources to spend with your child, you're already teaching him/her the basic academic fundamentals of letters and numbers. that's all a kid needs for kindergarten.
I swear, the most annoying parent to me is that mother who's always telling anyone who will listen about how "gifted" their three- or four-year-old is. I swear I've never met so many genius kids with 180 IQs in my life. </sarcasm>
In fact, reasearch shows that there is no statistically significant effect of trying to accelerate your child's learning prior to kindergarten, beyond working with them on the basic fundamentals. as long as you're active in their school and work with them at home, they're going to wind up doing just as well as those with the parents who push their Baby Einsteins into Post-Modern Fingerpainting and French Poetry for Toddlers.
The REAL effect -- Especially for BOYS -- is to get them socialized so they can navigate their physically- and socially-demanding world. Boys who are coordinated and athletically competent (notice i did NOT say "gifted") will be focused and able to much more readily adapt to difficult social pressures and challenging academic demands.
whatever you choose, make sure it's fun. kids are going to be in school for 13 years plus (hopefully) at least 4 years of college. don't force them into school when they're 3 and 4 years old. let them be kids, already. wait til at middle school (preferably high school) before you try and slap an "advanced placement" label on them.
Those are interesting anecdotal observations, there is data that supports the benefits of preschool found in a long term study. The ability to get a lasting "head start" on regular students is limited because the pace of learning has an upper ceiling that is dictated by the pace of brain development. The fact that other kids "catch up" in terms of cognitive abilities does not mean anything regarding the long term impacts of having been in a pre-school program. Preschool has a proven track record.
If you have evidence beyond anecdotal observations that would be interesting but my opinion is based on the wisdom of following a path with demonstrated positive outcomes versus following a path with positive anecdotal support.
http://www.highscope.org/content.asp?contentid=219
Since the long term positive benefits of preschool are known and the benefits of the Y program unknown, go with the preschool.
If you have evidence beyond anecdotal observations that would be interesting but my opinion is based on the wisdom of following a path with demonstrated positive outcomes versus following a path with positive anecdotal support.
http://www.highscope.org/content.asp?contentid=219
Since the long term positive benefits of preschool are known and the benefits of the Y program unknown, go with the preschool.
For my wife and I, we wanted to get our kids involved in something that they could push themselves in and with their limited understanding be able to take pride in being able to do. Swimming and gymnastics for us are just the ticket. My boys feel like they can do anything they set their mind to and the reason is swimming. But my kids already go to preschool. If my choice were to stay home all the time without interaction and swim or preschool and no swimming, I would pick preschool. I was under the impression you were talking about a more advaced educational program.
rwj04, I'm curious, why the distinction between boys and girls?
rwj04, I'm curious, why the distinction between boys and girls?
uyderson:
let me ask you again, more clearly this time.
-- Do you have kids?
-- Do you send your kids to Head Start?
-- Do you know any kids who go to Head Start?
I'm glad you can use google effectively to find the HighScope Perry longitudinal study. I congratulate you in your reference-finding ability. But let me point out the scope and demographics of this study that you cite:
bergertime:
i say "especially boys" because girls are naturally inclined to develop complex social interactions and do not require the sheer amount of direct physical activity that boys do.
Boys and girls learn quite differently. They cant just sit and talk and learn the same way girls do. Research shows that boys need regular physical activity breaks to fully allow learning to process.
Furthermore, for boys to succeed socially, they need to be able to interact with other boys at a physically competitive environments. They don't need to be superstars by any means, but they do need to have a minimum skill set of athletic competency. otherwise they are more at-risk to become socially marginalized and their academic success will likewise at-risk.
This is not at all to say that completely non-athletic boys will be social or academic failures, on the contrary they can be great successes. It's just that, generally speaking, they will have to find alternate strategies, and may experience intense periods of social difficulty.
let me ask you again, more clearly this time.
-- Do you have kids?
-- Do you send your kids to Head Start?
-- Do you know any kids who go to Head Start?
I'm glad you can use google effectively to find the HighScope Perry longitudinal study. I congratulate you in your reference-finding ability. But let me point out the scope and demographics of this study that you cite:
This study — perhaps the most well-known of all HighScope research efforts — examines the lives of 123 African Americans born in poverty and at high risk of failing in school.
I am quite certain that we are NOT dealing with impoverished, at-risk children here in this thread.bergertime:
i say "especially boys" because girls are naturally inclined to develop complex social interactions and do not require the sheer amount of direct physical activity that boys do.
Boys and girls learn quite differently. They cant just sit and talk and learn the same way girls do. Research shows that boys need regular physical activity breaks to fully allow learning to process.
Furthermore, for boys to succeed socially, they need to be able to interact with other boys at a physically competitive environments. They don't need to be superstars by any means, but they do need to have a minimum skill set of athletic competency. otherwise they are more at-risk to become socially marginalized and their academic success will likewise at-risk.
This is not at all to say that completely non-athletic boys will be social or academic failures, on the contrary they can be great successes. It's just that, generally speaking, they will have to find alternate strategies, and may experience intense periods of social difficulty.
Both programs mentioned were very low cost, how is it that you decided that money was not a factor?
If money is not a factor then a local Montessori program where almost every child in there has 2 parents would be another good option. Regardless of which program you go with I felt that the data backing up preschools was convincing and the people who liked physical programs really had anecdotal reasons that made sense to them but didn't have any real proven reasons. Everyone you talk to will have a different opinion and there are lots of people who apply their own seemingly infalible logic but I would get the science first and your freinds random thoughts second.
If money is not a factor then a local Montessori program where almost every child in there has 2 parents would be another good option. Regardless of which program you go with I felt that the data backing up preschools was convincing and the people who liked physical programs really had anecdotal reasons that made sense to them but didn't have any real proven reasons. Everyone you talk to will have a different opinion and there are lots of people who apply their own seemingly infalible logic but I would get the science first and your freinds random thoughts second.
back on track:
Dear OCwaste
Pre-school is a great thing for kids. If you want to put your child in a learning environment, it can be a very helpful thing. not so much for the learning, but for the direct lessons in socializing with other children in a classroom setting, where they have to compete for limited resources (favorite toys, teacher's attention). this will benefit them greatly when transitioning to school
But all preschools/daycares are NOT created equal.
Some are mediocre. some are poor. I would suggest that you visit many of them and observe the teachers and caregivers and students in action. look at the environment, is it clean, bright and cheerful?. are the kids engaged and happy to be there?
as a parent, and connected to many other parents, we have all found that must be prepared to "get what you pay for"
but far and above anything else, what i have found is the greatest benefit for our son, between the ages of 3-5, is semi-formal sport-related activities. research shows that boys, moreso than girls, need the physical and coordination skills that are developed in such environments.
ultimately it is up to you to decide what is most appropriate and helpful for your own child.
Dear OCwaste
Pre-school is a great thing for kids. If you want to put your child in a learning environment, it can be a very helpful thing. not so much for the learning, but for the direct lessons in socializing with other children in a classroom setting, where they have to compete for limited resources (favorite toys, teacher's attention). this will benefit them greatly when transitioning to school
But all preschools/daycares are NOT created equal.
Some are mediocre. some are poor. I would suggest that you visit many of them and observe the teachers and caregivers and students in action. look at the environment, is it clean, bright and cheerful?. are the kids engaged and happy to be there?
as a parent, and connected to many other parents, we have all found that must be prepared to "get what you pay for"
but far and above anything else, what i have found is the greatest benefit for our son, between the ages of 3-5, is semi-formal sport-related activities. research shows that boys, moreso than girls, need the physical and coordination skills that are developed in such environments.
ultimately it is up to you to decide what is most appropriate and helpful for your own child.
>> behenderson: If money is not a factor then a local Montessori program where almost every child in there has 2 parents would be another good option.
what the heck are you talking about? there are plenty of single parents in Montessori. there are subsidized programs, and sliding scale programs, and programs that are just as affordable as any other..
Montessori is not some magic bullet. it is good for some children, but not so much for others. there are vast differences in philosophies between Montessori programs. some strictly adhere to Maria Montessori's original methods developed in the early 20th Century with no deviation. others combine elements from modern educational psychology.
>> I would get the science first and your freinds random thoughts second.
LOL. you need to understand how to interpret the "science" before attempting to apply it. the science in social and environment is not the same as science in quantum mechanics.
you obviously don't even have children. it's comical that you're in here spouting irrelevant "studies" as if that explains everything for everyone.
OCWaste, investigate your options thoroughly. visit the sites. visit the gyms. choose what's best for your family. minimize your contract lenghts and don't be afraid to quit what doesnt work.
what the heck are you talking about? there are plenty of single parents in Montessori. there are subsidized programs, and sliding scale programs, and programs that are just as affordable as any other..
Montessori is not some magic bullet. it is good for some children, but not so much for others. there are vast differences in philosophies between Montessori programs. some strictly adhere to Maria Montessori's original methods developed in the early 20th Century with no deviation. others combine elements from modern educational psychology.
>> I would get the science first and your freinds random thoughts second.
LOL. you need to understand how to interpret the "science" before attempting to apply it. the science in social and environment is not the same as science in quantum mechanics.
you obviously don't even have children. it's comical that you're in here spouting irrelevant "studies" as if that explains everything for everyone.
OCWaste, investigate your options thoroughly. visit the sites. visit the gyms. choose what's best for your family. minimize your contract lenghts and don't be afraid to quit what doesnt work.
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Thanks! I hope your son enjoys whichever program you choose. The fact that you are a caring interested and involved parent will probably help him more than anything else. Good luck.
http://www.brainy-child.com/article/raise-iq.shtml
Also, I have four children ages range from 1 to 10. Personal experience supports much of what is listed in the link above and I'd like to point out which have the biggest impact, in my opinion. Sleep is huge! Our kids go to bed at 7:30 or 8:00. We find they sleep longer and better if we keep to that schedule. Later than that and they'll be less rested and less focused at school. TV is also a killer (especially in the morning before school). Fish-oil and cottage cheese are great for concentration and brain development. Finally, the last point, good mothering -- children develope their sense of trust early and it has a big effect on their ambitions and abilities.