Too Old?

[Hunni Bee]

My assistant and I have 2 classes between us. The all-day bunch are 3's and younger 4's. The other is older 4's and young 5's, who go to Head Start and pre-K, and come between 2 and 3 pm. In the summer they're all there all day.

On Monday, we will have a 5.5 year-old starting with our all day group. An advanced 5-year-old at that, who can read, speaks other languages, etc (according to her mom). She'll start kindergarten in the fall, at which point she'll be six.

She is a full year older than the current oldest child in the class, and 2.5 years older than the youngest. We do have a curriculum, and our guys do well with it, but it wouldn't be age-appropriate for her. Also I have no plans to change my curriculum, and I dont want her accidentally discourage my other kids by knowing all the answers and being already able to do everything. It's just that the classroom, the toys, the size of the toilets...are all geared toward younger kids.

My director and her mom said she could be a "helper", and I told them that in the afternoons and summer she'd be with the 4's and 5's. But I sense a lot of boredom in her future...what I can do to help?

[daycare]

do just that...make her a helper... I have kids from months to years....It works out just fine. I love it..

Dont let the parent fool you or the age.

I have a child age 2.5 that can do more than the year old on certain things..

Also, try to pair up children who can help each other..

EX: johnny is weak in math, but joel is great in math, pair them up

Let the 5 year old read to the kids, she will lead and hopefully she will have good behavior...

My yr old gives me problems sometimes and I say ok get out a book. Please read it to the class. He cant read very well and will just make things up, which is great.

then all of a sudden he will say, "hey the kids aren't listening to me, they wont sit...complain cpomplain complain.....lol this gets him to understand how I feel when he does it to me..

But I think that you are over worring about it... I think that if the child has bad behavior then your in for it, becusae the other kids will look up to her and she will be the leader of bad bad behavior...