Hello:
I have been pouring over RS and am very interested in using it with my daughters. They are ages 4 and 6. I really want to give them a leg up in math, to this day it's something I still struggle with myself.

My 4 year old has not done any math yet, she can count to 10 and do household math, patterns and compare measurements and such so she is a blank slate.
My 6 year old is currently using Horizons K. She has used Singapore Early bird and did well with that. And also used Developmental math 1.5 of their books up to book 2 and done well. I want her to really get math and not just complete a page here and there.

I'm wondering if I should start them both in level A and then move on at a quicker speed for my older daughter. Or is it better to do level A and B?
I do worry about time commitment on my part. I also have a 14 month old son and hope to have another baby in the future. So I need hand holding in lessons, but also can't spend hours on math each day and still get other schooling in. Could combined games work well?
My older daughter does enjoy having some worksheets/workbooks. Does level B have worksheets or can those be purchased for extra practice? or would I be able to use Horizons or Developmental math for her to practice the problems?

Thank you so much!

Thank you Melissa for writing,

“I'm wondering if I should start them both in level A and then move on at a quicker speed for my older daughter. Or is it better to do level A and B?”
First, your 4yr old can do level A and do fine with lessons 2-4 times a week for about 15-20 min per session.
Second, your 6 yr old would probably do fine going starting in Level B, five days a week for about 20-30 min per session, adding games in 3-4 times a week.

I do not recommend them being taught together. The age difference is too great. Even if you taught from the same math book, you should not teach at the same time, because each one will need to go at their developmental speed.

“I do worry about time commitment on my part.”… “but also can't spend hours on math each day and still get other schooling in”
I have three kids and I limit my time to 30 min of math per child, I find going slower has allowed us to go faster in the long run, because my kids were understanding what was going on, and they had time to digest what I was teaching. When I we did a lesson a day, the lesson dragged on and on and we had a harder time, when I limited the time and did what my child needed, life was easier, and math was successful for us. Plus, I limited the amount of time for the other subjects, as I found it was most beneficial to shorten time frames and limit the number of subjects taught, while they were so young. This allowed for all of schooling and housework to be done without over burdening my children or myself, and I found, by doing this, that slow and steady really does win the race.

So yes, this program requires more of your time, but just limit your time and you will do fine…Oh, and play the games regularly…I mean 2-4 times a week regularly. Those two parts of the program will bare fruit you never thought possible. I tell myself, “I only get out of it what I put into it,” and I find that keeps me going on those days I don’t want to do an hour and half of math, plus more games . I find that the rewards are great; the things my kids can do, I never could have done at the same ages. My kids, by age 7, were able to be the banker in Monopoly without any assistance, they can tell me how much a sale item is (like when we see 4 for $10), they can measure objects, tell time and calculate time, and they can count back change faster then a grocery store clerk! They are near equals to their dad (who is very good with numbers), and have far surpassed my math skills. In the end, I find it is time well spent.

“I also have a 14 month old son and hope to have another baby in the future”
As you have more children entering math, you can have them play the games together, have the older help the younger, and alternate who does math on what days.

“Does level B have worksheets or can those be purchased for extra practice?”
We do have worksheets that go along with Level B Lessons, actually they are required, but as far as practice sheets, we do have them , but we do not focus too much on them as we know that practice worksheets produce rote thinking in the child’s mind that leads them to think math is a thoughtless subject. Instead, we prefer that the parents use the math games as the worksheets instead, as they provide an outlet to see that math is a thinking tool. In other words, they learn to apply math with the games—they have to THINK about math. That thinking will come in handy in real life and in higher mathematics. So where the workbook supplies the theory of math, the games provides the application of math. And to succeed in any math you need both.


I hope I have given you some helpful tips and answered your questions. If you have more questions, please email me at Carissa@alabacus.com
I am more than happy to help answer them.

Thank you for your questions.

Sincerely,
Carissa
Customer Service Rep.