Ok, sebab covid, my 2nd child (now 5 years old) didnt go to playschool & preschool for the past 2 years (from age 3 to 5), where else my oldest (now 7 years old) did when she was 3-5 years old.

Yes, my wife and i "home-school" the 2nd child, and manage to teach her how to read & count/calculate, but her reading skill is not the same as her sister (at the same age). Instead of the regular "My favourite colour is red" it was "em-eye, MY!, fe-vo-ret, FAVOURITE!, ke-o-ler, COLOUR!, IS!, re-e-deh, RED!".

She doesnt have many friends, only her older sister, and im worried that when she joins the 6 year old preschool at my nearby Sekolah Kebangsaan next year, she wont be able to cope.

Her speaking and communication skills is alright, she can pronounce words properly and express what she feels/wants. "Abah, i feel feverish" "Abah, can i have nasi lemak for breakfast?" "Abah, i dont like to watch Kung Fu Panda, i want to watch Star Wars Episode 1 : The Phantom Menace, so that we can establish the lore of Star Wars; that it is about political issues and not about space wizards".

Am i worrying too much?

Any advise?

Side note : we limit phone/screen usage to few hours a day, we prefer play-activities with her sister, Mama and Abah. We teach her to express and SAY what she wants rather than point and "uhuh".

yes, you're worrying too much.
she is good enough.
plenty of time to learn to read when she's 6yo.

my kids cant read well when they enter primary.
but by the time it's half year, they can already.

if sekolah kebangsaan will be more harder, coz they speak melayu and your kid is english

Shit, i forgot to mention that, her Malay is i'd say below average.

She understand Malay but replied in english

Me : "Adik, basuh tangan sebelum makan, ok?"
Her : "ok, i'll wash my hands"

Me : "Adik, nak tengok citer apa?"
Her : "i wanna watch Paw Patrol the Movie with Chase"

Me: "Adik, cakap apa kat nenek bila bagi hadiah?"
Her : "thank you"
Me : "nenek tak paham english"
Her : "tereeema kassssiiihhhh"

we're trying......i swear we are trying..

Dont think too much or worry. They will catch up. Important is having friends which is what play school is about

i think she understand malay. dont worry on that

this is no problem as well. my kids speak english.
they are not well versed in bahasa.
i told the teacher about this.

after they got along with friends, their bahasa is now improved.
need to remember, not only your kids having this.
the other kids nowadays also alot speak english.

unless your kids are going to school in rural or kampung areas.

yep, truly.

my son was having speech delay. sent him to playschool just to have interaction with others. now he's ok

other than the occasion "balik kampung and main ngan cousins", her only friend is her sister (who half the day goes to school), Mama (stay-at-home mum), and Abah (who full day at the office).

That is what im worried, but everytime she meet new people (kids her age) she acts accordingly. she doesnt avoid them, nor is she letting them "bully" her in doing things.

Sigh, i hate covid. poor kids who's growth were "stunted" by not being able to be full-on-kids.

See, you sent to playschool, now (in 2022) i presume. We didnt do it during the 2 years of covid (2020-2022), now nearing end of the year already. And since my wife is a stay-at-home mum, and risau covid lagi.....

We registered preschool for her next year (she'll be 6 years old), then by 2024 darjah 1. i hope that preschool will help.

This post has been edited by Jedi3815: Aug 18 2022, 10:30 AM

nope. u got the timeline wrong.

2018 - playschool - more play, less schooling
2019 - preschool - very weak comprehension, basic only.
2020 - preschool - 2 months or so (covid)
2021 - standard 1 - about 6 months (covid), can only understand simple bahasa instructions.
2022 - standard 2 - can converse well

Oh, i see. Not enough preschool (not full year due to covid), then terus masuk darjah 1 also not full. by standard 2 baru fully converse. ok.

That is what i was afraid of, but now (next year for me) baru nak masuk preshool, ok la kot. Thanks bro/sis.

when i was a child, there was no pressure or the slightest concern among my parents to send me to pre-school. haha; how times have changed.

To be fair, you probably didnt see it. i mean, i didnt see my parents panicking about me going to school, and yes i turned our alright, doesnt mean that they didnt have 'em. probaby trying to hide it from us.

Don't worry. Kids are fast, your kid will be able to catch up.

Don't worry too much.