More advanced than school ?

[Childrose]

Not really having much clue about kids and what steps they should be at.
I have home schooled my toddlers for something to entertain them ( and I guess me ) everyone said I was being stupid but I didn't really get why as I thought I was just covering basics
It's now time for my eldest to go to school next term , speaking to them I realise that we have more than covered the first few key stages of school.
What should I do ?
Will they get bored at school ?
Should I Stop teaching them ?
Should I just home school them ?
I don't want them to regress either
I feel bad stopping there learning as they want to do it and enjoy it.

Kids should come with a manual ;)

I think you'll find that kids learn more than knowledge in school, i.e.: living with others, sharing, getting organised etc...
Your DC might be ahead on the game in some areas but maybe not all? Also the teacher should differentiate in order to cater for the range of needs and abilities on the class.
I definitely would send my child to school.

Don't worry - you have definitely not taught them the first few key stages of school! (Key stage 2 takes them up to 11!)
From now on I'd focus on bredth of knowledge, not the more formal stuff, like numbers etc. Nature, space etc are great fun.

Do you really think you're the only parent who 'home schools' your toddlers? Really, your dc will be fine.

The first few key stages takes them up to GCSE. Why not enter them for A Levels?

If they love learning they're off to a good start, and as others have said, a lot of reception is social education. The teachers will be used to having kids with a range of skills and abilities.

A lot of Reception will be play-based; it will be about developing their imagination and verbal skills in interaction with others, and learning to function in a wider setting and as part of a group. It should be fun. There is no reason why e.g. being able to read would spoil their enjoyment of this in any way.

I would think about what MoreThanUs said about broadening their education. Thinking of education solely in terms of letters and numbers and exercise sheets is a very narrow view, and it won't be helpful for them in the long run.

All children, except the ones who are suffering actual neglect, will have been getting an education, all learning slightly different things about nature, the world around them, the running of a household etc etc. Every conversation you have with a young child is teaching them something. There will be things your dc know that other dc don't; there will almost certainly be things the others know that yours don't.

So, I assume they can read and write and also do basic maths including written methods?

Have you also covered science, re, history, geography, design and technology, music? All of these are done from reception upwards (though not as formal lessons under those names).

Are they experts at socialisation, turn taking, not being mean, following instructions etc too? Can they do all necessary self care such as coats, buttons, zippers, changing for PE and back again.

Unless you can answer yes to almost everything, I think school will still have a lot to teach your children.

If you're sitting them down every morning for an hour of maths whether they want to or not, then yes you're over-doing it. If you're giving them a sum when they ask for one or letting them play a counting game or taking them to the library or the museum and letting them explore, you're fine.

Everyone teaches their preschoolers stuff, just on the academics side most don't get beyond recognising a few letters and counting to 10. You will get accusations of hot-housing thrown at you if where they end up is way beyond the norm. I'm currently a little amused by friend who was heavily implying DD must be hothoused to read at 3 and disapproving of teaching them before school - only to end up with her DS2 reading at exactly the same age. I think she gets it now. You support their learning at the stage they're at, not the stage they are supposed to be at.

One really good thing with an able child is to give them some learning that they won't get at school. DD has violin lessons, goes to classes like gym and ballet and swimming. She'd love to do more but I want to leave some days free for play dates! She's quite interested in languages too, that's something that will barely get touched on in primary school so a good direction to nudge them in.

School have been good with her too though. She's in reception now and has her own learning objectives that are taken from higher years where appropriate. It took them about half a term to twig, but when they did they swung into action fast. And in that half term DD was picking up cursive writing and making friends so there was still some great learning for her.

(And yes she bloody is expert at socialisation and being kind to people, she's ever so thoughtful and considerate. And has been independent since a very young age. Not that she wouldn't still be ahead academically with the issues that that brings if she hadn't been as mature in other ways.)