When to start school

[Araucana16]

Bless you Araucana, what a sweet person you sound. Many so called 'adults' do not have the perception and insight that you clearly have, no matter how many years they have been on this earth.

Thank you so much, that's very sweet of you to say

 

[nikki1]

As a mom and a teacher, I have some thoughts on the subject.

Absolutely, it depends on the kid. At the start of kindergarten, girls are, on average, 6 months ahead of boys anyway, so I'd really think twice about starting a boy early. My sister has a boy with a late July birthday, who started kinder just after his 5th birthday. He was SO ready to start school, and took kindergarten by storm! But when he was in 4th grade, my sister fervently wished he was in 3rd. He was one of the smallest in his class, and was socially less mature than most..

My daughter has an October birthday, and will be one of the oldest in her class when she starts kinder in the fall. At the end of preschool she was reading so well her teacher gave her the end of kindergarten reading test, and she aced it...and she's just as advanced with her math skills. I figure there's no harm in being the biggest, smartest kid in your class! I know I'll have to advocate for advanced studies to keep her challenged, but I teach at her school, so I'm in a good position to do so. She'll probably be going upstairs at reading time to do reading with the 1st graders, but do her other work in the kindergarten room.

I guess my advice to those whose kids have borderline birthdays is to know the advantages and pitfalls of each choice, and be prepared to help your child with the "fallout."

 

[newfoundland]

Research suggests that summer babies do less well than their autumn/winter counterparts. Of course this may be statistically true but not be true for any given individual. My concern regarding my granddaughter's size is purely a practical one. She is nursery size and the school furniture, chairs table book shelves etc. are designed for larger children. For example, some things will be above her reach and she cannot sit on a chair with her feet on the floor. Whilst this may not seem a big thing, it can tire a child out to be always struggling.

My other concern is that this is not nursery or kindergarten, this is school. Much more formal probably than many people in different countries would expect. Many would find it very old fashioned with the emphasis on 'talk and chalk'. Still learning by instruction is much more common than learning by doing, and still a lot of copying from books and chanting 'times tables' etc goes on. I question a child just turned 4 years is ready for this, but hearing that Queen Elizabeth the First spoke both Latin and Greek at this age, perhaps I am worrying unnecessarily.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Research suggests that summer babies do less well than their autumn/winter counterparts. Of course this may be statistically true but not be true for any given individual. My concern regarding my granddaughter's size is purely a practical one. She is nursery size and the school furniture, chairs table book shelves etc. are designed for larger children. For example, some things will be above her reach and she cannot sit on a chair with her feet on the floor. Whilst this may not seem a big thing, it can tire a child out to be always struggling.

My other concern is that this is not nursery or kindergarten, this is school. Much more formal probably than many people in different countries would expect. Many would find it very old fashioned with the emphasis on 'talk and chalk'. Still learning by instruction is much more common than learning by doing, and still a lot of copying from books and chanting 'times tables' etc goes on. I question a child just turned 4 years is ready for this, but hearing that Queen Elizabeth the First spoke both Latin and Greek at this age, perhaps I am worrying unnecessarily.

Has anyone asked your granddaughter what SHE wants? That is important. If she feels ready, then holding her back (as my parents did me) might not be helpful, but if she feels intimidated, then sending her this year might not be the best choice. One thing no one has mentioned is keeping an eye on her and evaluating how things are going for the first few weeks and months, and pulling her out if it seems to be too much for her.

Multi-grade classes are great for those who are on the younger or older edges.

 

[MuckyPuppy]

I don't know what kindergarten is like in the US now but Newfoundland is right that at 4 in the UK it is real school. My now 5 year old just finished the 1st grade here and had homework just about everyday. I had forgotten how much work they had to do because of the 5 year age gap between the two youngest.