Hey mamas!
We've been discussing Pre-K and Kindergarten in my house already - my daughter turns 4 on August 26th. We're trying to decide whether or not to start her in Kindergarten she turns 5 (she'll be the baby of the class) or wait until the following year. I've heard different stories from family members, but I wanted to get an unbiased opinion. She's been in a preschool program at her daycare, is very social, and bright. I'm not too worried about her adjustment, but academically, we want her to have the best start possible in school. Side note: We do have learning disabilities (ADD, Dyslexia) that run in the family (my husband, his brothers, and cousins on my side). Too early to tell if she has any of these issues....any advice would be great! Thanks!
Thanks for the great advice. We've got another year before we have to decide, but she's starting a Pre-K program at her daycare in the fall. We'll be able to make a good decision based on how she performs in that program throughout the school year.
Why not just wait? I'm waiting on my youngest since he'll have JUST turned 5 when K starts. May as well enjoy them one more year. I can't think of any advantages to starting earlier.
I'm holding my almost 5 year old back because he's just not ready socially. He's very bright , knows tons of facts and can read level 3 books but we're in no hurry. I want a happy child. Hard to ensure that but we're trying :)
My daughter is a June b-day and the absolute BEST decision we ever made for her was starting her in Kinder at the age of 6. We actually started her in a private kinder at 5 and quickly learned she wasn't quite accademically where her peers were so we put her in a pre-k 5 program that she did very well in. She's actually VERY mature (much more mature than her peers) and is VERY well behaved but she still struggles some with academics. She's a little slower paced than some kids but I personally think it's because she's a perfectionist and tries to make "everything" look perfect so it takes her longer. Anyhow, I had many sleepless nights over this issue and in the end, my husband and I were very happy we had her start at 6. She is very happy as well and I like the fact that she'll graduate at the age of 18 and then be 19 when she starts college which gives me a little more peace of mind for when she leaves home. : (
Anyhow, that's what we did with our child and good luck with the decision you make for yours. I hope you don't have as many sleepless nights as I did. : )
~ Take Care ~
A lot of it depends on the child. Girls usually tend to do better with starting at a younger age. My daughters are both summer babies (June 30 and August 22). The oldest one was born June 30 and started kindergarten this year. She has done great. We will wait on see on my other daughter. She is very active and would be two months younger than my other daughter when she started, so we will have to wait until she is closer to school age to make that decision. My sister in law enrolled my nephew in school one week before he turned five. He was just not ready. She pulled him out and put him in a pre-k program, then enrolled him in kindergarten the following year. This was so much better for him. My cousin has twins born August 18th. The girl was ready - the boy was not, so they held them back one year and started them in school when they were 6. If you decide to start your daughter now, you might just prepare yourself to hold her back one year later on (first grade or so) if you see that she is emotionally more immature than the other kids.
My birthday is August 27th and wished my parents had waited a year. It didn't affect me in K, but once I got to middle school and, especially, high school, I was less mature than my friends and didn't seem to have the self discipline I needed when I started college(I was 17). You know your daughter better than anyone, so I'm sure you will make the best decision for her. Good luck!
I was a September birthday and started kindergarten when I was 4, turned 5 during the school year. I accomplished a lot academically and was the valedictorian of my class. Still, socially, I was not mature enough to be in the class I was in. The other students went through changes before I did, wanted to date before I did, got cars before I did. It was really hard.
I would always suggest a child be older in a class rather than younger.
Without question wait. My daughter was also an August b-day and very bright and social. So, I didn't think twice when I started her in kinder a week after she turned 5. She did fine until Middle School. She is very immature socially and emotionally and it makes it difficult to handle the drama associated with being a middle school girl. She is on a much different maturity level thus making it hard to make and keep friends. All her friends are into boys and make up and she still has to be forced to take a bath. She will turn 14 a week before she starts high school. She will be 14 in a school with 1500 students some of them being 19-20 year old men. She is immature and not definately does not have the skills to deal with possible situations that scenario creates. So, while it may be hard for you to think that far into the future and worry about middle school and high school, that is exactly what you need to do.
It depends on the child and the school. I would recommend enrolling her in a full-time preschool and see how she does for the year. Talk to the teachers and the school where she would be attending kindergarten to get a feel for what they expect in kindergarten. There is a trend to hold the younger ones back in alot of schools and she could be a full year younger than some of the kids starting kindergarten if you push her ahead. But she may be just fine, every child is different.
I agree with one of the posts: without question....WAIT! She will be more mature and it is an advantage in school to be one of the older ones. It will help her immensely. I am a teacher and I see this on a daily basis. Good luck!
My daughter's birthday is August 23 and I had the same issue about not sending her to kindergarten this year or not until 2009-2010 school year. After talking to her preschool teacher, a few kindergarten teachers and the principal at the school she attends we sent her. My daughter has done great academically and socially. The only thing we have a problem with is she is very quiet person and when the teacher works with them in groups she tends to get even quieter. I just had parent/teacher conference and I asked if I should hold her back in Kindergarten and do it again the teacher said no and to send her to 1st grade for next year because she is ready. Believe me this was a very tough decision for me to make. I would toss and turn every night over this but I think I did right for her.
Good Luck!
Hi C.,
I agree with all the mom's that you should wait until she's closer to 6. My daughter started kindergarten when she had just turned 5 and did fine the first year. In first grade she barely passed so my husband and I decided to hold her back because she was struggling and did not fit in socially with the other children. She did much better the 2nd year in 1st grade! She is now in the fifth grade and is making straight A's, receiving notations on her report card that she is an excellent student, all E's on conduct and has more friends than ever!
I on the other hand started K when I had just turned 5 and did poorly in school and never felt that I could compete academically with my classmates and was very shy and immature. My mother often says she wishes she would have held me back, that maybe I would have graduated high school. I completely agree with her.
I would definately hold off on school until she is one of the older kids in the class!
I teach K-5 and it seems that my older Kinder kids are much more ready to handle what is going on in school then the younger ones. You know your child the best...if you are unsure though...I'd wait. It's not going to hurt her at all to wait one more year. Good luck in your decision!
My youngest has an Aug 30 birthday and I very much struggled with the same concern - he was academically ready. However, whenever I talked to other mothers I would find that the only ones that regretted their decision were those that had not waited a year. At that age a year makes a big difference and honestly having your child start with an age advantage can be really beneficial. Also, do you really want her to be off to college when she has just turned 18? That's what really made me realize it was better to wait a year for my son.
