Mom Unsure Whether to Put My Son in K??

I have a september bday boy and a may Bday boy. My September is at such an advantage for being the oldest . My May is in 2nd grade and is by far the youngest and is going to repeat 2nd next year. He was reading going into K and already doing 2 diget addition at Kinder. So academics is not the problem, Its all social and everyone else is a year older.

My son is a September birthday and at first I really wanted him to start early, it didn't happen and now I'm glad. He is the smartest kid (not to mention the oldest)kid in his class. His teachers have been amazed at how well adjust he is. He's athletic also, if we would have gotten him early he would be competing against older boys and perhaps not doing as well. Let him do PreK somewhere and then start him in Kinder when he is suppose to. Good luck.

My mother is a private school second grade teacher and she ALWAYS suggests that if a child has a late birthday for their class (summer or early fall), they should wait to enter Kinder until they will be one of the oldest in the class, ESPECIALLY with boys. She says it often has nothing to do with "smartness", but more social and other developmental aspects. She has seen it time and time again that a "late" birthday child needs to be in the class below them but were rushed into school. She said they even usually get along better with the class below them on the playground.

Of course, you can hold them back in the younger years without any havoc on them, but why rush?!?! Just let him develop on his own. One more year in pre or with you is better for him anyway! Let him start ahead instead of behind!

My son is a may birthday, and although he is only 9 mos old, we have already considered that he may not be ready for kinder when he is ALLOWED to enter! We will wait and see, but too, I don't know if I want him to go through his entire senior year in high school only being 17. If I were in your shoes, I wouldn't want my son graduating H.S. at age 17 either. Though it is not bad by any means, wouldn't it be nice if he was 18 when he entered college? Just a thought!

Best of luck on your decission but remember that there is no need to rush a child! Let them be children and learn at their own pace! Why rush when it will not harm them and may even help them be more secure in life!

T.

I have a friend who was faced with this issue and we talked about it alot. She ended up having her son do a half-day private kindergarten, then a year of full-day public kindergarten. He is doing very well, and is in the upper middle of his class. Especially with boys, they really need the extra time.

If you have any doubt, don't put him in K yet. I have a 6 year old who is repeating K this year. He was just wasn't ready last year and this year he is doing great. His principal told me, the greatest gift you can give your child is time.

Boys are generally less mature than girls and even if a child is very bright, they may not have the social maturity of other children the same age. This could put them at a disadvantage in school.

Both of my sons had September birthdays and didn't start school until they were almost six. I count it as a blessing because it gave them one more year of childhood.

They did both go to a pre-school, which helped them with social skills and learning to follow rules.

I say, give them that extra year of childhood.

My birthday is in early October, so I was also "held back" a year....never bothered me, though. I don't know about the "preschool transition" thing, but his starting kindergarten just before he turns 6 is NOT a bad thing....

Come to think about it, I was one of the kids in my Sr. year of High School that got to vote while I was in high school, and if I'd started school a year earlier, I'd have missed out on that! Also meant I got to start driving after my Freshman year instead of after my Sophomore year, so that was pretty cool, too....Lots of advantages for "holding out". And he'll have the advantage of "maturing" this year, too, so understanding directions in class should be easier. And you get to put off "crying on his first day" for a whole year! :)

If you decide to put him into private K the following year when it is time for 1st grade you will have to keep him in private school 1st. For public schools in the state of Texas you have to be 6 on or before September 1st to enter into 1st grade in public schools no matter how smart your child is or if they pass the test. So if you decide on private K be prepared to keep him in private school untill the 2nd grade. I ran into this problem with my middle daughter who is now in 1st grade and I had to put her into public K after she completed private K with flying colors. She was ahead of everyone in public K and was the only child reading already, but it did not bother her to go to K again.

Thanks,

T.

Well, if he is already in PreK, the teachers could probably tell you if he is ready for private Kindergarten. So many people have asked this lately, I did a little checking AND here is how it would work if you wanted to put him into public school first grade the following year.... you would have to have him TESTED. If he passes, he can go to 1st, if not, he repeats public school Kindergarten.
The test is both academic and maturity.
Anyway... I am considering private Kindergarten for my son in the Fall, it will depend on the teacher's assessments leading up to it.

I actually called my school district (Eagle Mountain/Saginaw) and they said it is a case by case basis... You can't start kindergarten unless you are five on time, but if you start private Kindergarten, you can be assessed late Spring/Early Summer and enroll in public school first grade if you pass the assessment. My suggestion is to call your school district, each has their own rules.
GOOD LUCK

I would probably wait. I am holding my four year old back. My 7 year old, I put him in school and he is caught up with the other kids in his 2nd grade class but you can tell that they are older then him cause of the way that they act. He is also the smallest in his class. I wish I would of waited with him. I am going to wait with my four year old though.

My oldest, now 7, started public school when he turned 5 in June. He was behind (he was only in pre K for 3 months) the older children in the class for the first half of the year. He struggled a lot and really developed a hatred of school. I wish we had waited. My middle son started late because he has a Fall birthday (October) and is doing well - much better than his older brother (he was in pre K for a full school year before K). Please don't rush him into it. Sometimes it is better to wait.

Hi S., i am a mom of four boys and one girl. I have held every one of my boys back on going into kindergarten until they were closer to six. I was told to do this by a teacher many years ago. They are all doing great. I have no regrets. Hope this helps. D.

I'm glad you asked this question. My daughter has a Sept. birthday and is smart as a whip. I've considerred Private K for her as well just so she's not bored with another year of preschool. According to the Kindergarten readiness info I've received she's ready academically to go to K. I've even talked to the director at a private K that I liked and am now faced with the decision.

Ultimately I want her to fit in and I may leave her in preschool for that reason alone. There are plenty of kids born in Sept. and Oct. that are probably academically ready for K but don't get to go because of the cut off. I'm thinking it's best she stays with the kids she'll end up in public school with. She interacts with kids her age really well. But not necessarily with older kids.

But I did learn that if you really want to start your child in school early, you can keep them in private school until I think it's second grade and then after that they can enter public school without having to repeat the grade. I learned that from the director of this school I'm looking at. I would definitely confirm that info if you are considering going in that direction.

It's just my opinion but if at all possible I think kids should start school when they're supposed to, unless there's a developmental delay or something. Holding back kids born in August is one thing, but holding back kids that were born in May is something I have a personal issue with. We'd all like our kids to be the smartest most capable kids in the class and have no problems adjusting. So having said that, I guess deciding on whether to go early would apply as well.

Good luck with your decision.

There have been several moms asking this question this week. I don't see what the rush is to get them in K. I say leave them with kids their own age. There is a cutoff date for a reason and for whatever reason some people are trying to get around that. It's ultimately your decision so good luck!

Boys tend to be less socially mature than girls. If it was me I would put him in a fulltime preschool transition class and let him be the oldest in his class and not the youngest. Even if he seems okay now to go, you have to think about the social maturity down the road.

Hello S. please check out CP preparatory School as an option the Pre-K program is a Kindergarten curriculum. This way your child will still be challenged accademically while still maturing. visit www.cpprepschool.com

Hang in there and wait. They grow up all too quickly. Boys are emotionally slower developers than girls and giving him a little more time before he has to deal with all the pressures of school will be a blessing.

I began school a little too early and the emotional difference was noticeable by the time I was in the 4th grade. I had to be held back. Not because I could not do the work, but because I dealt with things like a 3rd grader in a 4th grade situation. It was a nightmare for me to understand why I had to watch my friends move up a year while I stayed behind. It took me a long time to get over.

My daughter missed the cut-off by 1 week and I was glad for the delay in her start. She is now 14. She handles things wonderfully and is incredibly bright. I had to have a long think about things when I was trying to decide when best to start her into school. Someone once told me, would you rather her be the youngest in her class and trying things that the older kids or trying or would you rather her be that little bit older and not be pushed into growing up quite so fast. That did it for me. Now she is the older more mature kid of her peers and isn't pressured into trying stupid things too early.

Boys and cars and parties are not far off the horizon for her. I would rather she be older and wiser in her year group than the youngest and more impressionable.

People are constantly trying to have their child to be the first to do everything. The brightest at everything. The best at everything. The world keeps spinning and things happen. Your son will find his place and settle in. Just relax and let things take their natural course.

Hope this helps x