Behavior Issues in Kindergarten

It could just be that he is tired.
When kids are tired, their have nil focus and patience.

Being in Kindergarten now, my son is so tired everyday after school.
Not his usual.
But he loves Kinder and does well. Per his Teacher.

It will take time to adjust.
And they have to be on task so much more in school and it is a lot of 'work' for a kid.
ALL day.

Speak with him and remind him that at school, we always listen to the teacher and do as she says or he will get into trouble and not get to do fun stuff at school.

Does he know/understand the difference between being good and being bad? If he does, let him know he is not a bad child, but he is acting bad and you know he can do better.

You could also make a behavior chart.. Each day the teacher says he had a good day he gets a star, but on his bad behavior days he does not get a star. After 5 straight good days, he gets a treat.. After 10 it gets even better.. etc, etc,

OH my gosh. Your four year old won't follow directions? Please just give this some time. Hug and kiss the little person and tell them they should follow directions. Then do it again. And again. Sometimes these teachers have such heavy ideals for their classrooms that they fail to see that little people are all too human.

I know you don't want to hear this but I will tell you anyways...

My son was 5 almost 6 when starting Kinder...and boy did he need that extra year to mature. Academically he would have been just fine...but behavior wise he would have had such a hard time.

I got pretty close to his teacher and some of the other moms and the kids having the really bad behavior issues (being sent to the office daily) were the 4 almost 5 kids at the beginning of the year. One mom was besides herself as she and the vice principle were on a first name speed dial relationship.

Just my two cents...

how do you know it's on purpose?? Every parent says their kid misbehaves because they're bored its almost never cuz they're bored. Bored in K means they want to play instead of listen to the teacher or do some work. and your poor little guy is always going to try to play catch up and since he's one of the youngest in the class. It will be a very hard year for him

My honest opinion is that he may be too young. Is it an option to remove him and possibly have him in a pre-school for a year before entering Kindergarten next year?

I hope you find a solution that best fits your family, the school and mostly your little guy.

Good luck!

Okay, I read all your responses and I realize this is a bit redundant. However, I feel it needs to be said. As a Kindergarten teacher myself I have seen just about everything. In my humble and honest opinion your son is too young to be in Kindergarten. I'm sure he is ready academically, as most kids are by 4 1/2. However, his social skills - for friends, teachers, etc. - as well as his non-academic school skills - sitting still, following directions, listening, etc. - are not developmentally ready. While Kindergarten is WAY more academic than it used to be it's still very developmental. Keep him home if you can or put him in a good preschool and let him enjoy playing and having fun with other kids his age. Then start him again in Kindergarten next year and watch him shine!
Another thought is 13 years down the road...he would be graduating high school and starting college as a 17 year old!!! Kind of a scary thought if you ask me!
Good luck!

All my kids that have late birthdays stayed home until their next birthday. He may just be to immature for Kindergarten.

My kids turned five in September and we didn't send them until the next year. Just because the state says that a child can attend school when they are five doesn't always mean they are ready for school. I didn't want my kids to be the youngest in the class. I would rather they be more mature.

I agree with Dana and Sandy...even if he turns five in the next month, he may be too young for KG. I just looked it and in Colorado in some areas you don't have to be 5 until Oct. 1st...

Still I think that is too much of a gap with other kids in the class.

But you have to sit him down and tell him that this is not acceptable behavior and give him some time.

Take a deep breath! Its not just your son! LOTS of young boys have trouble listening and following directions - the curriculum in schools has escalated, and kindergarten is no longer about social skills and socialization, its about learning to read, write and do math - what, 20 years ago, was first or second grade work. Its HARD for little boys to sit and attend they way the curriculum demands.

Talk to the teacher - what does she think? What does she suggest? When is this behavior happening? What expectations does she set out for the children, and what immediate consequences does she have for him?

At home, talk to him, in general terms, about the importance of listening to the teacher and following directions. Talk about specific things he can do to help him listen. Look at the teacher. Keep his hands in his lap. Think about what the teacher says. Raise his hand if he has a question. Practice listening at home. Google "listening games" and try some out with him. Also, maybe some old fashioned Simon says..

Talk about the importance of following directions. Role play some common directions the teacher might give him - put your crayons in your pencil box, or get in line, and have him either tell you what he should do, or practice at home. Give him some common directions and have him visualize himself doing them.

As far as consequences, I think the best is how the teacher handles it immediately when it happens, and for you to express disappointment with the behavior. I would hold off on at home consequences for a while. Rewards and punishments dont work so great if he doesnt have the skills yet. If someone said, "I'll give you a million dollars if you can successfully perform brain surgery on this person.." you STILL would not do it, because you dont know how.

Good luck! DOnt worry!

Didn't school just start? They're just getting into the groove of things. There are a lot of new processes, procedures, rules, etc., to learn. I think most kids have a period of adjustment. However, hust because he will be 5 this year, doesn't necessarily mean he is ready for K. I am not sure what he would be bored with, at this point in the year they've hardly done any learning.

I agree with the others who question your son's readiness for K - especially given his age. It really is early almost everywhere. I just wanted to share my personal experience. When I was almost 6 (I have an early Oct birthday) my parents started me in K. Two weeks in, when my K teacher realized I could already read at a high level, could do math and had all the other academic skills I needed for 1st grade and beyond, she recommended that I skip straight to 1st grade. My father, an educator, against his own misgivings (he knew better!) gave in and allowed me to go to 1st grade. Although I was more than academically prepared - I always excelled - I was not socially on the same level as my peers. It was not even obvious in the classroom - I was an angel to my teachers - but I had an incredibly difficult time with my peers all the way through elementary school. I was smaller than everyone else & couldn't perform physically and emotionally on the same level. Once you're labeled in the early grades, it is difficult to move on and reinvent yourself as you start to catch up developmentally. It wasn't until 7th grade - where I was able to branch out to friendships beyond my elementary circle that I got some relief. It really affected my self-image and left scars that have taken me into adulthood to mend. If I could do it all over again, I would plead with my parents to make a different decision & allow me to be on the older end of kids in my grade.

You know your child better than anyone. My parents did & thought they were making a good decision for me. To the average adult, it looked like I was doing fine. I just wanted to warn you that there could be unforeseen consequences to starting your children into school on the young end of things. Where you are already experiencing behavior issues in class, I would really look at that as a red flag. If you don't think that that kind of classroom behavior doesn't translate to how kids will treat him on the playground or how your son feels about himself, in my opinion & from my experience, you are kidding yourself.

Good luck to you & your son in your decisions!

I have two children with August birthdays. One of them started kindergarten about the time she turned 6; the other started kindergarten at barely almost 5. For each of them it turned out to be a good decision.

You know your child. Does he follow directions and listen at home? How do you handle it at home when he doesn't? If he enjoys going to school, you might let him know that if he wants to be able to go he has to listen and follow instructions.

He could just be testing boundaries.
You need to reinforce at home that he needs to listen and follow directions at school. Those are the rules.
He will likely get it figured out that following directions is easier than the alternative if his teacher has to discipline him.

Kids have to be a full 5 years old before they are allowed to start kindergarten in almost every state. He would be in Pre-K pretty much everywhere else.

That is fact, you can google how old a child is to be before they start kindergarten so the other moms are correct. California is one of the other states that allow kids to start kindergarten at 4.

He may not have a good start but he will mature this year, school just started so work with him, let him have some time to grow up and you will see a huge difference in his behaviors now and at the end of the school year.

Had this problem last year. We let the school handle it. When it was brought up to us....we had discussions and at home consequences about it. Gave son extra work at home to replace some of my energy spent dealing with the school. (Love and Logic). I told the teacher to assign whatever consequences that she felt was appropriate during school time and let her know that we were having discussions/consequences at home whenever I had to be involved. He needed to learn that if he ignores the teacher there are going to be consequences.

Most kids do not start kindergarten until they are already 5, did he start early. I have 3 friends that started their kids early and although their kids were academically ready they were not emotionally or socially ready. Talk to his teacher and get his/her take on it.

Good luck!