I Am Unsure If My 5 Year Old Is Ready for First Grade.

D.,
I am an elementary school teacher. My advice is if he is going to be in the same class with students one to two years older than he, you should let him repeat kindergarten. The younger they are as repeaters, the better it is. He won't feel badly about repeating Kindergarten, but would about repeating third grade. So, if he were my child, I would definitely give him the edge by repeating kinder. My children's birthdays are October and November. So they were both among the oldest students in their classes. It definitely gave my son a "leg up".
C. Hudson

All three or my children were a year younger than the rest of the class. If he is doing well and getting along with the other kids than let him go to first grade. I was also a year younger than my class and i did just fine. My oldest is graduating this year and she is the youngest in her class. If the grades and communication are there than let him stay.

Well I am assuming(spelling?) you live in Arkansas and in AR there is a pre-1st grade and I think that would be really good for him. I am originally from MI and there they have a pre-Kindergarden and I put my son in that. Good luck

D.,
I have 3 boys my oldest was in 1st grade when his teacher suggested we hold him back. I refused because his younger brother was coming into 1st grade. It would have crushed him to see his friends go on and have to stay in 1st grade with his little brother. He is in the 5th grade this year doing well he has A's and B's with one C all year. My second son who also has a Late birthday "May" like your son. I held back in 2nd grade he was not mature enough to go to 3rd grade and also was struggling a little and had some self esteem issues. I wish when he was in Kindergarten they had suggested what we call transitional first thats where he would have gone. We just got back their Test results from the State mandatory test my son is in the top 10% of the State. That would have never happened if I had not held him back. My youngest son who is in kindergarten this year is a September baby so he have been 6 almost all year it makes a world of difference. I say go with your gut and do what you feel is right for your son you know him better than anyone else. This is his education we are talking about. I believe it will be easer on him socially to go to Pre-first now rather than get held back later on. Good luck to you both
A.

My son just turn 6 on the 14th. He also is in kindergaten. I am surprised when you said there were 7 year olds in his kindergarten class.

Most of the kids in my sons class were 5 when school started, and turned 6 through out the year.

If he is ready for the first grade, let him move up. My son also acts like a typical 5 year old there is nothing wrong with that. I expect by the time summer is over and school starts back in the fall both of our boys will have matured in to typical six year olds.

Since, the average age of a first grader is six the school should expect them to act like they are six.

Pre-first IS kindergarten! Send him to first grade, where he is supposed to be! Your son is the perfect age. The other kids are too old! :) They probably got a late start in school. Good luck.

Hi D.,
I am sending this to you personally because I thought with all the responses already you might not read this one. I have four boys and I now homeschool. If you will notice most of the people with girls responded "move him on, he will be fine". The ones that said to hold him back, Mostly had boys. Boys don't mature as fast as girls. When my first son started Kindergarten, I didn't want to send him. Mine was because I just wasn't ready to part with him and turn him over to the school system. I didn't put him in till January. It was a little unusual to do that and everyone asked me if I could do that? I said, "yes, he is my child" Anyway, my point is that you may regret sending him on, but I doubt very seriously you would doubt holding him back. When my son was in first grade he was in a Charter school. There were only 15 in his class. I chose to hold him back because he had a hard time working independently. What a dumb reason when I look back. He watched all his friends go on to the next grade. Every time they did things he saw all his friends in the next grade. The only thing that saved him was that there was a very advanced boy in first grade his second time around and they became good friends and were the helpers in the class. It did boost his esteem to be in the top of his class rather than the bottom. It would be better to hold him back now instead of later. Boys just don't mature as fast. Also, only you know your son and the type of temperment he has. I don't see how it could hurt him to give him another year to advance his skills. He will feel more self confident. He also feels your concerns weather you realize it or not. Those will transfer on to him if you aren't careful. We moved and started homeschooling after his second year of first grade. My boys will tell you they don't want to go back to school. My oldest is now 13 and knows that in school he would be lost. He went back to 4th grade for a while and didn't like it. Everything moved so fast. He is a peaceful soul, that doesn't like a lot of noise and caos. You know your son. Only you can make the best decision. Don't be persuaded by people to do something your not sure about. It is hard to go against the grain sometimes. If after all this advice you feel comfortable moving him on, that to will be a sign that you feel he is ready.

First I want to say I love your sons name!
How did your son do in kindergarten? Did he learn everything he needed to, to keep up with his classmates? Can he follow the same instructions? If he can keep up, hasn't had a problem learning at the same rate, and has friends in his class, I don't think you should hold him back. What does it say to your son if you hold him back, that you think he isn't up to the challenge? School is, and should be, challenging. If you really think he isn't up to it, then hold him back, but don't do it because he is a little younger. My older brother graduated as the youngest in his class, he was 17 when everyone else turned 18, but he also graduated at the top of his class. Maybe have a little one on one time with him this summer and test his knowledge for yourself and see if you think he is up to it.

We have had the same problem and wish we had held our boy back in kindergarten. his in 2nd grade now. so we have decided
to keep him back in 2nd grade i think it will benfit him in the long run. now he wont have so much pressure on him now. GOOD LUCK

D.,
Please, please, pleeeeese do not send him on to first grade. Back in the '6os my grandmother, who was a grade school teacher, said "you have to be 7 in first grade, even if you turn 7 on the last day of school." You'll never regret keeping him home an extra year. One of mine had an August birthday and qualified to start kindergarten at 5. I kept her back in a pre-K class and I still think it's the right thing. Many of her friends throughout her school years had August and September birthdays and they were all the same age, so apparently I wasn't the only parent with the same idea. Your son will constantly be trying to play catch up with the other kids, which can lead to some very dangerous behavior when he hits his teens. If he is in sports, it won't matter how great he is for his age, he's not likely to be a starter because the other boys, being a year older will be a year better. And last but not least, he'll be awfully young to go off to college and to all the temptations possible there. Please let him be a little boy while he has the chance. If repeating kindergarten is an option, why not just start fresh and act like this school year never was? A first grade teacher/friend I once had explained to her students that the children who were taken out of first and returned to kindergarten were like cookies. They just weren't quite "done" enough for first grade. The kids seemed to think that made a lot of sense. This has nothing to do with how smart he is and people that know him will know that. One day you'll be the hero for being brave enough to keep him back. Much luck to you.

Hi D.. My name is B.. I was also in your situation. I have twin boys whose birthdays are June 2nd and June 3rd. They have always been the youngest and smallest in their classes. My family kept asking me if I was going to send them on since they were younger, they thought that they might not be ready for 1st grade. (one of mine has moderate ADHD and fell behing greatly in Pre-K.) Well, from the reports I received from their Kindergarten teachers, I sent them on to 1st grade. With school ending in one week, my two boys are at the top of both of their classes. Both teachers say they could not ask for better students. My son with ADHD is treated with medicine and he is on the Merit Roll for having straight A's in every subject ALL year long. I am very proud of my boys. They proved to everyone they could do it. Just 30 minutes a night reading with him will help so much. Both of mine are reading on a 3rd grade level. I know it tough when you are short of time. I am a single mother, a full-time student in a very demanding RN program, and also work part-time.

D.,

My daughter was always the youngest in her class she was five also. She went into the first grade it dosen't take long for them to catch up maturely. She graduated from hight school the youngest in class and also salutatrian. So I would suggest you go ahead and let him go to first grade since academically he is ready. the rest will catch up soon.
G.

While I can't say what would be best for your child, I can tell you that my son's birthday is in June and he has always been a little behind his peers in maturity. It was especially hard for him in grades 5 - 8. I felt I had let him down by not holding him back. He is doing great now, but those years were h*** o* his self-esteem. I think he would have had more confidence in himself and not felt left out of the crowd so much. I think boys are different than girls in that girls seem to catch up faster. Good luck. I'll be praying for you!

Hi D.
I recently decided to give up my full time job as a first grade teacher to stay at home with my children. However, not only did I teach first grade but Kind. as well.
Let me say from my experience with children that are younger than others often show some difference in classroom behavior that is related to not being as mature as the others. Of course we all know that to be very true, but how do you handle that as a parent. Some of the things I would base my answer on are things like how well did he do academically? Also did you have trouble with him at all during this school year. What you have to consider too is that if he is ready and is not sent on to first grade, he may become more of a problem because he already knows what is being taught. Even though he will be developing maturity wise, you will still want to see academic growth. I also saw that you said the ages of others in the class. Again from my experience children either came to first grade at the age of 6 or turned 6 at the beg. of August. I know it will be hard to decide what to do. If I were you I would really question what type of year he had and how well he is doing compared to others. I have been in the same position as a teacher and suggested someone not going on to the next grade due to majority, but I had also seen it have an effect on their learning. Well I hope I have been of some help to you! Thanks
C. Stork
www.forourkidz.fourpointmoms.com

Hi, I believe if your child is academically ready to move to the first grade that you should allow him to move on. His maturity issues shouldn't be a factor in whether he moves on to the next grade or not. That's something you and the teachers can work on him with each day. My husband turned 35 in March and he still has maturity issues. Catch my drift? If he's getting his work done without having to have "special help" then I say let him continue on to the first grade. It sounds to me if you have SEVEN year olds in kindergarten that there may be something wrong with that picture. I can understand six year olds, but 7? Please, don't hold your son back.

You just made me think about my own child she's still in preschool this year till the end of the week. She won't be 5 till June 14th that would make her 5 all through the school year just like your child. But I think she's very ready for school so if your child's teacher thinks he's ready I wouldn't see any problem on letting him go to first grade. But if you decide to hold him back I want to tell you some of my experience with my son whose now 16 1/2. I wish I would of never held him back for one his friends went on without him that really bothered him at the time and he still remembers me doing it, then kids theses days can be so mean my son told me that he was teased so bad & was called names such a stupid for him being held back. Some schools & teachers treat kids some what different when they are held back but the one that really did an impact on my son was he got so bored since he had already did the same work as the following year so I think it hurt him more holding him back then letting him go to the next grade. I hope I could help, K.

I work at a school that has pre-kindergarten and kindergarten grades. Most of our kindergarteners are 5 yrs old. The only 7 year old we have, is due to failing. All children mature at a different rate. I don't think I would hold him back unless he is having educational problems. My son just turned 8 and he is in the 2nd grade. He is still very immature for his age, but he is one of the smartest kids in his class. Don't let his age be the deciding factor. Good luck!

You are definitely right to have concerns. The maturity of a student plays a TREMENDOUS part of what they comprehend and how they relate to learning, friends, all types of situations. I am heavily involved in our children's school and it seems to make a big difference when there's a younger child in the class and how well they do. They may be very intelligient and learning would be very fun for them IF they were with children of their own age. Our son and daughter fell into this same category. Our son started "real" 1st grade when he was 6 (turned 7 one mo. later) and has always been ranked top 20 of his class and is now receiving college credit for many of his high school AP classes. Our daughter is one of the very youngest in her class and I wish I had held her back one year too, but she was so sociable and smart that I thought it was best. She does well but we really have to work harder. Some of the older children really act differently and she gets along well with them but also relates so well to younger children. It would have been the best thing to wait but I couldn't dare hold her back now (and her grades are always A-B). Long story short, if you have ANY hesitation, follow your motherly instincts and let him enjoy one more year of pre-something. He will be more mature and ready to handle those sensitive situations that come along as he grows up much better. Also (important to kids) is their size ... if he is a little older, he might not be shorter or smaller than everyone. This is important to boys especially and helps their confidence level (which is very important).

I know several who have held back their sons because of maturity issues and none have regretted it. If your going to do it, now is the best time.

my daughter went to preschool 3 mornings a week when she was 3/4, then pre-kindergarten 5 mornings a week at 4/5 yrs, then kindergarten full week, all day at 5/6. her birthday is april 22. she started 1st grade last fall at 6 1/2 years old. she was on target but her maturity level was a little behind. she is a daydreamer and has a mommy that wants her to stay little, i guess :-) after about 2 weeks in 1st grade i saw a steady decline in her self esteem and excitement for school. not to mention that she was about a foot shorter then everyone in her class. she just didn't fit in! so over labor day weekend, i called her teacher and her principal and we all made the decision to move her back to kindergarten. she is doing fantastic, self confident, holds her head high, and has stepped out as a leader. i really feel like i made the best decision for her. 1st grade isn't what it used to be, let me tell you that for starters. the expectations of the kids here is beyond their ability, in my opinion. they are doing work that we did in the 3rd grade! anyway, i just wanted to encourage you to trust your own judgement. everyone in your family has opinions i'm sure, but you know your child and you know what is best for him. i would rather my child be a leader and confident, than a follower, depressed, and hate school. we have to face the fact that their ability to function socially is very important in their education and their future. good luck and God Bless!

My advice to you as a 15 year experienced kindergarten teacher is to put him in the pre-first class if youn have any doubts. Holding him back will not harm him, but placing him in 1st grade if he is not mature enough will hurt him.

I know how you feel except my son turns 6 August 31st!! He makes the cut off by 1 day. We knew going into Kindergarten this year that we would have him "do-over". His teacher said she would be o.k. with it if we sent him on,but he would struggle a little. I feel that for him it's the right thing to do,and he is o.k. with it. We started telling him about it 4months ago so it wouldn't be a surprise. Also there is another boy in his class repeating and we are requesting that they be placed together next year for the comfort factor. Anybody in his class doing the same? Maybe it would help him if you decide to hold him back. Good luck with your "mental struggle"!
P.s. if my husband was writing this his answer would be that "he will be the last to get his drivers license if we don't"!? MEN!

I have a 7 year old who will be 8 after 3rd grade starts(about a month)I too wrestled with holding him back but ultimately went with the principals opinion and advice-the district we live in does not hold kids back anymore if they are academically okay-reasoning regarding the maturity issue is the child will be immature or mature in whatever grade they are in and it wont affect their learning so I didnt hold him back-how big is your son?my son is a size 12-14 already-tall and big so that was another reason I didnt want to hold him back.I say try it and if you have to have him repeat kindergarten or even 1st grade it wont be as damaging as having to repeat a grade when he is older.its a tough decision that drove me nuts!! good luck!!

Many people hold their boys back. It takes pressure off the boy. You know your child.

Pre-first? Are you joking? Children learn maturity by what they see. If he's stuck in a class with a bunch of immature kids, how will any of them mature?

If he is academically ready and developmentally on target, don't hold your son back!

I have a daughter whose birthday isn't until July and she's fine! I'm more worried about my other two daughters whose birthdays aren't until November and January, which makes them like those kids that are older than the rest. How would you feel knowing that children your age are in a grade ahead of you, just because of the month your birthday falls?

My son was in the same boat. I asked the same question. Is there any reason to hold him back other than age? Does he know what he need to know to move on? Than why hold him back for an age or maturity level that will come over time. He is a normal little guy. My son has austism and we didn't hold him back for that. He is now in the 9 grade doing better than a lot the "normal" children that he went to kindergarten with. The best thing I can tell you to do is follow your heart and do what is best for your son that is what I did.

HOLD HIM BACK! I was sent early, my birthday is August 23 (so I turned 5 on the first day of school) and always fell on the first day of school. So, I was always a year or more younger than everyone else and I KNOW I had a hard time because of it. As far as my grades I excelled, I was just a smart kid, honor roll, 12 grade reading level in third grade, graduated 4th in my class of over 600. But socially it was HELL for me not being able to relate with the other kids. I wasn't able to drive until my senior year when everyone else started when they were juniors. That was a year of parental supervision lost when I gained my freedom while still at home. I also started college at 17 when everyone else was 18 and 19 and it took me longer to choose my school and major. Needless to say it was a stress to my parents and made me feel like a complete looser. Now I'm a successful professional, and maybe all the struggle made me a more well rounded individual. But, I really wish my parents had held me back and saved me all the trouble.
Thankfully my daughter's birthday is in March so we won't have to go through this with her. But I would certainly hold her back if I was in your situation.

GOOD LUCK AND GOD BLESS!

hi D.
i suggest holding him back, he'll have the same issues in first grade that he is having in kindergarten. he will be expected to have the same maturity level as the other kids. all my kids will almost be 6 starting kindergarten and my daughter was at the top of her class. my aunt works as a teachers aid for a kindergarten class. she works with kids that are old enough but aren't at the maturity or academic level for first grade. she has told me that one of the reason is because of age. i'm glad that all of my kids are going to be on the older side just for that reason. also my brother was put into kindergarten while still young, and as a result had to be held back in 4th grade as a result. i think that it would have been better to hold him back in kindergarten.
hope this helps
C.

Our daughter was in a similar situation at that age. Unfortuantely, we lived in Alabama and they did not offer anything but going on or being held back. We pushed her forward at her teacher's advice and she struggled in school from there on out. It wasn't until we moved and she started in a school that had a whole different attitude about it that we had her repeat a grade. That was third grade and she remembers and is slightly scarred by it. My advice would be to give your son as much time as he needs to grow and mature and learn. It will be much easier now than later and there should be no stigma to kids who just need a little more time! Pre-first sounds like a wonderful option for him.

PUT HIM IN PRE FIRST. Our son has a summer birthday and although he was academicaly ready and according to his preschool teachers, emotionally ready. my hubby and I are both summer babies, we both excelled academically but come middle school/high school the age difference got bigger and bigger. our physical maturity was just different. WE spoke with tons of educators, friends, and lots of prayer and realized we didn't want him going to college a month after he turned 18. college is hard enough for anyone much less barely 18years old.
We met tons of people who after about 3rd grade wished they had waited with their child but we never met one person who regreted waiting at all. even those who repeated a grade where grateful they did it. WE have never referred to it as heldback or repeating. we sd that some kids start kindergarten at 5 and some at 6. my sister told her son he was suppossed to start at 6 and she rushed him and she was correcting her own mistake,, which is true.

GOood luck sweetie, you won't regret waiting I promise.

If we couldonly go back to the old dayswher in some places children didn't start school until they lost a tooth. My sister held my niece out forone year and it mad a world of differenceshe is at the top of her class and her social behavior is better than that of her peers. It sems like we do have this trend if they would only do class grouping by age (or social development) in grades our children coud continue on with their peers because the age diffenrence to them is seldom noticed. Best to you.

DO NOT hold your child back. A June birthday is not too young. My son had an Aug. 23 birthday and he got long just fine. (He was Valedictorian of his graduating class!)I have been in education for over 40 years--taught everything from 3 yr.-old pre-school to 6th grade---have two Master's Degrees. A "pre-first grade" is not appropriate. Will they teach Kindergarten curriculum again or first grade curriculum? A competent first grade teacher will be able to help your child. It's tragic that so many parents want to "redshirt" their kids so they'll be the biggest, tallest, etc.
An experienced teacher.

My son's teacher said the same exact thing! Our son, Noah, is not going to be 6 until July. My husband was sooo disappointed when I came home with the news of him possibly not going to the 1st grade. He threw a big enough stink about it that the teacher is letting Noah advance. She and I agreed that with his father making it such a big deal that it be best to not make him feel bad about himself. But as a mother... I know that this probably isn't the best decision. Because like you mentioned, our sons will always be expected to act more mature. They'll also be the last to do everything in the later years of schooling (driving). I too don't want my son to grow up too fast nor struggle with his maturity level. If I could make the decision on my own...I'd probably let him do the Pre-first instead of First grade.

I did want to mention that my son's teacher will be giving us some additional worksheets to work on over the summer as well as she suggested placing him in some activities during the brake. The activites will continue a structured schedule and help him with the listening and paying attention skills. Other than that there's not much else I can advise. So, I'm extremely interested in what others have to say.

Best of luck to you and your son!

~N. Castano

When my son was in kindergarten, he was also the youngest in his class. He turned five maybe three weeks before school started for him. During the year, he had problems finishing his work, disrupting class, etc. His teacher told me that while it was too early to make a diagnosis, she would not be surprised if he had ADD. At the last parent/teacher conference, the teacher talked to my ex husband and me about holding him back. The three choices were that we could voluntarily hold him back, she could hold him back, or we could all decide to send him to the 1st grade. If my son went to the 1st grade, his teacher anytime during the first month of school, could make the decision to send him back to kindergarten. We made the decision to hold him back. I believe that it was better for him to be held back than to struggle socially and academically through school. Because of different maturity levels, it is not uncommon for kids to be held back in kindergarten. The decision is such a tough one! I am sure that your son will be okay with whatever decision that you make. We just figured that it would be better for us to do it in kindergarten instead of being faced with the possiblility of having to do it later. Good luck!!!

Hi D.,
As a former sp. ed. teacher and a mother of a child who had a late birthday Aug. 31. My advice is to hold the childl to pre-first grade although he may be ready academically, he will be held back by his inmaturety. My son was put in kindergarden at 6 years old and he still had problems, but it wasn't until 2nd grade his teachers decided maybe he was ADD, I was aware of his imature acts and his attention problems before this. So my husband and I made the decision to hold him back. We have not regreted it. He is now starting to leave the 8th grade and is maturing closer to the students now and has no problems keeping up academically. We are very proud of him.

Wow, I was a bit shocked at a 7 year old being in kindergarten, but nevertheless. I say let him go on for the simple fact most kids (as well as adults) have maturity/behavior issues. My daughter talked all the time and was the social butterfly and a bit bossy at times. She was like this when she was 5 in Kindergarten and 6 when she was in the 1st grade. She is now 7 and passing to the 3rd (will turn 8 on June 2). She has the academics so that's not a concern. We just have to work harder on the behavior.

My daughter (now 12) went to the pre-first class at Woodlake. It was the best thing we ever did. She had some maturity issues, some motor skills that needed to be worked on, and she was physically smaller than the other kids (most of this is due to a birth defect). But she was definitely academically ready to move on, and so we were torn with our decision.

Well, we went ahead and 'held her back', but it was the best thing we ever did! That class was warm and wonderful, and she was able to catch up to her peers, and I think it was great for her self-esteem. There was less pressure to 'perform', and we had the most fun that year of any.

I think it's best to go ahead and do it this early, rather than ending up with battles for the rest of his school years (believe me, there will be plenty of those no matter what!), and to give him that extra cushion. It also allows a reinforcement of what he knows, and he'll be extra-confident going into first grade with a new set of friends.

Good luck, whatever you decide!

Hold him back for immaturity. The work is hard in first grade. They are doing what we took in third grade in first now. Believe me!

My son is being held back in 1st cause he couldn't cope with the work and immaturity. It overwhelmed him after December.

Hi D.! This is just what I would do, hope it helps. We all want what is best for our children. I would send him to first grade. If he is ready academically. Like the teacher sais his maturity level is that of his age and therefore that is what is to be expectedd. I prefer for my child to be one of the youngest in a class so that he can grow and strive to be doing what the older kids are. I feel he learns much more this way. When he is the oldest, he can only look back at the younger kids and therefore isn't learning as much. In my opinion, his teacher/and you have done a great job keeping him on track academically if you let him move up he will see how all the other children act and will begin to follow suit. Happy almost birthday to your son,my son has a June birthday too!

I think you should send him to first grade!! He will be 6 by the time school starts, which is the typical age for a first grader. I had plenty of friends who were 5 throughout the first semester of 1st grade and they all (even the boys) did well. My sister started kindergarten at four (private school) and moved up to first grade at 5. I'm not sure why so many of the other students are so much older than him, all of the first graders I've encountered are 5 (almost 6) and 6, and by the end of the school year 7 (or almost 7)years old. If he is academically ready for first grade, then it makes no sense to hold him back (and pre- first is exactly that) and delay his learning of age appropriate new material.

Well from my own personal experience. I have 4 children, ages now 17, 15, 12 & 8. Two of them have birthdays in June. My 12yr and 8yr old went to pre-first(we call it T-1) and I wish that I would have put my 15yr old in T-1. That extra year made all the difference in my youngest two. My 12yr is a boy and he should be in 7th, but because of t-1 is in 6th grade, I think that he would have never been ready for 7th grade this year. Both of them were ready academically, but went for maturity. I would send him to the pre-1st if you can.

Do the Pre-1st thing! We were in a similar situation with our daughter. She had the academics down, but was 8 weeks premature and was just not as mature as the other kids...we did pre-1st and it was the best thing in the world for her! She thrived and is now ready to go on to 1st. She doesn't think anything about it and none of the other kids do either. Why push him into first where he will likely struggle when you can let him transition into 1st and succeed?

Have you asked your son? We as moms always tend to think that they are too little to understand anything really important. If he is excited about learning and being in first grade and he feels like he is ready to go to big kids school, try it out for a few days. If he has major problems you can easily talk to the school and pull him out and start next year. Don't let a teacher make you feel like he can't possibly be ready. You know him best. He also may mature a bit over the summer or maybe being in first grade will make him want to be more mature. Honestly, He will be fine either way because he has parents that care about his well being. Good Luck.

I would consider what school he is attending. Normally very few kids should be 7 in kindergarden. I would question why so many are that old in his school. He sounds like he's right on target for entering 1st grade, and not immature at all!

If they have held that many back because of grades, on the one hand I applaud it. Too often kids aren't held back when they need it because of "self-esteem" issues. On the other hand, I'd question why so many kids aren't academically prepared for 1st grade. If that many kids don't start kindergarden until they're 6, I'd also find out why.

Sorry I only have more questions for you, but it's what I'd be looking at. Good luck.

I just want to give you mine story of holding my children back.
I have twins with ADHD, and was told when they were in Kind. to hold them back. So I did, I wish I had sent them on now.
The secound yr in Kind. both my children shut down. The oldest of the twins even threw her shoes at her teacher. They hated beening held back. Wouldn't do anything in the classroom and ended up having to take summer school to get in to 1st grade.
They have had it hard in school because of the ADHD, and because the schools here done want to test the children to get them help if needed.
They have sence repeated 2nd grade and was ok with that. Now they are going on to 3rd grade and have A's and B's.
It all depends on the child...as him if he would like to stay back and make new friend his age, or would he just like to go on with the friends he has now. See what he has to say before you make your choice.
Hope this helps.

I'm a mother of twin daughters 10yrs old, and have a son 17yrs old. I'm a SAMH and love it.

Send him to first grade. I have the same issue, my son started kindergarten at 4, the youngest in the class, but was academically one of the brightest in the class according to the teacher. We also had behavior problems with him that escalated to the principal on some occasions. The school still thinks he should go to first grade because he is so smart. Don't let maturity hold your son back. He will catch up and it will help to see older kids behaving as an example. There is so much competition in schools these days, it is insane. It would be h*** o* him to repeat a grade when he is smart enough to go on.

I would not hesitate to hold him back. You will only help him succeed. I have seen kids in other grade levels that are the youngest in their class and still suffer with staying up with the other kids because of their maturity level (I substitute teach), so don't assume he will "catch up". In the grade scheme of things a year is not going to hurt anything, by the way I did hold my oldest back in 4th grade, it was no big deal and helped him catch up so much! Now he is a junior and likes to tease me that if I wouldn't have held him back he would be graduating this year, but seriously he has always been fine with it. Good luck! K. H.