Should I Put My 4 Year Old in Kindergarten Next Year?

No not in Kindergarten. You could do Pre K. You can try the school or a private school pre K. A lot of child care centers do a pre K program. Kinder is the new 1st grade.

You really need to look at your son's maturity level. My oldest would have been 4 if we started him in K when it was time, but we held him back. He would have been the youngest. Although he was definitely smart enough, he wasn't mature enough. He'd get frustrated at the drop of a hat and that extra year really helped that.

My younger son however is a different story. They moved him up to the older class and he's doing much better there. He's the youngest (and birthday in March, so K starting won't really matter). His teacher says that he strives on being the youngest and looking up to the older kids. He's challenged academically (which he'll need the rest of his life).

So, you really need to look at how well your son learns (is he a quick learner and very smart or not) and how well he acts. His maturity level should tell you more than his intelligence.

We can't tell you what you should or shouldn't do, it has to come from you. Discuss this with his teacher and find out what she thinks. Most of the teachers have been around long enough to know how well a child will do.

K.

I would wait. I think it would be better for him emotionally. But the truth is, we don't know your child or how you feel about it, so look to yourself and see what you feel is the right thing;-) Offhandedly I would say that I think it's too early, but really, do what you feel is right.

You actually have to "qualify" for kindergarten... You qualify based on income and what language you speak. So in other words you have to be considered low income and not speak english... It's frustrating...

You also have to consider if you child is emotionally ready as well as academically ready... If it were me I'd probably wait.

My son was 4 years old when we put him into kindergarten. His birthday is in Aug. so he turned 5 right after school started. He did really well the 1st half of the year, but when things began to get harder he just got frustrated and cried when he had to go to school. His teacher and I discussed where he was mentally at the end of the year and we both agreed that he was smart enough to go on to first grade, but that his maturity was not able to handle the extra structure. We held him back in kindergarten with a different teacher and he was fine. Not one time did he mention being in kindergarten twice. Now that he is in 3d grade he is making straight A's and doing great as a leader. I would recommend kindergarten, just do it twice because preschool isn't going to go into depth enough for when he is almost 6. Don't think about the present, but more or less in a few years can he handle the load of what is expected of him in the older grades such as the TAKS test. As a girl I was the youngest in my grades due to an October b-day. It was okay until I got into college and then it seemed I was a baby compared to all my friends. As a sophomore in college I was only 18 years old. That was hard.

I don't think they will allow you to put him in public kindergarten, unless he is 5 by Sept 1. I have heard they don't bend on that rule in Texas. You can do private school, but you would have to keep him there for 1st grade as well, because they could technically still tell you he is not old enough for 1st grade (happened to a friend), but once they are in first grade they won't put them back. Personally, I would see if he is ready. I was the youngest in my class (born is October) ad were two of my sister (Oct and Dec). We all went to Montessori and the tests we had to take to get in early (to 1st grade, we didn't do kindergarten), we passed with flying colors. The prinicpal later admitted that most 1st graders can't pass the test. I never felt any different than my peers. I never had maturity issues. I guess it depends on each child, but beleive me, I have also met children who were on the older end of the spectrum and they were completely immature...it depends on the child.

Yes...That way he does not become bored with the curriculum. A child's attention is only held for a short amount of time, before something else can keep them involved. If kindergarden is a half day, you may consider additional home schooling in an area the school may not provide! Or a more indepth approach about the current subject in school. Always make it fun!

Example: My neighbor home schooled her 6 children. She offered to teach my 4 year old daughter also. To give her a head start in school. My daughter was reading in 6 months. This has given her a desire to read, even at the age of 21. My daughter had the opportunity to do many things the public schools never offered. You might even consider private schools. That way he has an opportunity to work at his pace. Don't be afraid to let him learn more at any time.

I think this is more of a personal decision, but we kept our daughter back after pre-school so now she is the oldest one in her class. I wasn't sure at first, but I am so glad we did. I think her self esteem was much better and we could see the confidence in her.
We have friends who let their kids go on, and they did fine
too. Maybe after the testing, you will have a better ideal on
what you should do.

I will tell you that we decided to hold my son back an extra year because he needed it emotionally. He is in Kindergarten now and has been tested GT. Boys mature a little slower than girls. I was a second grade teacher before I had my son and I will tell you it is very h*** o* the younger boys! They may be very smart, but most of the time they need a little more time to have less structure. My son was in the preschool I work at his whole life, and so he was getting school. It just wasn't five days a week eight hours a day. They have 13 years and a lot of times much longer to go to school. If it were me I would let him be a kid. Enjoy teaching him things.
H. M

wow your child is very smart i say go for it he will get very smart and will get a head start in the things he needs to know my little brother was 4 when he got in to kinder .

Texas is pretty staunch about "you must be 5 to start Kindergarten". My son is on the higher end of intelligence. He started talking at five months and people/doctors/teachers are amazed at his brain.
But he is still IMMATURE! So he will be six two months after Kindergarten starts.... We may advance him at some point.... but probably not in Kinder. GOOD LUCK

For public school in Texas the child must be age 5 before September 1st. So are you speaking of the kindergarten program at the preschool your son attends? If so it is not the same thing as regular public kindergarten. My son went to a montessori school kindergarten program before enrolling in public school, so if this is the type of situation you are in I do no think enrolling him in that program will be a problem. Maturity and emotionally your son may not be ready for kindergarten, I know mine wasn't and he is also intelectually advanced.
Good luck!

You should wait. My daughter is the youngest in her class with an August birthday. She has always been bright so it has never been a problem until now. She is in middle school and emotionally immature. That makes it very difficult to deal with the social part of school which is a huge part of school in middle and high school. You need to look at the big picture and the future when making this decision. Your child may be facing peer pressure and having to make choices he is not ready to make due to emotional immaturity when a little older. My son turned 5 in July but didn't start kinder this year. I am so glad that I am waiting with him and feel he will be in much better shape maturity wise when he goes next year. Another part of looking to the future when you have a boy is their size. A problem with boys that start young is that they are usually small and picked on more because of it. They will also be less advanced physically and not as good in sports. I know you may think this isn't important but it could be very important to your son. You never know what his interests will be in few years. Best of luck, I know it isn't easy!

My son way tested at 4 and I had the choice of putting him into kindergarden (private school) after speaking to the school counselor I decided to wait. He is 9 now and I am glad I didnt skip a year. Your child can still be stimulated through GT classes without having to skip a year wich he needs emotionally and so do you they grow so fast!!

This just came up with another poster. I say wait. As I told the older poster, I believe it is better socially to be the oldest in your grade, than the youngest.

Also, he may be really advanced now, but things get more difficult quickly and he may feel overwhelmed later and then you'd have to hold him back.

In my oppinion, it's better to wait.