Ideas for getting around the 5 y/o rule for K?

Zenya

izzybella:

Again, both MH and I were youngest in our classes and weren't scarred by it.

I don't know what her name has to do with it, but it's Maddie. 

I am still wondering why you wouldn't just let her have fun and be a kid without the pressures of school.

izzybella

PMQ:

I'm just curious...youngest by where your birthdays fell in the year or youngest because you started school a year early or skipped a grade?

We were both 4 when we started K.  

Yodajo

izzybella:

Again, both MH and I were youngest in our classes and weren't scarred by it.

I don't know what her name has to do with it, but it's Maddie. 

Ok, you and your DH weren't scarred by it, but what is the benefit of it for your DD?  I don't think boredom is a valid concern in this instance.

shopgirl_07

Don't you think you're putting the cart before the horse a bit here? She's not even 3, I wouldn't worry so much about kindergarten and whether or not she'll be bored.

At 4.5 it's not likely she'll be emotionally mature enough for kindergarten, she'd be in classes with kids who are nearly 18 mos older than her. At that age, 18 mos is like a lifetime. Slow down, enjoy her. She'll do just fine entering kindergarten at 5.5.

Mickschick

Well then if I were you- I would call the school district tomorrow and see if you could have her screened to start K in September... I mean; since she's so intelligent and you, having the elementary ed background and such that you do obviously know what's best for her; why hold her back until she's socially ready when she has the brains to be there now?!

Oh- and in case you couldn't tell I'm completely being snarky.

luluroo

I started kinder when I was 4 and let me tell you kinder back then and kinder now--COMPLETELY different.  So that really isn't a valid arguement.

lucyfox

Zenya:

lucyfox:

What's her name?

 

is she the one who won't tell her DD's name??

Yes!  But knowing her name will help me to advise in this situation 

emiliemadison

izzybella:

PMQ:

I'm just curious...youngest by where your birthdays fell in the year or youngest because you started school a year early or skipped a grade?

We were both 4 when we started K.  

Well, how much good did that do you if you can't find a way to be the exception to the rule and get your own kid into school early? Right? Because of the huge benefit of starting school at 4?

PoundCake

My DD had EI for a year.  She can do everything you said your DD can do.  She will be 3 next month. 

If she was spelling out words that kids in 4th grade know on our fridge with her magnets I would think she's got some advanced knowledge and nurture it. 

I bought a preschool workbook recently that was for ages 4 to 6 and while she can count to 20, its a different story when she looks at the objects.  She counts some of them twice.

Just because you and your DH entered K at 4 doesn't mean she will be ready socially.  Especially in this age of bullying and pressure.

reynah

izzybella:

praline:

And, just because I'm curious and have a child close in age to yours...how and in what ways is your daughter ahead?  What kinds of things can she do that make her stand out?  (I'm not doubting you, just honestly curious).

She knows her colors, ABCs (has since about 18 months), and can count to 20. Her vocabulary is astounding, and she's very articulate. She can follow 2 and 3 step directions. I have friends who are teachers who are very impressed with her verbal ability.

I will say that my ds1 knew all of these things at around 20 months and all his teachers always commented on how smart he was. He still thrives at school. When he was 20 months, it was around Christmas, and he could literally sing 2-3 Christmas songs all by himself.

I would have never even considered pushing my child like that though. I know you don't want opinions, but just b/c she can do those things does not mean she is ready for Kindergarten!!

Anyway, I recommend a Goddard School for her AGE group.

Mominator

PMQ:

luluroo:

I started kinder when I was 4 and let me tell you kinder back then and kinder now--COMPLETELY different.  So that really isn't a valid arguement.

I didn't start when I was 4 but that is a VERY valid point.

I dunno, I just don't get why when she's not even 4 you're considering school for her.I didn't realize she was 2.5 when I first responded. I'm assuming you are looking to start her early as in Sept 2011? If so I would not waste time now trying to find ways to circumvent the system, though I'm not sure with your extensive educational background how it is that you don't know the answers to your questions already...

Sorry, I know it's probably very frustrating not to get anyone agreeing with you and giving you the answers you want!!!

PMQ, I think I love you! LOL

izzybella

She'll be 3 in 2 wks. 

I'm thinking about it now b/c private schools have waiting lists, application processes, etc. So if I was looking to get her started somewhere next September, yes, I'd have to look at this now.  

praline

Ahh, now I'm sorry I asked what she can do because I feel like that set you up a little.

I'm sure she is really really smart...it happens, lol!  It's probably hard to explain all the ways she is smart in a post. 

I think people get ticked off if a parent thinks (admits really) their child is exceptional.  I mean, it's certainly possible for parents to have blinders on when it comes to their children, but the reality is there are kids out there who are very smart, and maybe some do need to be moved ahead.  You do have to be careful with it though, and not do it by trying to trick the system or something.

Thinking about it more I really think you should look into Montessori.  It's a great system for learning anyway and they have mixed age classrooms.  So your DD could be with and learn with children older than her, gravitate toward more challenging material, but also not be expected to always act a year older than she is. 

 

femmegem

praline:

Ahh, now I'm sorry I asked what she can do because I feel like that set you up a little.

I'm sure she is really really smart...it happens, lol!  It's probably hard to explain all the ways she is smart in a post. 

I think people get ticked off if a parent thinks (admits really) their child is exceptional.  I mean, it's certainly possible for parents to have blinders on when it comes to their children, but the reality is there are kids out there who are very smart, and maybe some do need to be moved ahead.  You do have to be careful with it though, and not do it by trying to trick the system or something.

Thinking about it more I really think you should look into Montessori.  It's a great system for learning anyway and they have mixed age classrooms.  So your DD could be with and learn with children older than her, gravitate toward more challenging material, but also not be expected to always act a year older than she is. 

I agree with this. But I'm also not sure that means you should push her into K early. As yodajo said, I'm just not certain there are any benefits to it for her.

But, then again, I don't think you care what any of us think. If I were you, I would just contact some schools and see what they say. Obviously no one here has any answers for you that will help you get your child into K early.

gracendantho26

I would also consider that a lot of parents wait to put their kids in even if they meet the cutoff which could make her substantially younger. My DD is in first grade and she has already gone to several birthdays for her friends turning 7 this year. The majority were 6 last year in kindergarten and she was on the very young side at 5 with a Sept. b-day. That's pretty significant..to have 4.5 year olds in a room with a good amount of 6 year olds.

And I am 35 so I am an old fart on this board but kinder was waaay different when I was younger than now. We had a ton of free play and even took naps back in my day. I worked in DD's kinder room last year twice a week and it is vastly different now..it's all about preparing them for the cut throat world of first grade.

wellfleet04

I'm genuinely curious now.  Since you have your degree in this, and most of us are just armchairing, is there not any validity to the argument for waiting?  Do YOU as an "expert"think the benefit of potentially not being bored outweighs the potential harm of being socially behind?  Is the argument that though she may be advanced now at 2.5  she and her peers may very well even out by 5 not developmentally accurate?  

  

caitlinsmom

My nephew is extremely intelligent.  He was reading at 3, plays complex piano recitals at age 10, can hold his own in a conversation about most topics with an adult.  That being said, he did not start school early and he's in 5th grade now and has not skipped a grade. 

Why, because socially he is still behind his peers.  Most schools don't even consider moving kids ahead until at least 5th grade for maturity/social reason.  Just because you and YH started K at 4 does not mean that your daughter is ready for the kindergarten of today which is far different from the K that you went to. 

emiliemadison

I'm still shaking my head that anyone would be seriously looking into this for a child who is not yet even 3. A not-quite 3 year old is going to change a lot before they are 5. There is simply no way to gauge or scope a child's future social aptitude or if they will be advanced for their age that far in the future. And, to the OP, as someone who claims to be an expert in the field of early education and childhood development, it's shocking that you dont know that.

rebs

I am an elementary teacher, and am working towards my Masters.  I have taught kindergarten.  I am a little shocked given your background that you are already assuming that your DD will be ready for kindergarten in a year and a half.  You have no idea if her social skill will be advanced then.

Also my DH was always the youngest in his class (his b-day is 2 days before the cut-off date).  It was never a problem in elementary school, but it was an issue in high school and his first couple of years of university. 

I am curious, what is the rush?  What will be gained?  Find a good preschool, and let her have a couple of years there.

knmommy

I don't think it even totally has to do with being so "bright" or "smart" It also has to do with maturity.

summerbrideDC

I'm also shocked that given the OP's extensive ECE background that this would be a consideration for her.  

I guess if your priority for your child's life is strictly academic achievement, you can find justification for pushing them through the system whether they're ready emotionally/socially or not.  Sadly, there are lots of parents who really view their kids as academic beings and ignore the rest of their potential.

Not saying the OP is such a parent, but this post makes me think of parents like that.  

CubbyMama

I didn't read ALL of the replies, but here's my input:

K is like you describe your DD: she can count to 30, knows almost all of her upper and lower-case letters, knows most of their sounds, knows 10 or so sight words, knows all of her shapes and colors, has a huge vocabulary, learns very quickly, and is told all the time how smart she is for her age.  I teach kindergarten, so part of that is that I now know what things she'll be expected to learn there, so I throw things in here and there and see what sticks, but I'm certainly not drilling her with flash cards or sitting her down to do direct instruction with her....ever.  I also have my master's degree in teaching and am certified as a reading specialist--all of which I'm telling you not to brag about myself or about K, but to give you a basis for comparison and show how similar our situations are.

Given all of that...

Our cutoff date for kindergarten is December 2.  K would start kindergarten in August and turn 5 October 2 if we enroll her in 2011, and we probably will if she does well in preschool and seems ready socially and maturity-wise.  However, if her birth date was as far from the cutoff as your DD's is, I would never in a million years push for her to start that early; and even starting her at almost-5, I'm fully prepared and fine with the idea of having her repeat kinder if for any reason she doesn't seem ready to move on.

I guarantee that there will be plenty of kids who start K with your DD at age 5 and know at least as much as she does, along with several who'll come in knowing almost nothing.  She will be fine--possibly above-average, academically, but not so much so that kinder would be useless for her.  The risk of her being "too bright" for kindergarten is, IMO, much smaller than the risk of her starting too early and getting overwhelmed and/or having a bad experience...and do you really want her in high school at age 12? 

Kinder isn't what it used to be.  Kids now are expected to do basic math, problem-solve, identify the characters, plot, setting, beginning, middle, and end of stories, explain what authors and illustrators do, and a whole slew of other things that go well beyond having certain facts memorized.  I have kids who are reading at a 2nd grade level from Day 1 of kindergarten, and they're still plenty challenged by the curriculum.  I don't think the fact that you or your DH started early really comes into play much here, because kindergarten was much more basic back then.

Just my opinion, but like the others said, you seem pretty sure of what you want to do.  In any case, GL!

 

Expecting0207

I'd encourage you to think ahead to middle school and puberty, drivers licenses and boyfriends and be certain you want to put her in those situations earlier.  Like someone else said Kindergarten when you went through is not the same as kindergarten now.

And high school like what we experienced will be NOTHING like what highschool will be like in another 10 years.  I can't even imagine how hard it will be with all the social networking elements added in to regular catty girl drama, bullying, dating and breakups and all the rest of the 'fun' parts of HS.

femmegem

I was just thinking about this post and wondering if the OP actually has teaching experience, or just the credentials.

r9stedt

Zenya:

lucyfox:

What's her name?

 

is she the one who won't tell her DD's name??

I believe it is isabella T who won't tell her daughter's name. The one with the little girl and the ocean siggy?

Brewster

Sounds just about like most 3 year olds on here every time someone posts a "what's your 3 year old doing?" post.  I am not saying she is not smart, but to start school when she is not going to be 5 until Feb?  I think you are majorly setting her/yourself up for disaster.

I'm pretty shocked given your credentials that you would even consider, although if I am remembering correctly you recently graduated from grad school and have limited experience actually teaching.  Regardless, still a little shocked.

 Montessori would not be a bad route to go, as the kids are grouped usually by age (more than likely age 3-6) and taught based on individual needs, much the way curriculum is designed for special needs kids (curriculum based on the individual).  Definitely not a bad route to go for the early years. 

izzybella

The primary focus of this post was to find out if people had success with Montessori. As I stated, DD is in a class of 4 yr olds and is thriving, which would lead me to believe she is both emotionally and socially ready to be in a class with older children. While I may have "limited" teaching experience, I do know my own child. It is entirely possible that in the next year and a half, her peers could catch up with her, but from the kindergarten teachers I know and who have seen her and interacted with her, they think she could do well in kindergarten a year early. 

Thanks for the flames, though, it's been awhile! 

Andrewsgal

izzybella:

The primary focus of this post was to find out if people had success with Montessori. As I stated, DD is in a class of 4 yr olds and is thriving, which would lead me to believe she is both emotionally and socially ready to be in a class with older children. While I may have "limited" teaching experience, I do know my own child. It is entirely possible that in the next year and a half, her peers could catch up with her, but from the kindergarten teachers I know and who have seen her and interacted with her, they think she could do well in kindergarten a year early. 

Thanks for the flames, though, it's been awhile! 

People not agreeing with you and people flaming you are totally different things.

I agree with all the others, first of all you are totally jumping the gun on this your child is not even 3. Second my child did all the same things at 2.5 and while I have been told she is bright, that is something I will believe after she is in school. Sounds like your DD is right on development wise, not ahead, not behind right one, which we would call average. "Being" a teacher is more than just certification, it is having experience in the classroom and life. Wait that way your little genius will be the smartest in her class:)

CTFandme

praline:

Ahh, now I'm sorry I asked what she can do because I feel like that set you up a little.

I'm sure she is really really smart...it happens, lol!  It's probably hard to explain all the ways she is smart in a post. 

I think people get ticked off if a parent thinks (admits really) their child is exceptional.  I mean, it's certainly possible for parents to have blinders on when it comes to their children, but the reality is there are kids out there who are very smart, and maybe some do need to be moved ahead.  You do have to be careful with it though, and not do it by trying to trick the system or something.

Thinking about it more I really think you should look into Montessori.  It's a great system for learning anyway and they have mixed age classrooms.  So your DD could be with and learn with children older than her, gravitate toward more challenging material, but also not be expected to always act a year older than she is. 

 

This was my suggestion too

ilovemygirls

izzybella:

praline:

And, just because I'm curious and have a child close in age to yours...how and in what ways is your daughter ahead?  What kinds of things can she do that make her stand out?  (I'm not doubting you, just honestly curious).

She knows her colors, ABCs (has since about 18 months), and can count to 20. Her vocabulary is astounding, and she's very articulate. She can follow 2 and 3 step directions. I have friends who are teachers who are very impressed with her verbal ability.

That's great & all.  And my 2.5yo has known all of those things since she was barely 2.  Yay for her too.  Knowing such things at that age is in no way, shape or form any predictor for sending a child to Kindergarten early.  I stand by my earlier statement of letting this bright child be a kid & learn through play & other enrichment activities.  No need to rush school. 

LanaM

you could sign her up for some other classes.... like Kumon.... I've heard really good things about them.

Chrisy-Wyobride

My DD goes to Montessori & if your child is ahead academically Montessori is a good place to look at because the child is able to do work at their own pace.  She should start next Fall in Montessori though, not in Kindergarten in 2011.  Real Montessori schools do 3yr tracts (you should know this stuff because of your education, right?)---the first tract is 3-4-5yr olds (so basically preschool, pre-k & K).  The kids that age range are all in one room together.  So what you are describing about your DD being in a 4yr old room & thriving is what is completely typical for a Montessori Primary classroom.  In my DD#1s classroom (3-6yr olds) kids are reading & writing stories, doing fairly complex math, geography, biology, learning Chinese & Spanish, ect....the level they are at, depends on the kid.  It's certainly not like a typical play-based preschool.  That being said my DD#2 is almost exactly your DDs age & she also can do everything you described...as well as play w/ & keep up w/ her 5yr old sister & her sister's friends (who is only in 'pre-k' year in Montessori BTW) in a lot of aspects.  But it's still nothing like their level of maturity, deductive reasoning, seeing consequences of actions, impulse control, etc. I would never consider trying to push her ahead a year based on her being able to regurgitate anything I taught her...like ABC, colors & 1-2-3s, etc.--all that stuff it's pretty typical for that age, especially for a girl & memorization does not equal advanced.  If you think she's gifted, that is something totally different & you should look into a gifted school/program for Kindergarten.  If gifted then she should be extremely intense (about a certain subject or activity), sensitive to patterns (complexities in music, nature, numbers, etc) AND able to see relationships (such as understanding multiple perspectives & consequences of playground injustices).  If so then definitely start looking at other options. I am sure a good teachers would notice & comment on this & should be able to direct you.  You could certainly call & get her tested if you are in any kind of decent sized community.  Good luck.  

Blair11884

She very well maybe advanced intellectually...but that rule is there for maturity purposes as well...my MIL is a kindergarten teacher at a private school and they frequently have this problem and will repeat that student b/c of it.  I know that once she does get into kindergarten by her age...they have programs in public schools called SPARK programs for the advanced students...I know this b/c my little sister was on a 8th grade reading level in kindergarten and was bored at her private school...once or twice a week she went to the public school for the SPARK program that pursued her mental capabilities.  Good luck!