To start Kindergarten or not?

what??

I know ultimately that my husband and I have to make the decision.  My son who is 4 has a late birthday.  It's a week before the cut-off so he would be an early bird to start school.  School starts Sept, his birthday is end of Nov. and children have to be 5 on or before Dec. 1 of that year to begin.  I was so 100% going to hold him back a year because I figured to give him the edge.  He is in his 2nd year of pre-school and his teacher knew of my concern with him being young.  However, he is doing wonderful she said and I can see it too with his work and he is up to par academically, socially and emotionally with his class.  He is the youngest in his class as almost everyone just turned or will be turing 5.  He writes his first and last name wonderfully, colors great, letters, numbers up to par and they get kindergarten homework to do once a week.  I feel he is totally ready now even though I did re-register him for pre-k again.  I just think he will be bored.  Some people say hold back or not to, some teachers say they would send him.  I just don't know.  I think he would make it fine in kindergarden but then how would he do once 3 and 4 th grade came, I don't know!  I will never have a late birthday baby again - LOL!  He is constantly on the go at home and always wants my attention and wants to play that part of me feels he is the type of kid who can can use school for 6 hours a day now.  Your take?  Thanks!

Jamaica_Bride

I would send him unless there a distinct area of concern (ie speech).

DandelionMom

If you think he's ready and his teacher thinks he's ready, send him.

Zenya

I would trust the teachers with this.  And your gut, of course!

what??

He is in speech but nothing crazy and this is his last year of it.

JOEBunny

This was myself as a child.  Send him.  I graduated early from high school, college, and had an MBA by 23. 

AggieCouple

If he is ready, I would send him.  My sister was in a similar situation (but one year up from where you are) and held back her son; he was also born in November, and after pre-K, he was reading/writing well beyond the 2nd grade level.  He would have been 6 that November, but she went ahead and enrolled him in kindergarten, despite his teachers' advice to enroll him in 1st grade.  And she says she regretted it, not because of his boredom, but because the learning effectively just stopped for a year.  He's a docile kid, so he didn't act out from his boredom, so she never had that issue.  But she says she felt like for an entire year, he was simply not picking up anything new.  If you are putting him back in pre-k, wouldn't he be exposed to pretty much the same curriculum?  

what??

Yup, he would be learing the same stuff all over again and theis school's 4 yo program is wonderful and really gears them up for kindergarten!

what??

Sorry for my typos!

Chrisy-Wyobride

I was that kid & did fine in school academically & socially.  But the boys in my class that were young didn't have really have problems academically but socially they were far behind the guys that were a year older.  They got picked on a lot & ignored by the girls.  Plus I'll admit, I would not want my son the smallest boy in class, especially if he was interested in sports.  So I probably would hold back my kid if he was small &/or socially immature --but I'd have done it before starting Preschool (or have them do a different preschool so they wouldn't repeat a grade so to speak.  I have the opposite problem--my DD will be 6 before your son & will be in the same "class" as him (she's starting K in the Fall)--because the cut-off here is Oct1 & she's 6 on Oct 4th.  But she's in Montessori school so even if she were to do Pre-K again, she's still be learning new things.  At her school the parents typically have their young boys do one year of traditional preschool & then 2 yrs of Montessori preschool.  In her school they learn to read & do simple math in Pre-K year--it's so different than a lot of typical preschools.  But she's gonna be an amazon child--she's taller than most of the kids a year or 2 ahead of her...socially I really wish I could have put her in the grade ahead.   

GreenEggs&Ham

I have a Jan daughter and an Oct son, so when they get to that point, i will have to decide also.....

Another thing to maybe think about and that I never considered until my cousin said brought it up is age they go to college.  She is choosing to wait in part because she wants the kid to go to college with just one more year of maturity under his belt.  I never thought of it until she said it, but it does make me think...I know there are responsible 17 year old and irresponsible 19 year olds...but when I think back to college and the stupid stuff that went on, I do kinda think about what my cousin said.....