When to start kindergarten?

moosemax · February 2009

Obviously, I know that my child is too young now!! LOL!...but I was wondering what other moms say on this.

My nephew is going to be 6 in August. He will start kindergarten in September. My MIL and I were talking about this. I said that I will not wait until DS is 6 (he was also born in August) to start kindergarten. Unless he shows that he is truly NOT ready at 5. My MIL went on to tell me that for July, August and September boys, you should always wait to put them in school a year because they are never ready and are too hyper. This is the reason that my nephew hasn't started yet. She got to my BIL.

My thought was put them in kindergarten when they are 5 and if they don't do well socially or mentally, have them redo kindergarten. Am I right or is she??

Amy Schramm · February 2009

I have an August boy. He'll start when he's 6-- that's just the preference for most of the schools we want to send him to around here.

punkfiction · February 2009

well ideally you will know bc you will have your child in preschool. so if you have a capable, on mark, 4 year old, then they will recommend that you go ahead to K at 5. if he is not ready yet - they'll let you know. but i would most certainly have a 3rd party evaluate the capacities of your child bc of "mother blinders".

punkfiction · February 2009

oh and to add. sawyer is july 30. ideally she will go when she is 5. six is way too old for K imo.

johnsoar · February 2009

Well, "no child left behind" kind of makes schools push the kids on to the next grade level. So, I'm guessing you will not be able to have him redo kindergarten.

My mom has also said the same thing about boys with summer birthdays and holding them back. No clue if she is right but I think you will have to be the judge when the time comes.

Brookie-Cookie · February 2009

interesting, usually it's the other way. people trying to put their kids in early. River will turn 5 in June 2013 and he will start kindergarten in September 2013. Barring any unforseen circumstances of course.
She's full of it about all boys needing to wait until the following year. Isn't it mandated by your city/state at all?

punkfiction · February 2009

as for the "boy" thing. my DH and my brother are late summer bdays and were the youngest in their class. they did just fine. *shrug*

tobeMrsSzabo · February 2009

I started when I was 5 and was born in August. I was almost skipped a grade. My brother started when he was 6 and was born in October (my mom had to wait to send him according to our school regulations) and he ended up staying back one year. I think it depends on the child but I would not hold my child out of school if they were allowed to start at 5 according to the school.

MsTammy · February 2009

In my area, you have to be 5 before September. DS#1 is an october baby, so he had to wait a year. Had he been born earlier, he would have went at 5years old. I don't buy into that boys need more time to learn crap.

babygroves · February 2009

The school I teach at he would be considerd a young one. We prefer that they enter at 6 years of age. We have had a few 5 year olds enter, these are boys that could read, add and subtract and tell you every state on the map. GL with your choice!

Hibiscus2007 · February 2009

My MIL feels that same way...she was talking about this very thing the other day. She feels boys just are not ready at 5, IMO I think you know if he is ready or not when the time comes.

moosemax · February 2009

Brookie-Cookie:
Isn't it mandated by your city/state at all?

I haven't looked into it yet. It was just conversation at this point...and it got me thinking. I obviously, have time to figure it out!!

lizzie53084 · February 2009

DS is in K. He turned 5 on august 22nd and school started august 18th. He must not be too young because he is keeping up with everyone, even the 6 yearold and made honor roll on the last report card. Every kid is different. If yours has trouble then they can repeat it, no biggie.

Hibiscus2007 · February 2009

What would that mean for DS with a May birthday...He will turn 5 in May and start in August and won't be six until the end of the school year but if I waited until he was 6 then he would turn 7 while still in K...I think that is way too old for K...I dunno?!?

katydid2007 · February 2009

DS was born July 30. I will wait and see if he is emotionally/mentally ready to start when he is 5. I would not want him to be left back. I think that can be emotionally difficult for a child to see his friends move on to first grade while he stays back? No way.

I am leaning towards starting at 6. I was born in October and started K when I was 4 years old. Looking back, my parents should have kept me back for a year and let me start K when I was 5 (soon to be 6) instead. I would have benefited greatly... from elementary school right up to, and including, law school.

spunkielexis196 · February 2009

I have the dilemma that my DS was born 6/14, however he wasn't due until 7/25, so when the time comes we are going to have to decide to let him enter at 5 or wait a year for him to turn 6. Either way, I don't think either decision could be call "wrong" whatever is the best for your child will be the right answer.

Summerly2 · February 2009

It totally depends on the kid and you won't be able to really know until he's much older anyway. DS has a late September birthday, but makes the cutoff to start this coming year. He will technically be 4 when they start and will turn 5 a few weeks later.

He's ready. All his teachers at preschool tell me this repeatedly and I'm not too worried about that aspect of it. I'm going to miss him like crazy though

mabst196 · February 2009

Hibiscus2007:
What would that mean for DS with a May birthday...He will turn 5 in May and start in August and won't be six until the end of the school year but if I waited until he was 6 then he would turn 7 while still in K...I think that is way too old for K...I dunno?!?

He would start at 5. I think most people wondering about their DC's born in the summer/fall. That is where the issue typically lies.

babygroves · February 2009

What lots of people don't know is that Kindergarten is NOT required.

ugabrat@yahoo.com · February 2009

I was an October baby and was almost 6 when I started K. I could have started a year earlier but my mom felt it would do me good to wait another year. DS is a May baby so he will start in Sept. 2013 (he will be 5) barring any unforeseen circumstances. However, if we do have another DC and they are July/August babies then I would want to have them start at 5 also.

jenifairies · February 2009

If my kids are 5 by Sept 1st, they'll be in school. That's the cutoff, that's what I'm going with. I'm not going to keep my child out of school a year because "boys are hyper." I think that's a load of BS.

My thought is to actually prepare your child for school so when they are old enough to go, they do well. I think you're right.

moosemax · February 2009

babygroves:
What lots of people don't know is that Kindergarten is NOT required.

I didn't know this. I know that when I was in school...which was a while back...there was Developmental kindergarten and kindergarten. I know that the DK was optional and more like pre-school.

jenifairies · February 2009

Our state has all day kindergarten. It's required.

jenhum · February 2009

Both of my sisters have September birthdays, and they both started when they were 4 (about to turn 5). They hated always being the youngest kids in their class. It didn't matter for a long time, they were both very smart and ready for kindergarten when they started. But in high school, they were the last of their friends to drive, everyone was already away at college when they turned 18, and they will be seniors in college before they can legally drink.

B/c of their experiences, I will probably wait until DD is 6 (August birthday). She is very small, so I think the other kids would be much bigger than her if she was the youngest anyway.

KittenGator · February 2009

DH wants to send her at 5 but I'd prefer to wait and see if she's ready or not.

punkfiction · February 2009

babygroves:
What lots of people don't know is that Kindergarten is NOT required.

it IS required here if the child is 6 before sept 1.

MLJ04 · February 2009

You need to do what is best for the individual child.

Agrippa · February 2009

My parents got me into school early because I could already read. So, I started Kindergarten at 4. I really wasn't mature enough. I spent the first 3-4 years of school as a hyper, disorganized mess.

My brothers, on the other hand, started late, and not only benefited from being one of the oldest in their class, but they were much more capable in the early years.

I also hated not being able to drive until my junior year, or drink until my senior year of college.

Erin Mary Ackerman · February 2009

This subject is near and dear to my heart right now. DD was born 9/5/04 and will be turning 5 this September. Our town is firm with a 5 by September rule for the public kindergarten. All the private schools we were interested in save one (a KLC chain school and for-profit) were firm in the 5 by Septemer stance.

So unless I move to Haverhill (not the best school system), or put her in that one private school, she has to wait an entire year to start K. So she's going into PreK.

It has taken me awhile to get used to the idea that she won't be in K this year, but I have gradually realized it's not going to cause her any harm. She'll be older and more mature (hopefully) than her classmates. I hope when she's 18 going off to college and not 17 it makes a difference. She be one of the first to get her license, so I hope she can model responsibility.

And, selfishly, I'll be glad to "have" her with me at home just the tiniest bit longer. But that's just a perk, not a reason!

Oh, a downside to this is that you'll pay for 2 years of preschool, then one year of PreK then K. It's one extra year of early childhoood education and it can be expensive!

jennhawk · February 2009

First, it's hard on all kids and the teacher when kids start too early. It's especially hard on the kids who aren't ready. Kids are always ready by 6, and sometimes ready by 5. Why rush it?

Though kindergarten may be optional in some places, do you really want your kid to start doing something that almost all the other kids have already been doing for a year?

Please take the possibility of redoing kindergarten very seriously. Social promotion is not always a good idea, but studies have indicated that kids who are held back do not benefit.

Just my two cents. I've been in education for 12 years.

Punk*Mommy · February 2009

I plan on enrolling both of my kids into Kindergarten when they are 5.

DS will be 5 on August 19, 2011.... and DD will be 5 on June 19, 2013.

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