Need Advise on Early Kindergarten Enrollment

T., don't know if this is an option for you but in my town we have private schools that offer pre-k that is only for 4 Yr olds. I think that might be a better fit instead of spending 2 years in kindergarten.

Good Luck,
S..

hi T.,

I did the same with my son who also has a January birthday. He attended a private kindergarten early on, and repeated it when he was old enough. He did not have any problems. We enrolled him because he was ready to do more, and he needed to be with an older group of kids.

I'm doing the same with my 5 year old twins.

Just my 2 cents.

I would suggest looking for a preschool that has a challenging and physically active curriculum for 4 year olds if there is one in your area. Your son will be really young for starting kindergarten in the fall, and 2 years of kindergarten may give him the impression that he did something wrong the first time or feel repetitive/boring to him.
You might also want to call the board of education in your town and find out if they have someone that could advise you about what's best for your son developmentally. All kids are different. There might be extra things that you could do at home to keep him challenged too.

Hi T.,

I am a Kindergarten teacher in Maine. I have a son who is about to turn 6 and is in Kindergarten at this time. My daughter just turned 4 in December. I wouldn't even think of enrolling her in a Kindergarten and actually she wont even go to Preschool until the fall. She is very smart (knows all of her letters and sounds and can write several words already - she can even count to 100.) I think that you should allow him to be a child. Enroll him in Preschool and let him play and learn routines and socialization. Take him places and offer lots of experiences. Let him develop naturally and don't push it. This may sound harsh, but I truly believe it. My kids are enjoying being kids. Keep in mind that even though a child is as smart as another, it doesn't mean that they are developmentally on their level, both physically and emotionally. The best place for a child is with others that are similar in all aspects.

This is just my opinion - because you asked! Take care and good luck to you!

I just spoke with my pediatrician about this same thing yesterday. My son is 4 (birthday late November) and is in his second year of preschool. He writes, reads, & does math, so I thought the academic challenge would be important. We reviewed his other attributes, however - he is in the 50th percentile for heght & weight - being younger means that he would be smaller than most of the other boys. His sports/gross motor abilities are poor to average - sounds like a silly concern, but it is important to think about it long term. We also talked about his current classroom demeanor - he is not the shy kid, but he is also not the leader. Based on looking at all these important school related items (not just academics), I am confident we will hold him back & continue academic challenges at home. On a personal note, my doctor told me that she was in the same situation with her own son (he was reading Harry Potter at age 4) so they sent him to kindergarten early, ended up repeating it, decided to change schools, skipped a grade, and basically pulled the kid around. She said that in his elementary school yearbook coming out this spring he wrote that the most important thing he learned at school was how to make friends. You say that your son is ready for more than preschool - I am not sure what the "more" is, but when it comes down to it, readiness for school is more about social readiness than academic readiness. So, if you think he is socially ready, then it may be fine to send him. If he needs an academic challenge you may consider a tutor or putting together things on your own from a local teacher supply store - prepare him with all the confidence he needs before the challenge.

Hi T.!
As a parent of a Kindergartener I've found it very challanging, the tansistion from short days in pre-school to a full day was a big change for both her and myself.I also thought of early enrollment because she misses the cut off date and was 6 in Sept. she is actually the oldest in her class but she had the toughest time adjusting-not to the work-she loves the work and is actually already reading very well-but socially it was tough on her.That's a tough call to make but whatever you decide will be fine, you know what you and your son can handle.

hi T... I am not sure where you live but the federal law for K enrollment is they must be 5 by september 1st to enroll in K . I am work in a school department. I belive this is true for all schools private and public.

Any way if you feel he is bored and needs to be challenged how about extra curricular things for him, organized sports, language class ... he is four and right now kids benefit from the social aspects of learning. They learn best through play at this age, problem solving, rreasoning, concepts memory and attention need to be built upon... etc... perhaps look into a more challenging preschool for next year?? I ran into this dilema also with my four year old son and his preschool. I was afraid he would be bored and not challenged in pk, however, the social skills, and life lessons he has learned and tried to explore and grow from have mad me realize he is still 4 and needs these intercations to learn, gain confidnece and experiment with his responses etc... Good luck

Hi T..

I'm responding as a child herself who was placed in school too early and skipped several grades. I started in kindergarten at 4, then they (my parents/school) skipped me up to first grade mid-way through and at the end of first grade, they skipped me through all of second and into third grade. It was great that I was smart enough to perform on par with older kids academically, but it was an awful experience for me because I was no where close in age, nor did I possess the same emotional or physical maturity as the other kids around me. We couldn't identify with each other and it made growing up very awkward and difficult. I was constantly picked on & teased by much, much, larger and older kids (since I was basically 6 or 7 in third grade) who thought I was a teacher's pet and a runt and I wouldn't recommend this situation for any child - ESPECIALLY for a boy.

I strongly agree with the other parents and teacher who've responded here - even if the course material isn't a challenge, your child will still be building interpersonal and emotional skills and bonding with kids his age, which is also crucial to his development and well-being. Besides, it's embarassing to be held back, and even more boring going through the course material a second time. To help get me back down a grade or two so I could be with kids my own age, my parents made me repeat a grade, even though I was an honor-roll student. That didn't work well either for me, needless to say. Like the saying goes - once it's out you can't really put the toothpaste back in the tube!

I hope this information helps. Good luck with your decision.

R.

I would consider other sources of stimulation in lieu of private kindergarten; e.g., dance class, gymnastics, karate, kindermusic or Susuki violin or other music, language instruction etc. Most likely this little guy will have to sit in a chair and follow someone else's schedule for about 17 years anyway.

Been there, done that.

merrykays

I think that you should wait a while before you enroll your son in private shcool. Lots of public schools will have as many oppurtunities to be challenged. Maybe he will choose to go to private school some day. But as for now you can't really know if he needs a challenge or not. All he needs is a someone that believes he can acomplish the impossible, and he will.

Hi T.-

I am one of those early kindergarten kids. I didn't turn 16 until my senior year and I didn't turn 21 until my senior yr of college. Not too much of a problem for me but I think with boys, it is very important for them to feel physically and intellectually on par with their piers. Especially when it comes to sports, I am sure you dont want him to be the smallest kid in his class.If you think your son is ready now, put him in and then DEFINITELY hold him back one more year. A lot easier holding him back now than in learning when he is in 6th grade that the teacher thinks he might need to repeat.

Just observe in the class room before choosing. I put my three in, and it was awful, new teacher, new assistant teacher, and a new director. There was a bully in the class, it took til February before the new teacher learned it was ok to say STOP even when he was hurting. She misunderstood the positive redirecting to mean never say no or stop. Sigh. Only four children went there the next year. I heard they made a lot of changes. Ask to see pictures, look for them to be spread out, not on a couple of days. Some schools have planned dog and pony shows, a couple of times a year. Avoid these. They put the kids through heck trying to get everything done for it and the wear and tear on the kids and teachers is very obvious. Ones that really know what they are doing are always on, and able to showcase the program they offer, at a moments notice. Don't just go on reputation, go there. See if it is a good fit for your kid. Does he need physical activity everyday? Acedemics, or strictly Developmental? Computers? Art in different mediums? Enrichment comes in lots of ways. Some are more structured, some are less. What enviroment does your son thrive in? I switched schools the second year, and couldn't be happier, and my son is thriving. And the lesson learned for me was good, parents need to advocate, and inspect. What was said would be wasn't when held up to inspection. Now I know, and it is a world of difference. Good luck.

my daughter began kindergarten at age 4. her birthday is december therefore i had the option of waiting.i chose to send her, she seemed ready and really wanted to go. she did fine in school evevn though she was the youngest. she turned 5 while the rest of her class turned 6.this wasnt a problem because she was smart and did fine academically. the problem began in middle and highschool.she got her licence a year after all her friends, she was a year behind in her maturity. meening dating was an issue. i felt she was too young but everyone in her grade was and they were a year older so this was ok for them. she will be graduating this year at age 17 and going to college at 17 is real scary for me.if i could do it again i would have waited just so she could have friends all her age and not a year older. he may be academically ready but is his maturity level there, and will it be when hes older and all his friends are older than him?i know high and middle school are a long way off but its really not that long.i would wait if i was you.

Won't he be bored repeating Kindergarten the following year? I say keep him where he is.

Hi T.,

As a Master's level Early Childhood professional with 17 years working with young children (including as a Kindergarten teacher), and as a parent, my advice is to just relax and let your boy enjoy his childhood.

He'll be in school for formal education for a very long time, but these early years of just being a kid are here and gone so fast. If he does not have any delays or special needs and has skills that are about right or advanced for his age, then you are obviously doing something right. If he needs some socialization, join a play group or enroll him in a pre-K program (not child care) a couple of hours a day 2-3 times a week. If you think he needs a bit of challenge to keep him stimulated, a high quality pre-K program with other 4 year olds should give him that. You can also provide stimulating activities at home that can challenge him. Math and science activities are great fun, challenging, and allow you to spend quality time with him, which is what he really needs at this point in his young life. Gardening, grow rock crystals, scavenger hunts that you put together, providing opportunity for him to further explore topics already of interest to him (such as dinosaurs, bugs, counting, creating patterns and puzzles, sorting and categorizing...kids love that stuff!).
Early years are certainly learning years, but the learning at this point should be done through play, not formal programs focused on academics.

As for boys needing more, sometimes they do, but they usually are much happier and ready to learn if they have plenty of playful ways to do so and plenty of time to relax and just be kids. Good luck with this important decision. I hope my advice is helpful as you make your decison.

You can also visit the principal of the school he will attend for Kindergarten and discuss what skills he will need to be ready to learn when he does start K. That way you can work on those skills in a playful way at home where he can relax and have fun with you.

I agree with your other 2 responses I have read - remember it's important to consider social and emotional readiness in kids, not jsut intellectual and academic skills. I'd opt for preschool for social and group skills and fun study at home to keep him interested. --S. H.

T.: I work at an educare system and the Kindergarten program is set up so that children who are 5 in September enroll in kindergarten. We have an awesome Pre-K class that is suitable for four year olds. The teachers work with them on math, writing and all of that. Both of my children went to this school (prior to me working there)and are currently doing awesome in their respective grades (2nd and 5th). My son who is a November baby was able to read sight words in Pre-K and the teachers ensured that he would be challenged throughout the school year, and he was. While he was academically ready for kindergarten he was not socially or emotionally ready for it. I hope that this is helpful to you and good luck on your search.

Hi T.,
I am the same age as you and I have a set of 13 year old twins and i found that when they were 4 i enrolled them in a great headstart program that went mon-fri 1/2 day and they did wonderful in that but if it had been anymore than that i believe it would have been too much for them. they handled the 1/2 day great but they still needed the time that they had at home to still be my babies. Also the headstart program was offered through the school system that the still attend to this day so they were already familiar with thier surroundings when they did start kindergarten--it was the same school and in fact the same exact classroom. I found also that it took time for me as a mother to adjust to the new routine. it was hard for me at first to let my babies go. I work full time but i have a schedule that is not ever the same--its 6-2 but it changes weekly so i have some w/es off and some weekdays off so i felt the change of not having them home during the days believe me. Its a big change. Kids also have to deal with being away from you and thats difficult in itself. My son and my daughter both had a bit of that seperation anxiety at first. They were a bit confused because they like school and making friends but they felt apprehensive about being away from home also. Its good to let them grow but just not too fast. Check your area for any headstart programs that might be available to you. I was not able to afford a private school for them -if you can thats wonderful also I just would not start a kindergarten program a year early in my opinion. the headstart is more social and working with letters and numbers ect but more on the social side than actual kindergarten schooling and also if he does it this year and then has to repeat it you may find that he is bored the second time around and wont keep his interest. Good luck and let me know how you make out.
R.

I haven't gone this route, but I do have experience in child development, and I always love to give my opinion! Honestly, I come from the philosophy that there is no need to get kids to grow up faster than nature intends. If you do private kindergarten, then have him repeat (because work is no school will cave in, letting a younger child start early), he will just be bored in public school...If it were me, I would spend the money you would spend on private Kindergarten and invest it in some nice enrichment activities...music lessons,art classes, museum programs, etc...those will keep him busy, his mind active and maybe he will find a passion...my son found his passion (he is now 8) when he was 4...he fell in love with history from our trips to museums...now he is known as the school history buff, is a member of a fife and drum corp that is very active in the community (parades and other events). Sorry I can't give you advise the other way. Good luck!

I had a similar situation because my middle child was born in September and thus spent two years in pre-school (public school won't even consider early enrollment here). She is one of the oldest in her kindergarten which I believe is far better than being one of the youngest.... She has told me stories about a few children who always need help with their jackets and coats (understandable) or who cry for their mommies when things don't go their way (don't want to focus on the material). You know your child.... Private kindergarten wasn't an option for us but you can supplement pre-school with an activity that she can meet older kids at (town soccer or art classes, dance, whatever).... Just make sure it's fun and your child doesn't get overwhelmed (I dropped dance class because it was too much with kindergarten). I like the zoo and there are a lot of programs that are offered for small kids. 4 is a great age - enjoy!