When to Start Kindergarten?

Back when I started K I was only 4! My b-day wasn't until Nov. I think it depends on the child. It never made any difference to me.

If he is academically ready you will do him more harm if you hold him back. Remember in K through about 3 grade the teach to the lowest level. Meaning they teach to the child who knows the least. So if you wait, and next year he ends up being way ahead--then what??

My sons bday is in Jan so he could not go to K when he was 4. I wish he could have. He was ready to read, doing simple math and loved science. Last year when he was 5 I home schooled him for K because He was too far ahead to go to K, but not enough ahead for 1st. So this year he is in 1st grade. At the beginning of the year I would ask him "what did you learn today?" And he would say "all stuff I already knew" SO now I just ask "so what did you do?"

Send him to school. Go by academically ready not age. I wish the school had let me with my son.

My husband asked me if I thought we should keep our son back so he wasn't one of the youngest in his grade (his birthday is in May). I said absolutely not. He's ready - academically, socially, physically. I don't see a need to hold him back a year simply because he'd be one of the youngest in his class. In the "real world" why and when does it matter? It could possibly only matter for a few years in high school. You shouldn't hold his entire life back a year just so he's not the last to drive or date! If he's ready I say send him to school.

Chris
we started our daughter this year in kindergarden and she did not turn 5 until the begining of October. We had some of the same concerns with her, but she is doing really well. Socially she is fine- and most of the kids are 6-12 months older then her. Acadmeically she is also fine. I Think being with older kids she has been pushed a bit. She was the only unitl 1 month ago when we had another and I think that also helped her in school.

I woudl suggest letting your son start school and just stay in constant contact with the teacher. He will become bored if you dont start him and he can also repeat kindergarden if need be.

S.

I was one of the youngest of my grade with a birthday at the end of August. I didn't have much trouble though. I know plenty of people with summer birthdays that haven't had a problem being one of the younger ones. I don't think that it's that big of a deal, because at least your child can get his education earlier. If he's ready, then I say go for it. The other details aren't that big of a deal, because he won't be alone with a July birthday.

If you're worried, think about how he'd feel being extremely older than the rest of his classmates if he were held back a year. Those older kids are the only ones being able to date and drive well before the majority of their classmates can. Also, when I was in high school, my school only allowed parking permits for juniors and seniors so the older sophomores had to park hoping to not get a ticket. I don't know if that's something that a lot of high schools have, but that's something to think about too.

Let us know what you think. I definitely think that if you think he's ready, then go for it!

Hi, I'm 32 now but, I was always the oldest in my grade and I graduated a few months before I turned 18. I too was raised LDS and I was just fine with being the first one to be able to date and have a drivers licence ect.........it will actully be nice for you because my children are the oppisite they wont graduate until they are 18.5 and are the youngest of the group so I'm am having to listen too but, all my friends can date, all my friends have a licence ect...........

My son is is the same boat. His birthday is the end of June and he is a very smart kid. We decided to send him because he was ready. We are LDS too so I thought a little bit about the dating and driving thing, but my husband's birthday is in May which is close to the end of the school year and he said that it didn't really bother him too much. I think for a boy, it's not going to be as big of a deal as it is for a girl. I am so glad that we sent him. He is in 3rd grade now and at the top of his class so to speak. I think if we would have held him back, he would have been completely bored because he would have been ahead of everybody else. But it really comes down to if you think your son is ready. If he is, then I would say send him to Kindergarten. It will all work out.

My (extremely social) sister doesn't seem too terribly bugged about being the youngest in her grade (she's a 10th grader with a July bday). I say make sure you do what's best for him academically!

Each child will be different. You have to do what is best for your family and your son. I know a little boy who started when he was 5 and his mother wishes she had waited. I know lots of moms who waited and haven't regretted it once. I think it is easier to jump a grade than repeat a grade. I am sure that what ever you do he won't won't need theropy over it. I am sure you will do what is best for your son.

My advice is pray,

Same situation here. My Daughter will turn 5 end of August, but I do see there is a complete difference between boys & girls. One more thing to consider: once he has graduated, he can leave straight on a mission. No time to have a year of college first, get distracted and decide not to go. Good Luck!

I agree with a pp, in that it is definitely a decision that you need to make based on your family. It's a tough one for sure, as I have been through it (am still dealing with it). Is he tall? small for his age? socially/emotionally ready? gross/fine motor skills advanced? delayed?

I was young for my grade going through school, and I didn't mind it at all, but I was relatively smart (reading before K), very tall, and very athletic (sports helped with confidence). I have an August 6 yr old boy who is now in first grade. He is huge for his age (wears a size 8), also very athletic, but with poor listening skills, and academically in the bottom half of the class (just barely though).

A couple months ago, I was slightly concerned that we made a mistake, but we now have him in Sylvan tutoring now, and he is doing much better academically. He loves school, has several good friends, and is still taller than most of the kids in his class. I have heard that it is a bad idea to hold them back (studies have shown...), so if you make the decision to send him, stick with it.

On the flip side, my 2nd child (now 2 1/2)is an extrememly smart, tall, athletic, September baby that misses the cutoff for our state. My greatest concern is that he will be bored in school, which might set the stage for problems later. Does your district have an ELP type program that would keep him challenged if you did hold him back?

One other thing to consider is your religion. My brother was held back (August baby), because that's what our 'church' (SDA) suggested you do with boys (he definitely needed it though). Most of the boys in my schools (all private schools) were much older than me, so I would think it would be tough to be a young boy around so many older boys. Will most of his friends be LDS? older? or more mixed? Just a thought.

Hi Chris,

I'm LDS too. And my birthday is in June.

It might be harder for a boy than it was for me to not drive a car. And the to date or not was even less of a concern for me. But then, I was a bit of a geek.

I would suggest not holding him back. The bit of angst he'll get when he is 15 years old is not worth the years of boredom and frustration he'd experience in his earlier and more formative years. And if he's already reading, you'll probably experience a bit of that anyway. So be as involved in his classroom as you can and be a partner with his teachers.

If he seems concerned about it later on, explain your reasoning and know that it will be a phase much more easily cured than other difficulties he may experience.

I have seriously considered not letting my oldest (now 15) not drive until she is 18. Too many teenagers in our neighborhood are getting in fender benders, I don't believe kids should get jobs just to support driving, and we can't afford the insurance.

I have a July Birthday and my daughter has an August birthday. We both have done fine. My daughter is in Kindergarten this year and is already reading at the first grade level. If I had held her back she most likely would be INCREDIBLY bored by the time she did go to school.

It is very important to start school off in a positive light. If kids are bored they are more likely to get mischevious and get in trouble. (I bring this up because you said that your son is already reading and learning math.)

There is no way to predict the future. Most likely there will not be a retention issue, but sometimes kids get sick and miss too much and cannot be passed to the next grade. Also, he might not give a hoot about what your worried about for high school. There are TONS of kids with summer birthdays that will be in the same boat.

Your son sounds ready for school--that is the most important thing to consider.

i was also a summer baby and also very short, so my mom had the same concerns. I was already reading and so she decided to send me anyways. I survived and I am very glad she did. i had older friends that could drive me and I just hung out with my friends until I was 16. I always just had guy friends so I didn't care much about the dating. School dances are over rated, I feel like two years worth were plenty. If you feel he is ready totally send him.

My oldest son's birthday is in July and I had the same problem to consider. My boy was smart but had little social interaction before school. There were no little boys in our neighborhood and girls had cooties and we didn't have money for pre-school. I taught him at home myself. I kept him back, I believed tha he being the oldest in his class would be better for his self esteem. It worked for us. As for dating... He didn't really date until he was in his Senior year, he was more interested in working so he could have a car. Good Luck

Hi Chris,

All three of my boys were born in the summer. Two we started in school when they were 6 and the youngest when he was 5. Boy o BOY (pardon the pun) was that a mistake. Our older boys had more maturity to deal with the difficulties of peer relationships etc. Our youngest has struggled and been much higher maintenence than the other two. If I had to do it again, we would have waited the additional year. They are now 24, 21 and 17 so we are close to being done with public school permanently. If he is misplaced in school, they can always double promote him later, it does not have the stigma of being held back.

Before kids I taught first grade for two years. I saw two classic examples of both sides. This is an question many parents have asked and I think it is a good question to ask because the outcome can greatly effect a childs educational experience. It seems to effect boys more than girls because boys overall develop at a different rate than girls, particularly with small motor skills.

The first side I experienced was the young July-birthday boy. He was short for his age, he read in the bottom half of the class and he knew it (kids figure it all out for themselves and rank themselves without any help from parents or teachers). He was competitive and being short and a slower reader bothered him. It especially bothered him at recess and his frustration carried over into his school work in a major way. Plus, he couldn't hold still as long which effected his listening and he struggled with small motor skills. It was painful for me to discuss handwriting with him when he already struggled with so many other things.

The older July-birthday boy was by far my best student ever. He had the ability to sit still and listen and could remember everything I ever said. He was among the taller kids in class and he had incredible handwriting which every teacher can't help but admit is nice. He was top of the class in all areas. His experience was much more enjoyable.

Based on my experience I would definitely wait. There are so many things you can do with him at home to enhance his education and to learn about the world around him. And, if he's head of the class during his young years than he will have a greater ability and opportunity to be able to enjoy things like sports, arts and music after school too.

I was young for my grade (October birthday), and it wasn't that big of a deal for me. Actually, I was pretty stoked to be out of high school at 17. As for the dating thing, it was probably good that I had to wait till my jr year to date. At the time, it seemed torturous, but really, dating in high school is kind of a joke. At least to me. I thought I was so old and able to handle all the pressures and emotional issues that come with dating, but I wasn't. If he's ready for kindergarten, send him. I'm a kindergarten teacher, and if he was coming to my class, I'd be all for it. He'd be SO bored waiting another year if he's already reading now. Also, summer birthdays are pretty common. He won't be the ONLY one that young. Good luck!

My son's birthday is August 9th, so we were in the same situation. He was very ready for Kindergarten, so against most of the advice we got we went ahead and enrolled him. We have never regretted it! He is in 7th grade now, and has never had any problems. He is small for his age, but that has not seemed to bother him at all. I'm not sure how the driving and dating stuff will go, but so far so good for us!

Chris,
I started kindergarten when I was 5, my birthday is July 25, and was the shortest and youngest in all of my classes. Not a big deal because I could also read and write better than the older kids. I am also LDS and could not date until I was sixteen. It didn't really change much, since in grade school, boys wanted to date and I had to tell them I couldn't. By the time I got to Jr High and High school, everyone knew..."You have to wait for that one." This was great because it deterred the "undesirables" who were too impatient to wait. As far as driving...I didn't get my license until I was seventeen anyhow. My parents used it as leverage, so I had to earn it. This is your decision, you can't protect him from everything in life and these experiences my make him a stronger young man later on. It's also kind of nice knowing that you're younger and smarter than the other kids. He'll manage...All seven of my parent's children did. There are plenty of other kids who are and will be in the same boat as him, he'll survive.