Does Skipping a Grade in Elemntary School Help or Harm your child?

Regina - posted on 10/24/2009

as everyone else has said you know your child best but here's my 2 cents : we skipped my 4th grader to 6th grade this year at first the emotional roller-coaster was on most days for her but 2 months in and she has adjusted to the point of being bored again, homeschooling didn't work for us (shes smarter than me so i couldn't make it challenging) but it is an option and there are some great online schools out there that help a lot.Kids will find friends whether in the neighborhood ,school, within family so i really don't find socialization to be an issue. if your child is that far ahead talk to the teacher and get the schools opinion they will go over it all with you and help with your decision making process , if you decide to skip then advocate , advocate ,advocate because again no one knows your child like you do.

Theresa - posted on 10/22/2009

My son skipped 3rd. The teacher suggested it and she felt it would be a good fit because he was already in a 3rd grade pull out program (as a 2nd grader) and he knew some of the kids. The pull out program was run by parent volunteers and coverd math, science and literature. He adjusted well because of the relationships that were already established. He als is socially at the same level as his classmate peers.



I have a daughter who is currently in 3rd and is bored to tears, but she is the youngest in her class (mid-August birthday) and doesn't have any connections to the class above her. For those social reasons we will not advance her. I do take a day off from work each week to do pull out groups with each of my children because otherwise they will not be adequately challenged.



I think it is dependent on the child and the staff you have to work with.

Catherine - posted on 10/22/2009

Hi, I'm new to this group and am wondering if I should have my daughter skip kindergarten. She is in the class now and she just turned 6. The class consists of pre-k and k. She actually wanted me to zip her coat up this morning (something she knows how to do) and I asked her if she has the teachers do it at school and she gave me a look like "yes mom". So I figured that the other younger kids all have to have it done for them so she wants it done for her. It sounds like regression to me. Next year she will be in a 1-2 grade class so I will definately be asking if she can do the 2nd grade work and then go on to 3rd grade the year after.

M A - posted on 10/21/2009

We had planned to do this, but our parochial school said no. Ultimately, i am glad we did not bc I realized they are only young for such a short period of time... why push them to become adults a year sooner??! I add "mom work" to keep my kids well beyond grade level. =)

Ellen - posted on 10/19/2009

some schools let the child try out some subjects in the advanced grade and if it works out they can transition to the full day there.....we did that and it worked very well. My son skipped 2nd grade with no problems. He is now in grad school in Physics.....we eventually had to put him in a private school as the public Middle School just wasn't going to work for him. The private school was the best thing we ever did.

Sonja - posted on 10/14/2009

The problem is that skipping one grade will still leave him academically advanced, from what you describe. It would take a multi-year jump to have him working at his ability level. Many people do homeschool or use virtual schools that will provide the academic piece. My husband and I do not have the stamina to home school, so we went with a gifted magnet school that is public, no tuition, and requires testing to get in. He did not grade advance technically, but the program is academically 1yr ahead in math and 2 ahead in reading. It is working out well for us so far (just started in Sept). Unfortunately, this is only an option if such a program exists in your area. We did open enroll him to a neighboring school district to have this option and thus have to drive. If we were in a small town, it would not be an option.

Jessica - posted on 10/13/2009

Thanks, for your advice. We have the rest of the year to decide but it just doesnt seem like enough time. ya know?

He missed the birthday cut off by 3 days. So, age wise he wont be that far behind. He tends to make friends with older kids. And he is tall for his age. Its so hard.

Thanks again for your advice!!

Shannon - posted on 10/11/2009

You know your child the best, so I will tell you MY personal experience with being accelerated in elementary school. I was glad to be academically challenged, but did feel more emotional immature than my peers...My best friend's parents were offered the same choices and opted out. She had fewer socialization issues than i.

Susan - posted on 10/10/2009

My son skipped 5th grade. Today he is 14 years old, he's in 10th grade, he took algebra I in 8th grade skipping pre-algebra, he also took a 10th grade science class in 8th grade and he's taking a college english class at the Indian River State College. My son is homeschooled. Actually, he does public school online, FLVS (Fl. virtual school).

Do I hear a socialization question coming up? That all depends on the parents. My son most definitely has a social life. There is a P.E homeschooled group in my area which he belongs to. He is also in soccer. There he has made all types of friends; public, private, and homeschooled alike. We also belong to an umbrella school that helps us out with keeping track of highschool credits and things of that nature. There he attends co-ops and he goes on many field trips with them. They also provide graduation ceremonies and of course, "the prom" Where he has gotten most of his closest friends though, has been in our church youth group. Anyway, if your child is THAT advanced I wouldn't hold him back. Homeschooling is at the very least an option worthy of checking out. It has been a HUGE blessing to us in accomodating him.

Hope this helps.

Lisa - posted on 10/08/2009

Jessica,

I have two very gifted sons and have faced your dilema first hand. My oldest is now in 8th grade and he skipped kindergarten (a long time ago) He is so far ahead acedemically that he could skip another grade, but the problem is social issues for boys when the are the youngest. He is going to be the last to hit his growth spurt, the last to drive, the last to be interested in dating, etc... These issues are REALLY important once they hit junior high. So I am glad that we only skipped one grade. I would feel so sorry for him if he were starting out 9th grade at only 12 yrs old!!! It was hard enough in eighth, but he is able to blend in. He doesn't play football because all the kids in his grade are about 30-40 lbs. heavier than he is. If he were in 7th this year, he would have a blast playing football. So you have to think of them when they are older than elementary. Hope it helps...

Sandy - posted on 10/08/2009

This is really hard as you really have to know your child. We skipped my daughter from 1st to 2nd grade. I know it was the right choice academically however she is really struggling emotionally. She is in 4th grade now and I assumed she would get better socially and emotionally as she got older but sometimes I am not sure we made the right choice. I am glad she is being challenged academically but I am afraid she is going to have a hard time all through school.



If we had the choice again I am not sure we would have made the same choice. I think we would have but from a social standpoint I am not sure. You really need to look at all angles before you make this decision. There is no right or wrong answer and only you can decide. There are pros and cons to both choices.



Good luck with your decision.