Son starting school to soon?

Sheri - posted on 12/15/2008

Your school should hold an interview during the summer. Share your thoughts w/them before you go. They can give him individual attention. BUT, I say go w/your gut. A mom is the best resource. Did know that boys are slower to develop than girls; physically and emotionally. They tend to be less mature, especially socially.
Though a May birthday still allows a bit of time for growth. Play it day by day.
Good luck and remember, you need to go w/your gut. There is nothing but good that can come of holding off until the next year if he's just not ready. Too early will only cause stress and anxiety for the little fellow. And that will carry w/him throughout.
I wish you a happy holiday! Keep being a good mom.

Brittany - posted on 12/14/2008

I think the thing to remember here is that Momma knows best, if you don't think he is ready to start school don't send him, wait until next year rolls around, he will be perfectly fine. What can it hurt to wait a year, take your time, and prepare him a bit more? Follow your heart and things will turn out fine. I think if you take and put a child into a situation that they are not ready for they are going to become stressed out and that never turns out good. Anyways keep him home another year, he might be a bit older than the other children, but none of them are going to notice till it comes time for them to start driving ( scary I know, and many years away, Thank God! ) But then he will be the cool kid in class who is driving first. Ah those wonderful high school days ahead. But anyways like I said you know what is best for him so follow your heart and it will all turn out okay. Good Luck!

Cari - posted on 12/12/2008

I have two boys -- one is 4 and one is 5 (12 months apart). They are September babies, so are the oldest in their classes. Both my boys are in Pre-K this year and my oldest will start Kindergarten in the Fall. I highly suggest a Pre-K program or mother's day out or whatever you can find in your area -- even if it is half days or a few days a week. Start him out slow NOW so he is able to transition to Kindergarten next year. And, I agree with everyone else -- the teacher should let you know if there is a problem and he can always repeat the class -- it won't be a problem and the other kids won't even notice! Good luck!

Kim - posted on 12/12/2008

My son had to sit out an extra year beccause his birthday fell after the cut off. He is a September baby. I am so happy that he had the extra year to grow mentally and emotionally. I personaly think that boys should not start until they are almost 6 because they are not emotionally ready, in my opinion.

Hilary - posted on 12/12/2008

if your school system has a 1/2 day kindergarden option, you could try that. I also know that there are alot of pre-schools that have a 5 year old program. I would go with your feelings and judgement. Nothing would be lost by starting him a year later, there are kids in my daughters 1st grade class who just turned 8. I think that you have to trust yourself to decide what is best for him, that's why we're parents. Best of luck!

Jenni - posted on 12/10/2008

always follow your own instincts. My son is just turning 4. He's in a pre-k class right now. He's a little behind in his writing skills because he just finally decided which hand he wanted to consistently write with. Pre-k is great because it gives them the basics, discipline to pay attention, social skills, the fundamentals of writing, math & science. It's a great way to assess where your child is.

Stephanie - posted on 12/07/2008

Let him stay home with you and be a kid another year. He'll have his whole life to be grown up.
I held my twin girls back last year. They started kindergarten this fall. They're doing great. Top of their class, and so much better behaved than most of their classmates. Last year they were smart enough to go, but too squirrel-y. you know? attention span of a gnat, then they'd go all silly. I decided I'd rather have them really ready instead of always playing catch up.
Anyway, we spent last year going to the park or playing at the house. We also practiced the kindergarten curriculum. The school kind of looked at me funny when I signed them up this year(they turned 6 at the end of October), but I'm completely happy with what we decided to do.
just make sure you're happy with your decision and stick to it. you'll be fine.

Wabi - posted on 12/06/2008

It really depends on your own assessment since you will know your son better than anyone else on his capabilities emotionally and academically. My daughter was a young Kindergartner, academically she was 'above the chart' She attended Private Kindergarden at 4 and her teacher had recommended she could go straight into 1st grade and skip public Kinder. We decided to nix the jump in grade and enrolled her in K. Academically she was still ahead of her class, but emotionally--she was behind when it came to interacting with kids. As the years progressed, she can hold her own academically, but due to her being 'younger' , her behaviors can sometimes be challenging.
So it really comes down to your own comfort level with your child and how you think he will fare. Both the pro and the con.

Michelle - posted on 12/06/2008

You know in the uk they start kindergaten the septemeber before their forth birthday

Mia - posted on 12/05/2008

YES! You will be suprised at how fast he picks up just from being around the other children, and after all isnt that what school is for, to learn..... so he's learning, making friends and having fun and with all this combined he will be on his way to catching up in no time and the teachers are really patient at this age and grade as well. But I think holding him back an extra year will only worry you more, so why not, I think he will love it! My oldest son didnt attend pre-k he went straight to kindergarten and he did excellent, he loved it!

Sarah - posted on 12/05/2008

my son is 4 and he just started jk and he loves it. He loves that he gets to interact with other kids for a few hours a day. He loves all of the stuff that they do and he's learning a lot.Before school, he was throwing a lot of tantrums and stuff like that and he walsys wanted what he wanted when he wanted it but when he started school and was with all the other kids and stuff like that, i found that he calmed right down. is he in daycare at all?? or has he had any interactions with other children (playdates, daycare, etc.)?? Usually no news is good news, if you haven't heard anything about his tests then everything is probably okay but you should maybe try to call them just to be sure. Good luck to you

Aimee - posted on 12/05/2008

Does your town have a child screening? Ours is called Child Find. They test the kids in various areas and determine if they are developmentally ready. They may find that he just needs the social interaction and he'll progress on his own, or they may provide that extra little assistance that he needs.

Jessica - posted on 12/05/2008

I'm not sure about your school, but my daughter's school has DK, Developmental Kindergarten, which is geared towards kids who are age appropriate for kindergarten, but not quite ready for it. I'd check to see if this is offered where you live. If not, I would probably still enroll him & just go in with the mind set that while he may struggle, it will help him develop socially at the very least. Hope that helps! Best of luck!

Natashia - posted on 12/04/2008

I have a 4 year old that is attending jk. He loved the first three weeks and we have had issues since then. I have drove him to school and left him there and he was fine when I did that. I have tried everyhthing to get him to go. I think he is suffering from seperation anxiety from me. He is very attached to me and that seems to be his biggest issue. I have tried everyones suggestions and nothing still. He is very smart and ready intellectually but I don't think he is emotionally. May have to pull him out for the rest of the year. My fear is if I do that is he going to go through the same process next year when he has no choice to attend. He can figure out things and I know he will try next year to repeat this next year. Any suggestions. I would say from my experience; go with your gut when it comes to your child. Mom usually knows best when it comes to their children.

Sarah - posted on 12/04/2008

My son is an August baby as well and we weren't sure when to put him in. I had him repeat kindergarten because I felt that he was not emotionally ready. I say go with your instinct and if you do decide to put him in he can always repeat if you wan. Repeating kindergarten did not have a negative affect on my son. Try not to stress about it. You still have plenty of time and your son can mature leaps and bounds by then. You can always plan a meeting with your one of the schools kindergarten teacher to get input. I'm sure they would be willing to help.

MaryJo - posted on 12/03/2008

I was unsure also about enrolling my son (August baby so he just made the cut off). His preschool teacher told me to go ahead and enroll him. If he doesn't do well, he can repeat Kindergarden. However, if you don't think he's ready, I don't think there is anything wrong with putting him pre-K instead. I think my son is not as emotionally mature as some of his classmates.

Amanda - posted on 12/03/2008

Is your son in daycare or at home with you? You may find that if you enroll him he'll see the other kids learning and having fun he may join right in and start catching up a little faster. You could try and get him into preschool so he's prepared a little better for what to expect and get a routine going. Every kid learns at a different rate, and if no one's gotten back to you on the testing chances are there's nothing wrong. But to be sure you get on them to find out what the tests say. All you can do is try him with school and see what happens. If he's not ready, keep him home another year. Good luck! :)