My daughter turns 5 years old one week too late to begin Kindergarten.....?

Question

she wants to start school.....she can count and say the alphabet and knows her colors and can do basic addiction and subtraction.

should I put her in a 4 year old program or let her wait a year for kindergarten?

Answer 1

Every child is different. If you child thinks she is smart enough to start school then I think you should let her. I know she is only 4 getting ready to turn 5 but kids are smarter than you think. How old are her friends and what are their parents doing. You want to make sure that she will also start school the same year as her friends so she won't be alone. But you are her mother and I am sure that you will make the right decision. And so what if she starts school and has to be held back a year. It will only be kindergarten anyways. Sit down and talk to your daughter about it. She kinda knows what she wants. Let this be her decision as well as her father's and yours.

Answer 2

If you have access to a pre-k or headstart program that would be great so that she can start socializing with other children - if she isn't in a type of daycare now and you don't have access to those other programs then find some toddler groups that you could join.

Keep in mind that once she is in school she will have 13 years of it to finish from K - 12 - there's really no need to rush and one year of waiting for Kindergarten to start shouldn't make much of a difference especially if she is motivated.

Also it will be better if she starts a little later as she will be one of the older kids in the classroom and might even have an easier time in school. I've learned that with my 2 boys.

Answer 3

I say yes. My son makes the cut by 7 days. He was extremely smart and could do everything you daughter can but when it came down to it we repeated kindergarten. He just wasn't ready. The teacher loved having him in her class and new how smart he was but he was 6 mo. younger then all the other kids in his class. There were even some kids that where 6 going into it when he was only 4. We started Kindergarten at a new school and they immediately wanted to jump him to the first grade. He did great on all his testing but he was just to young. At the end of the year she admitted that I had made the right decision keeping him for another year. He is at the head of his class, in the top reading group and in his own level for math. Testing out with a 120 IQ in mathematics :) I think this will be good for later in life as well. Now he will be with his own age group more for sports and driving and things like that. Get her in a good program for her age and let her grow and prosper from there. Good Luck

Answer 4

She is too young to start now. Late summer born children often fall behind if they start school early. It has nothing to do with academic success. What matters more is social and emotional readiness. These children do find academically, but have a very hard time making friends, joining in groups, playing games. They are often the ones on the yard crying because they are just not ready. In most cases, late summer born and fall born children are held back. It is very hard for them watching their peers more on knowing they are being held back. They feel like something is wrong with them. Also, they will always be the youngest throughout their school years. Your daughter would be a 16 year-old in school with 18 year-old boys! I am a preschool teacher and advise the parents of these children to wait another years. Over the years I have contacted several parents (25ish) who decided to send their child on and they ALL regretted their decision. In all but 1 case their child was held back.

Don’t worry about teaching your child too many numbers and letters. Your child will be learning these things in kindergarten. You wouldn't learn German before you took a German class right? A lot of parents worry about this. They feel their child should know the curriculum before they enter kindergarten to give them a "one up." These children usually end up bored.

I would put her in a preschool in September. She should go 4 days a week and no more than 3 hours per day. You may want to add a day part way through the school years. It will be a great opportunity to develop some social and emotional skills.

These are some basic skills that you daughter should have before starting school: hold a pencil in an orthodox way, recognize her name, write her name (upper case first letter followed by lower case), know 8 basic colors, cut with scissors, dress herself, take care of bathroom needs. Here is a link to some more readiness skills http://216.109.125.130/search/cache?ei=u...
Give her the gift of another year! You won’t regret it!

Answer 5

Let your daughter decide... put her in the kindergarten program and ask her how she likes it... if she does then keep her there if she doesnt then ask her if she would like the 4 yr old program. If she is old enought to communitcate with you, then she is old enough you tell you when and if she does or does not like something. There is no problem putting your child in something challenging like kindergarten. You should be very proud that your daughter wants to start which means she is ready so do it, to it... Bring her on and she will love it either way, she will always love you, you are her hero in every way possible...

Answer 6

I was in the same situation with my son. HeadStart wouldnt let him in at 4 because we made too much money (supposedly) and kinder wouldn't let him in cause he turned five 3 weeks after enrollment. I asked SEVERAL friends for advice and they ALL suggested I wait till next year to enroll him and I'm glad I did. I bought him LeapFrog videos ($5 at Walmart) and he learned the sounds and how to write the whole alphabet, I taught him at home what they would teach him in Kinder and he was one of the top ones in his class and he learned how to read while in Kinder! Had I not held him back he could of been average in his class (which is not a bad thing) or even low in his percentile! If you're really close to your daughter enjoy the time you have left with her cause now I miss my son sooooo much and wish he was 4 all over again! It's up to you! Contact me if you have any more questions or concerns!

Answer 7

My daughter will turn 5 the day before school, last year she went to headstart for 3 and 4 year olds and loved it. I would send her, they can teach her other things that she doesn't know and keep her refreshed on what she does know. And it's great practice for Kindergarten interaction!! :)

Answer 8

I sent my child to a private Christian school for pre-k so they let her start Kindgergarten at 4. My other two will have to wait, my middle will almost be 6 when she starts this year and my three year old will have two more years, but since she wants so badly to "go to school like her sissas" I enrolled her in a pre-k program at a Baptist Church for 3 days a week, 3 hours or so. It's like $108 a month but worth it IMHO. It's totally up to you though, one of my close friends never put hers in preschool and they did/do just fine too.

Answer 9

Put her in preschool for that year because she needs to interract with other children to develop social skills. My daughter has been in day since since she was 1 month old, fortunately because my family owns the preschool. It is very important for them to develop an immunity to colds too, being in school aound other children will strengthen their immune system. The child will probably get a cold for a few weeks when first starting the preschool but after that, they will be more immune to sicknesses. My daughter hasn't been sick yet this year, including the winter time!

Answer 10

let her wait a year. Like everyone else said, put her in a 4 year old program. She may be "smart" enough, but not yet mature enough. Keep in mind most of the other kids are already 5 turning 6yrs old. if you sent her this year.