Is she advanced?

Question

My little girl is 4yrs old, she knows the ABC's well and can write them all on paper, she can also spell and sound out words, she likes to read to me at bed time.
She is just barely too young to go to kindergarten but i think she'd do fine... but i dont know what other 5yr olds are doing... so to the parents i ask... is my daughter advanced enough to try to get her into school a year early???

Answer 1

Not really it's possible my son is 17 months and can sing the ABC's. When I was 4 I was reading 300 page books in a couple of days, I could read, write, and do math.
It is good for your child to know these things before school, you're teaching them well.

Answer 2

Wait! I have been teaching preschool for 12 years and in the case of every child who is not old enough advise the parents not to send them on. It does not matter what she knows academically. What matters most is social and emotional development. Children who start kindergarten early often fall behind. They cry more, have a hard time making friends, playing games, following directions, being on the playground. The other children often see them as the "babies." Also, a lot of children who start kindergarten early are held back. They see their peers move on. They feel something is wrong with them because they were left behind.

It is the trend to hold back late summer and born and early fall born children. The likelihood of her getting in a kindergarten where the youngest children are soon turning 6 is great.

Over the years I have contacted many former parents who decided to send their child on early. All of these children had the problems I mentioned. EVERY parent who sent their child on regretted their decision! Every child was held back.

Also think about her later years. She will always be the youngest. She'll be a 16 year old in high school with 18 year olds. She will forever try and catch up.

Please give her the "gift" of another year! You won’t regret it! Good luck!

Here is a list of some kindergarten readiness skills.

http://www.srvusd.k12.ca.us/schools/regi...

Answer 3

That's fantastic and will be a HUGE benefit to her educationally down the road. However, think about her social and emotional maturity. She may not be ready for kindergarten - especially if she's that much younger than the other kids. THAT could be a hindrance to her socially and emotionally.

You might want to consider a really good preschool - if for no other reason but to keep her social skills appropriate for her age. Go interview some preschools and see if they offer some kind of educational direction - rather than being a glorified day care. If there's no preschools that fit the bill, then do educational day trips with her and enjoy the one on one time with her.

Good luck!

Answer 4

yes,...actually by the sounds of it..if she is already reading, writing, knows her ABC's,etc...she is advanced enough (public education-wise) to start in the first grade! Age-wise, the public schools may MAKE her do kindergarten just because of her age. I would check out homeschooling or private school for your child, as she may become bored if she can already do all that and most of the kids in her class will just be learning their ABC's, to use a pencil correctly, etc.! Homeschooling for this year would let you put her straight into first grade instead of forcing her to go through kindergarten unnecessarily. You could spend the year reinforcing what she has already learned and gaining strength in her reading. Upon entering first grade, she may even still be ahead, and they may let her skip at that time.

Answer 5

My advice is to keep her out for that extra year...why not put her into preschool first? I wouldn't say your daughter was "advanced" a lot of children know their abcs and can write them out, some children can do simple math equations before they're ready for school. Just because they are able to do these things doesn't mean they are ready for elementary school. They also have to be mature enough, intelligence doesn't have a whole lot to do with maturity.

Answer 6

You know, your daughter does sound like developmentally she is ready but to me, there is no replacing the time you can spend with her and have at home!!! I think better she be ahead in her class, then right with others or struggling as the grades go on. Personally speaking, I regret, though our second and third children were more than ready, that we didn't hold them back a year because as the grades go on, it is tough, and there is so much to think about. So I say, though you sound like a good Mom and your daughter does sound advanced, there is no "going back" and replacing that time when they are little and its important for them to be ready emotionally, socially, mentally besides developmentally ya know? Good luck, whatever you decide to do! :)

Answer 7

She is certainly more academically advanced than most kids her age, but what about her social and emotional maturity? Before you consider having advanced placement in school, talk to the school counselor. Schools are under a lot of pressure to meet high scholastic levels, and children are under a lot of pressure to test high. Can she take that? To keep her challenged, take her to the library and let her select her own books. She'll naturally choose those at her comfort level. Get her into playgroups and enrichment activities to further develop her natural curiosity.
Encouragement is wonderful, stress is not!

Answer 8

She's well ahead of your average kindergarten student if she's reading. However, being mentally ready doesn't mean she's emotionally ready. I'd just spend time doing educational things with her, activities that are fun but help her progress, and let her get another year of mommy time before she starts school.

Answer 9

she is definetly ready for school. And good luck my son is advanced and i've had trouble with it everysince he started school teachers don't want to spend the time keeping his attention and he gets bored and acts out

Answer 10

she does sound like a smart cookie, but just keep providing educational materials at home, emotionally she may not be ready, that one extra year could help alot..