I have a daughter who is 4 turning 5 in November. I have been back and forth wondering if I should send her t

Question

kindergarten. I told her she was going but now I want to wait a year. What should I do?

Answer 1

Is she young for her age or is she mature for her age? If she is mature for her age you may want to sent her, but if she is immature for her age consider keeping her at home another year.

More damage can be done by sending her when she is not ready than by keeping her home when she is ready. If you send her, she will always be one of the youngest in her class, which may mean she will always have to struggle a little harder to keep up. If you keep her home another year she will always be one of the oldest in her class, which also often means she may have less difficulty with new concepts and so on.

The other consideration is to consider 12 or 13 years from now when it will mean, if you keep her at home, that she stays home a year longer before heading off to college, which may mean she will be that much more mature and ready for college life.

There is no simple answer to your question. Mostly consider her, her maturity, her level of development, how ready she is for school-type learning. There is no major hurry to send her when she is so young. There are good reasons to not send her if you are doubting that she is ready. We seem to be in a great hurry these days to have our children grow up .... they grow up soon enough.

I hope these thoughts help.

Answer 2

Well, I would keep her home, if you are not sure if she is ready, or you could put her in a preschool or Jr. Kindergarten program. The older ones usually do better in school anyways. I know this from my own life. My mom put me in Kindergarten when I was 5, even though I turned 6 in September. And now that I'm 17, I'm making all good grades in school in hard classes. But I think I wouldn't have done as well in school if mom had put me in Kindergarten when I was 4. I couldn't figure out how to read until the end of Kindergarten, about 4 months before I turned 7, but from there I took off. However, if I had been 6 in first grade, and not figured out how to read until later in the first grade year, I probably would have been doomed to lower level reading classes for life, or at least my elementary school career. This wouldn't have done well for my confidence in school. So I'd say keep her home, unless you know she is ready. She might skip a grade later on if the classes become to easy for her.

Answer 3

Because of the pressures of "no child left behind" many kindergarten programs now include material that used to be in first grade, such as serious reading instruction. Very few 4 year olds are ready for this. So you need to check out the kindergarten program you are considering to see if it's heavier on academics or on imaginative play and socialization. and of course it all depends on the maturity of your daughter.

You also need to consider whether you want her to be leaving your nest when she's 17 or when she's 18.

For most kids, I would advise waiting another year. but if it's possible, a half day pre-K program probably would be fun for her. (but watch out--many of those are very academic also)

Answer 4

In our area, children have to be 5 years old by September 30 in order to be admitted into kindergarten. If you have the option, I think you should wait to send her. Usually social skills are not developed enough to thrive with older kids. She'll be an underdog.

Answer 5

In Ontario, they start Jr. K at four , no if ands or buts.

Most JK programs are half day anyway, of course it does depend on the school board.

What makes you want to hold her back from going this year? Is she lacking in social skills or just not ready?

Basically you know your own kid better than anyone , however , starting her in a half day program might also be beneficial and help both her and your separation anxieties.

Answer 6

Find a preschool opportunity or start her on preschool or kindergarten level homeschool curricula. Give her another year before starting her formal kindergarten education in a classroom. It will boost her confidence level, and allow her to develop leadership skills and foster future success.

Answer 7

Is it your daughter that isn't ready to start or you that isn't ready for her to start? If it's you, let her go. The sooner she begins social interaction with others in her peer group, the better off she will be in self confidence and social skills. If she isn't ready to deal with kindergarten yet, enroll her in a good Head-start program.

Answer 8

Good question, I myself will be in the same situation in a few years regarding my youngest whose bday is in December.
on one hand they may have the Independence but may not be emotionally able to handle the situations..
so my best guess is allow the public schools do there job and assess her to see if she is able to pass their steps and tests to be ready for school.
It must differ in each state, where my state looks individually at each child at registration time..and I know in another state close to mine, they even have a class for the children who may be not ready for kindergarten..
I would see what the professionals say and then take that knowledge to see if it matches your opinion if she is ready.
good luck!

Answer 9

In some states your child must be 5 by September 1st to enter K.
Check it out first...

Answer 10

unless she has some sort of disability, send her. why wait to start educating? when she is 14 or 15, two months makes no difference when refering to age-it shouldn't now.