When is a good time to start my 3 year old in school? Right when he is of age or when we think he is ready?

Question

My husband and I have a big decision to make about our 1st going to preschool. I'm not sure if he is ready for it just yet, but have no idea of what IS ready and what's NOT ready. Should he be able to FULLY communicate and understand everyone or is it okay that he is still learning? I'm not quite sure about what or when the right time is. Could someone please aid us in making our decision? I'm probably making this harder then what it should be, but I don't want to "push" him.

Answer 1

I can't aid you in your decision, however I can give you my opinion. I believe the longer a child is with loving parents and not exposed to public education the stronger his family ties will be. Right now he is learning a lot from you. You can teach him at home. What will happen when you send him off to preschool is he will learn every bad habit the other kids bring with them. why expose him to that at 3 years old. He will also be bringing home every illness the other kids have I say teach him at home til he is old enough to attend Kindergarten and if you want him to socialize invite someone his age over to play. Why hand him over to strangers when you are perfectly capable to help him learn at this age? Just my opinion, good luck with your decision.

Answer 2

You're the best judge of your child. If he gravitates to social situations or pulls out a crayon and paper whenever he has a chance or tells you stories (even if they don't make sense) or asks to play with the neighbor kids or hops on your lap to read stories or likes to play with other kids at the playground, he's ready. If he can't be out of your arms for 13 seconds without a meltdown, he's not. In other words, he's probably ready, but the question then becomes: are you ready?

Check with your school district about age ranges and when they admit kids for preschool programs. He doesn't have to be fully versed with English to be understood, and preschool is widely regarded as a healthy way to develop good study habits, a love of lifelong learning, and respect for adults. Most programs run half-days, so they're not running a marathon every day. It's a good way to warm up to the idea of being in school.

Answer 3

I used to work at a learning museum where we held regular classes for very young children, and that experience cemented in my mind how important pre-school is. I can walk into a room full of kindergarten age kids and after 5 minutes pick out the ones who went to preschool. Why? Because they already understand how to sit and listen, how to interact with other children, how to raise their hands, and how to participate in activities. I don't think 3 is old enough - why not send him when he's 4?, If your child doesn't interact regularly with other kids (siblings, daycare, etc) then I strongly recommend pre-school. Don't worry about him not being totally able to understand everything - few 3 year olds can. Besides, pre-school will be about learning intangible social skills that will make it easier for him to interact with other students and teachers once he starts school.

Answer 4

I think 3 is a good age to begin to learn to socialize with others and play and work together. It is a good time for learning about waiting turns and the way school works.

But I think it is young for overlay organized "teaching" children. Worksheets and such to stifle creativity and discovery style learning. Children a nursery schools learn through play and opportune teachable moments, and by making projects.

I think a 3 year old still benefits most from one on one time with people who care about him as number one. I also think that part time (like 2 day a week) programs are perfect for this age. They Learn about school and still get to be "babies" too.

As far as communication. I've got a wednesday night class with 15 5 year olds. I can barely understand two of the boys, so don't worry about that at 3. Different kids have differnt strengths.

Answer 5

my daughter started preschool at 2 years old. I was a little nervous about it at first..but with sippy cup in hand and a bag full of diapers i dropped her off that first day...she cried a little at first when i left but hours later when i went to pick her up she didn't wanna leave...i wasn't sure whether to be happy she loved it there or sad that i don't think she missed me LOL...preschool brought out so many wonderful things in my daughter that i didn't even think were missing. She is now almost 4 years old and STILL loves preschool..we live in a new town now and that fact that she was so easy into another school with tons of kids to play with totally eased the transition for. Of course she missed being back where she was used to but she understood that there were friends here too. My friends child didn't start preschool till much later and had a harder time coping since she hadn't been away from her parents EVER and wasn't used to playing and sharing with other kids. Hope this helps!!

Answer 6

it's preschool, 4 is the usual age for starting. there are even pre-preschools that are nothing more than daycare with a carriculum.

he will learn to communicate, and become socially aware in preschool. not everything can be done from home, and it is a good way to let you get things done or go to work while he is SAFE and under a watching and caring eye.


dont worry about him crying when you leave him there for the first time, explain to him that its part opf growing up, no one likes it, but he can make it fun.

he will cry, because most kids do, some stop after the first week, some dont stop until they are out of college, and thats because their parents spoil them.


4 is a good age to start.

Answer 7

okay, well my brother works in an elementary school and one of the things he stresses to US all the time is how parents play a very active role in their children's lives whether they know it or not. Your child is depending on you to make the right choices for him. You should definitely start him when he's of age. You can't stop him because you're unsure if he's ready or not. What happens if you finally think he's ready and he's SIX??? how behind do you think he's going to be? what do you think pre-school is? it's to "prepare" your child to BE ready. If there are areas your child needs a little more work in, allow his teacher to point those areas out to you so you can start working on them now....give him a head start. You might think you're pushing him, but as a parent i think you need to sometimes, especially when it's something as important as his education. You'll be suprised at how many other children are at his level and he may even be more advanced than some. Definitely start him when he's of age, but be sure to be there for him to help him and encourage him when he needs it. If you make school fun for him, it will be more like a treat than a challenge.

Answer 8

My daughter is 3 years old as well and she is in a pre school type thing now. She will be 4 in June so when September comes she can start pre-k. I dont know where you live but here in New york the school screens the children before they are allowed to begin. So go around to the schools in your area and see what the curriculum is and make sure those are things that he is comfortable with and let him go. Dont be scared for him. Allow him to begin official "toddler hood".

Answer 9

I teach at a school preschool and our preschoolers just have to be potty trained. We as teachers take care of the preschool students and help them along the way. We make them completely comfortable. Yes some of them are scared the first few days but after they see all the colors, fun toys, music, and all the other kids their age they get excited to come to school. Its a big step but well worth it. You might have to push him even though you don't want to. You need to show him that it is okay to try new things. He will absolutely love preschool once he gets there, i promise. PS. of course he is still learning and thats why he is going to preschool. We teach them so many new things, and even the ones who were scared in the beginning of the school year end up loving to go to school!

Good Luck and i hope everything works out!

Answer 10

I work in Special Ed for a large school district. We do free assessments of preschoolers starting at age 3 to see if everything is on target (social, speech, gross motor, fine motor, etc). You may want to have your son assessed just to get a professional perspective on where he is at.

Those who are a little behind their peers sometimes DO need to be in classes with therapists and services that will help them catch up. Many students will leave the special preschool and not need any additional help after that.