should i have my 3 year old tested for kindergarden???

Question

my daughter is extreemly talented and im not just saying that because she is my daughter she really is very bright she began speaking in full sentences by the time she was 11 months old her vocab better than most teenagers she knows her alphabet ,#'s ,all of her emergency info ,shapes colors im just having trouble deciding because of her age i mean 3 is fairly young not only is she 3 but she just turned 3 this week what do you think??

i tried day care and preschool but i find its just setting her back she just comes home speaking baby talk wich is something she has never really done i want her to be with kids who match her mentally i want her to be challenged i dont want her tallent to go to waste

yes she is also verry mature and yes she knows how to listen and follow directions


she is also verry big for her age she just turned 3 and when i took her for her regular check up the doc told me she is the average higt and weight of a 5 year old it must run in the family

Answer 1

I'm in the same situation. My daughter is VERY smart and she just started her first week of preschool last week. She is the youngest and smallest child in her class but is mentally a few years ahead of all of them. I think for the most part in the Preschool I would prefer she was at her age level but once she hits 1st grade if she's still ahead I would suggest she be challenged out of the grade and moved up. I don't want to push her too hard she's still just my little baby and they need to learn social skills right now it's more for the fun of being with kids her age then learning how to become a ceo of a company right now. I dont want to take her childhood away from her just because she's intellegent.

Answer 2

I would, why not. From what my mother and my family tells me, I was reading by the age of 2 years old. If a child is above average, they need to be in school where they can use their skills. However, pre-school may be a better option. But I don't agree with the others that flat out say no. The only down-side I could see would be that the other kids may be too mature for her. Although she may be smart, can she sit still like the five year olds? Can she stay focused like the five year olds?

Answer 3

It's too soon, kindegarten is more than just about learning academic things , it is a start to learning certain social behaviors as well. It is good that your daughter can do all of those things..but how long can she sit still? How well will she follow directions? Will she understand that after she is done with her work she needs to sit quietly until the other children are finished? Does she understand concepts like "sharing" or "taking turns" ? There is a reason that kindergarten starts at 5 years old, she may be ready for pre-school...it may depend on what state your living in, but I think that most pre-schools start at age 3, and it helps to prepare your children for the discipline that she will need in a classroom setting. You can try to get her into kindergarten, but I'm almost positive that they won't think that she is ready, as I said it is more than just being smart.

Answer 4

No, she's not ready for kindergarten. Her behavior isn't as advanced as you think it is. My daughter was reading when she was three, she was tying her shoes, she not only knew her ABCs but she could spell. She started talking in sentences about a year was walking without aid at 10 months. She could listen to a song once and then sing it word for word. She knew every shape there was including pentagons, octagons and obliques. She counted from 1 to 100 by the time she was three and could do simple math problems (1+1). She started kindergarten when she was 5 and although ahead of most of the kids throughout her 12 years of school as well as becoming a member of Mensa she remained with her own peers...It doesn't matter how intellectually adavanced a child may seem...they're still not emotionally advanced enough to go beyond their own peer group.

Answer 5

I would worry about teasing and physical and social issues. Also, it's not easy for 3-year-olds to sit still for the times needed in kindergarten, or to handle all the fine motor expectations (cutting, writing, etc.). Instead of starting her in kindergarten, consider finding a preschool that will meet her at her level, and start looking for a preschool for gifted kids when she gets older. Unless you're in a very good school district, you may need to look at private schools.

My daughter was reading chapter books and adding fractions at 3, but was not at all socially ready for kindergarten. In the end, we value her happiness much more than hurrying her ahead to where she probably could be academically.... Life is not a race! Do keep her challenged, though -- find books to read to her that take her level into account. Keep reading a lot and talk to her about the world.

Answer 6

I have a daughter who's 3 - she just started pre-kindergarten at a french school.
She is also very bright, knows her numbers, letters, shapes, etc...
She does fine in school - the only thing I noticed is she has some separation anxiety at the start of the day (though it's only been 3 days that she has gone) but she settles after a few minutes and is fine for the rest of the day...
I think the best thing to do is try - you can always pull her out if it doesn't work out right?

Answer 7

I was put ahead when I was young and also attended a lot of special classes offered to kids performing at a higher level than their peers. It actually had a negative effect on me.

Rather than challenging me, it taught me that if something were boring or easy, I didn't have to have the discipline to get it done, I could go do something else like art class. I think my parents and I agree that supplementing my education with more challenging learning would have benefited me better than just skipping ahead.

Also, most of what kids learn in elementary school is socialization and structure. She'll be much better off with her peers. Look at all those 15 year old college kids who are painfully shy & out of place.

She would benefit enormously from a school like Montessori, where children get personalized learning and work together according to ability, not age. There are plenty that take kids from toddler age to Kindergarten, so you really wouldn't have to decide where she needs to be performing, she'll get to work at her own speed.

Answer 8

Both of my daughters were exactly the same way. Above average yes, but not genius. You have to be 5 to go to kindergarten. It is not about what they know it is about the age they are.
They both spoke fluently by the age of 1 and knew the alphabet, colors, shapes numbers and could recite their favorite scenes from movies by the age of 2.
They are now 6 and 8 and are in the top of their class and run about 1 grade above their grade level.
Even smart kids need to be allowed to be kids, she can start preschool at 3, it is wonderful for kids. Add remember even playing is learning for a toddler it does not always have to be academic. Social interaction/play with other kids is just as important as the academic end of it.
It is great to encourage and inspire smart kids but they need to know it is not the most important thing.

Her coming home and talking baby talk is just one of the typical 3 yr old things everyone is talking about. It is typical if a 3 yr old is around a baby and hears it to talk baby talk, it does not mean she is going to loose her intelligence, it means she is behaving like a 3 yr old. Just tell her not to talk in baby talk. Preschool and daycare are socially good for kids, trust me once your daughter starts school the social end of how to handle other kids and interact with other kids will seem just as important, give her time to get socially ready for school, which means interacting with kids that are different from her.

Answer 9

No. I'd advise strongly against it. Keep her stimulated as much as possible, but it sounds like she might be a prodigy (if not, just very advanced at this time). Given that, it's essential that she be given the chance to be as normal as possible - I'd suggest you try to keep her learning up until she's at least four and a half (so that she's not too young compared to the other kids, which could be hard on her socially - especially later when she was ready to move on to school), and then if she still seems terribly advanced, see if there's any sort of special centre she can go to for advanced children.

I just don't think kids should go to kindergarten or school until they're prepared socially as well as intellectually.

Congrats on getting her this far :)

Answer 10

No, I wouldn't. I thought about it too, b/c my daughter sounds much like yours. We saw the kindergarten readiness list my cousin had and she could do it all. She is 3 1/2 and has been writing the entire alphabet since 3. She is now sounding out words, & can do simple math problems. But she is still 3 1/2, not 5. She needs to go through school with kids her own age and your daughter will more than likely be in the advanced classes but still with kids her age. Their will be other kids that are advanced too in her grade. Their are certain things she will always do with her age and not ahead. puberty for one! She will get along much better with kids her age now and all through her school years.