Kindergarten Question

J

jaylensmom

New member
How old was your son and/or daughter when they started kindergarten? Were any of your children 4 years old? If so, how did they do?
 
My dd was 4 (they do junior kindergarten here, so they start pretty early), and she did really well. She went 2 days a week (and every second Friday from 9:00 to 3:30. She did go to preschool 2 days a week before kindergarten started and I think that really helped her get used to the whole classroom aspect and help with her social skills. :)
 
My son was 5 when he started Kindergarten this past August. He is doing really well. He'll be 6 next month and he has been doing really well this whole year.

My middle son will be 4 next month and he JUST started preschool today. My oldest did preK right when he turned 4 and it really has helped him.
 
in Florida they have to turn five by like 9-07 or 09-01 of the year they start kindergarten(Im not sure of the exact date but it is early September). So my two who were born in November turned 6 shortly after starting kindergarten and the youngest was just barely 5 because his birthday was 7-28. He did not do well and I debated for several weeks about just pulling him out and starting him the following year in kindergarten. He ended up staying in and did not do well at all. He was immature. I kinda wish now that I had just taken him out and I wondered if it would have made any difference in how he looks at learning/school now. I guess though it all depends on the kid. My daughter was ready way before she started but my boys could have probably stayed out an extra year and not have been effected
 
My sister is a kindergarten teacher and she *strongly* believes that 99% of all four-year-olds (and even many very-young fives) are simply not capable of handling kindergarten.

So, there ya go. Just an opinion of a kindergarten teacher.
 
My oldest because of her Oct. bday was 5 almost 6 when she started K
my youngest with a july bday was 5 but a very young 5...we still kinda wonder if it would have been better to not start her until the next year
 
Lilcameronsmommy said:
My sister is a kindergarten teacher and she *strongly* believes that 99% of all four-year-olds (and even many very-young fives) are simply not capable of handling kindergarten.

So, there ya go. Just an opinion of a kindergarten teacher.
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My SIL took her little guy, who's 4, to a kindergarten orientation. He is SUPER smart, seriously, I can't even believe how smart he is!! The teacher said that he was very advanced for his age, but thought that he should be 1 year older. Like Jenny's sister, she said that most 4 year olds can't handle it. She said it wasn't the work so much, but the emotional aspect of it. 1 extra year can really help them get a handle on things, that they just can't at 4.
 
maddie was 5 years 1 month when she started. lukas 5 years 3 months and mason 5 years 7 months. they all did fab. i was 4 when i started. from what i hear they couldn't keep me busy enough. half way through the year they wanted to put me on some first grade work cause i couldn't keep busy. just truly depends on the individual child i believe. maddie, my eldest would've done fine in kinder when she was 3, i swear. child was born ready.
 
My son started kindergarten this year at age 4. He is the very youngest in his class and made the cutoff by only one week, but he is doing wonderful. We have half day kindergarten, so he's only gone for 3 hours. He hasn't had any problems at all adjusting. He is one of the best readers in his class, and his teacher has to give him extra work to keep him challenged. I'd always thought that I'd keep him out until he was 5 so that he'd be the oldest, but he would have been so bored. I'm so glad that we sent him. He is our second child, so he learned a lot last year while his sister was doing her Kindergarten homework. That helped a lot I think.

My daughter (in first grade) is the very oldest in her class and also has a birthday right at the cutoff. We kept her out of Kindergarten an extra year, so she started at almost 6. It was the right decision as well. It all depends on the kid.
 
Luke will be 5.5 exactly, but he's been in daycare/preschool, 5 days a week, 7-3, since he was 3 and daycare since he was 10 weeks-- minus summers. :)

He does fine in preschool most days-- of course there are days that aren't so good, but for the most part, he does well emotionally. Academically I have no worries-- he's just fine there.
 
My oldest turned 6 in August and he started kindergarten up in Philly in Sept, so he was one of the oldest. We chose to keep him in preschool another year just to give him a little more time. Academically he was ready to go earlier, but emotionally he wasn't. I wouldn't say he was immature at all, but very shy and timid. He needed that extra year of 'play' just to get some self confidence and esteem. I gave him some activity workbooks here at home and we read a lot to keep him interested and motivated. A lot of our friends did the same thing with their kids so it was never really an issue for us. And, he's doing great now in kindergarten. We just made a major move down to Orlando after Christmas, so that's been a big adjustment, but I'm really happy that he's done so well.
 
They have to be 5 here by 9/30. DS1 was born in October so he was almost 6 when he started but he'd been in Pre-k for 2 years before that. DS2 will be 5 when he starts in the fall. He is a different pre-k program this year than DS1 was. It focuses more on interpersonal readiness, rather than intellectual
 
Lilcameronsmommy said:
My sister is a kindergarten teacher and she *strongly* believes that 99% of all four-year-olds (and even many very-young fives) are simply not capable of handling kindergarten.

So, there ya go. Just an opinion of a kindergarten teacher.
Click to expand...

I am almost in complete agreement with this, and especially if they are boys. My youngest was SO ready at 4 (he is a late Sept birthday), but we lived in Washington State, and they have to be 5 by Aug 31...NO exceptions. I homeschooled my boys anyway, so it wasn't a big deal, but I was doing a "better late than early" start with all my boys. We really started school when they turned 8...of course we did preschool, but nothing academic till 8. We liked to play, do crafts, and learn through doing things first!

Back to my youngest. He was always way more mature than my other boys, was speaking in full sentences at a very early age, and was really well behaved. He was reading first grade chapter books, and could do addition and subtraction really well at 4. He could sometimes even make change in the grocery store before the clerk would give me my change. I went ahead and did K with him at 4 (at home mind you), and we school at home till he was in third grade. By then, we were living in California, and the laws here were different.

He is graduating from high school this year...and we've had no problems. Some of his friends are 18 months older (same grade), and he has others that are young like him.
 
Both my girls are Spring babies (April and May birthdays) so they were both about 5.5 years old when they started!! My oldest DS is a November baby so he will be 6 when he starts kindergarten next year (because our schools cut off date is July 1st). My youngest son is a January baby so he will be 5 when he starts but he will turn 6 shortly after.

Neither of my girls had a problem being younger kids, but then most everyone will tell you that girls mature faster then boys and are socially ready before boys. I could not image my DS going to school at 5 years old...he still so much more a "baby" at 4 then my girls were.

I will tell you that when my oldest DD was in kindergarten she has 2 four year olds in her class....they both were "held back" to repeat kindergarten. Last year my youngest DD has 2 four year olds in her class.......they two were both held back to repeat kindergarten.

You know your child best...only you can make that decision...but if it were me....I would not send my 4 year old to kindergarten...especially not in the school district that we live in now. Kindergarten is so different from when we went...it's so different from just 5 years ago when my oldest DD went...last year my youngest DD was required to be able to READ before she could advance to 1st grade!!!! It's crazy what kids have to do in school now adays!!!
 
My oldest son was 5 when he started actual kindergarten but was in preschool for two years and daycare before that. My youngest two are not old enough yet!

IF they DON'T change the kindergarten cut off, my youngest will be 4 when he starts school (if we don't decide to wait a year to start him) and he will be the youngest of his class. Right now in IL the cutoff is September 1 and he was born on August 31!!!!

I taught kinder and first grade for 9 years before "retiring" and becoming a SAHM so we are going to just wait and see how mature he is and go from there...regarding him starting at 4 instead of waiting a whole year.
 
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This really makes me wonder what goes on in Kindergarten. I really don't remember that far back I guess, but Keira would probably be find doing it at 4 and I only say that because she's been going to a daycare here on base since she was 15 months and she started the Pre-K class when she turned 3.
They already teach them so many things, they're learning what sounds letters make, she's writing her own name, she spells her name and Cooper's name, so I think she'd be ready, but I don't know.

But her daycare is pretty much a structured classroom type thing. She goes all day, from like 8am to 4pm, so longer than a normal school day.

I don't think she'd start until she's 5, she doesn't even turn 4 until May, but I hope that I can keep her in a preschool type program this fall after we move.
 
In Ontario, we have Junior Kindergarten and Senior Kindergarten (I'm not sure about all of Canada...) and a child has to turn 4 during the year that the school year begins. My daughter will have just turned 4 when she starts in September, and she is sooooo ready. (She's reading simple books, can count to 100, has an attention span long enough to sit through 15-20 minutes of instruction and stories, etc.) We are in the getting ready for kindergarten program at her school. At her school jr.s and sr.s are together so in the same class will be kids anywhere from age 3 to age 6! That's a huge span, but the teachers handle it brilliantly. We're excited.
 
In MN, they have to be 5 by 9/1. So DD starts Kinder this coming year (if I don't homeschool), she'll turn 6 in December. When/If DS starts school, he'll turn 6 a week after school's start.
 
Because of Mason's birthday we were allowed to decide whether he started when he was still 4, or when he was almost 6. We decided to let him start early and if he had to repeat, it would be OK because it was just Kindy. He was the youngest in his class (though not by much...a couple weeks I think) and some of the kids were turning 6 early in the school year. At the first report we got from the teacher, he was doing fine academically but was behind socially...and there was talk of possibly keeping him back, but by the end of the year he caught up and was doing really well, so they let him move on to grade 1.

ETA: We don't have what Lindy has in Ontario - here it's school or no school. The cutoff is December 31 for birthdays - anything between October and December the parents are allowed to choose which year to send them to school. Mason was born in November, so he was in school about 3 months before he turned 5.
 
I remember my mom was worried about me starting school because I was a late June birthday, and the cutoff was July 1. I was still 4 at registration/orientation!

However, by the end of Kindergarten I was reading chapter books from 2nd grade, and my teacher always had to bring in extra work for me so I didn't get bored. My whole family is full of readers, so I wanted to learn at a young age, and I did. I vividly remember kids coming up to me during reading time for help because the teacher knew I could read too.

My sister's birthday isn't until November, and she was WAY ahead of her class. I taught her how to read when she was barely 4, and so in Kindergarten she was already reading full-out Nancy Drew books!

Really, it all depends on the development of your child, and the laws of the state. Luckily most teachers recognize a child that's ahead of the crowd and will help them out. Parent teacher conferences can be so important because of this!

Remember, Einstein got in trouble for misbehaving in math class when really he just wasn't being challenged enough.
 
Around here they have to be 5 at the beginning of August to start kindergarten so all of my kids were 5. My oldest turned 5 in June and started kindergarten in September. She was/is one of the youngest in her class and is doing fine but that's because of the person she is. She is very smart (actually kind of bored in school most of the time).
My son turned 6 a month or so after he started kindergarten. He's 7 now and struggling to learn to read in 1st grade.
My middle daughter is 6 and in kindergarten right now. She started in August and turned 6 in November. She's doing okay but our kindergarten is a lot like it was when we were all kids. They don't pressure the kids to read by the end of the year and there's a lot of play time. It's full day, 5 days a week. Both my son and her love/loved kindergarten (my oldest went to a different school) because their room is huge and it looks like a toy store exploded in there, lol.
 
I opted to send my DS when he was 6. The school cut-off was Aug. 1 and his birthday is July 28. When I thought about it, a child born on Aug. 2 would be sent to school at the age of 6 and would be a full year older than him. I decided with his personality he just needed another year to grow up. Now that we are well into kindergarten, I know that I made the right decision! I don't think it would be possible for a 4 year old to start at our school. But my DS would have just turned 5 if I sent him when he was allowed to go.
 
Here in the Kansas the cutoff for kindergarten is September 1st, so Kaylie turned 6 halfway through her kindergarten year since her birthday is in December. She had two years of preK also so she was more than ready for Kindergarten. Kelsie turns 5 this Friday so she'll be not quite 5.5 when she starts Kindy in August, she's also in her 2nd year of preK.
 
My DH is a 4th grade teacher and because of his experiences in a classroom felt very strongly about letting Camden not start kindergarten this year. He turned 5 two weeks before school began so he'll begin this fall at age 6. I think everyone has a different opinion based on their own child's needs. For us, we decided it would be better to just keep him home a year than worry about him always being the youngest/least mature in his class. We're very happy with our decision.
 
I wanted to add that it also depends on the "type" of kindergarten you put your kids into. A four-year-old in full-day kindergarten would most likely struggle. Even 1/2 day is tough for kids that age.

But another factor is the learning environment. My sister works at a charter school where the don't just "play" in kindergarten. They actually do some very intense (but fun and casual) learning. When I was in kindergarten, we played playdoh, built with blocks, and colored a lot. My sister's kindergarteners are coming out of her class with the ability to read and write at a first-grade level. They also start early math, history, and science. Most four-year-olds simply aren't capable of handling that type of learning environment at such a young age, regardless of their maturity or intelligence.
Just my opinion.

Also, I think boys (as a rule) tend to be "less ready" at a younger age for school than girls. Not always, but more often than not.
 
Our school cutoff is Sept 30th, so my Oct-born DS will start in the fall, a few weeks before he turns 6. He only misses the cutoff by 11 days, but I wouldn't have sent him if he'd made the cutoff. There has been such a big change in him since September--at almost 5 he was not ready for a full academic day or the more advanced social relationships. Now, at almost 5.5 I can tell he is ready.

In addition to knowing your child, I think it's important to know the academic atmosphere of your school and the trends in your district. Here most boys (and some girls) with summer birthdays seem to wait an extra year, so there are a lot more 6 year olds than 4 year olds starting K. Knowing that, I'd be hesitant to send a 4 year old even if they were academically ready because their classmates would be significantly older. My brother and sister were both born close to the cutoff. My parents held my brother but sent my sister on the rec of her preschool teachers. She did fine, but to this day my mother wonders how much better she would have done if they waited the extra year.
 
My son will turn 6 a few weeks after he starts. Our cut off is August 1st, but you can test into the class early. I wouldn't do it. I just don't think he would be ready. I was born at the end of September, too, and have a cousin born 6 weeks before me. He was a grade ahead of me. I never had much problem in school while he struggled a lot. My aunt later said she wished she had waited to start all her children since they were all born April-August so were all young for their class.
 
Lilcameronsmommy said:
I wanted to add that it also depends on the "type" of kindergarten you put your kids into. A four-year-old in full-day kindergarten would most likely struggle. Even 1/2 day is tough for kids that age.

But another factor is the learning environment. My sister works at a charter school where the don't just "play" in kindergarten. They actually do some very intense (but fun and casual) learning. When I was in kindergarten, we played playdoh, built with blocks, and colored a lot. My sister's kindergarteners are coming out of her class with the ability to read and write at a first-grade level. They also start early math, history, and science. Most four-year-olds simply aren't capable of handling that type of learning environment at such a young age, regardless of their maturity or intelligence.
Just my opinion.

Also, I think boys (as a rule) tend to be "less ready" at a younger age for school than girls. Not always, but more often than not.
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I agree with you on this Jenny!! As I stated in my earlier post my DD had to be able to read a 20 page book before entering 1st grade!! She also had homework EVERY NIGHT :blink:

School is so much different then when I was in it 25 years ago...I remember learning to tie my shoes in Kindergarten and the proper way to go up and down stairs :blink: Now a days my 1st grader has 3 chapter books that need read each week (60 to 70 pages each) and my 5th grader has a 500 word book report each month.....my poor 5th grader has to shove so much "learning " in her school day that they have no time for "recess".....NONE. She hasn't had recess since 3rd grade!!! Next year she will have what they call transition math and she will be bused to the Junior high everyday....taking even more time away from other studies taht she will have to make up at home!!!

I'm blessed...my girls are smart and love school and it comes very easy to them, but I feel for kids that don't have the drive that they do or parents that aren't as helpful or supportive!!

I just don't know what the big rush is to send kids to school is!?!?!
 
I haven't read all of the other replies, so I apologize if I'm repetitive ...

I was 4 when I started kindergarten and I did fine, however, it's not all about handling kindergarten, you have to consider their entire school "career". I was always the youngest, smallest, last to get a license, etc ... in my classes. I believe that created a situation where I lacked confidence and, as a result, was quite shy (I'm not at all shy now). Also, if a child is into sports later, they will be more physically developed if they start school later. Although, my experience is surely not the same as others, I would have preferred to have started a year later.

My son will be 5 in a few weeks and we just sent in his application for this fall! He is very excited, and so are we!

Good luck with your decision!
 
I also wanted to add that our school district has a July 1st cut off, they just changed it this year (it was DEC before that :blink:) and when I questioned DD's 1st grade teacher about it she told me that they were having problems with too many young kids in kindergarten (getting held back). They felt that to many parents were pushing their 4 year old into it that's weren't ready, their (the schools) thoughts behind this........parents were tired of paying babysitters and daycare.
 
Thanks for all the responses...My son won't be 5 until November...the cutoff in our district is December 1 for kindergarten...He currently in pre-k at the school he will most likely go to (Christian school) and they prepare them for kindergarten...If he goes to public school he will most likely be more advanced than some students...I'm assuming if he stays at the current school he will be ok...I'm still debating if I should keep him out 1 more year...Thanks again for all the feedback...
 
mummytothree said:
Both my girls are Spring babies (April and May birthdays) so they were both about 5.5 years old when they started!! My oldest DS is a November baby so he will be 6 when he starts kindergarten next year (because our schools cut off date is July 1st). My youngest son is a January baby so he will be 5 when he starts but he will turn 6 shortly after.

Neither of my girls had a problem being younger kids, but then most everyone will tell you that girls mature faster then boys and are socially ready before boys. I could not image my DS going to school at 5 years old...he still so much more a "baby" at 4 then my girls were.

I will tell you that when my oldest DD was in kindergarten she has 2 four year olds in her class....they both were "held back" to repeat kindergarten. Last year my youngest DD has 2 four year olds in her class.......they two were both held back to repeat kindergarten.

You know your child best...only you can make that decision...but if it were me....I would not send my 4 year old to kindergarten...especially not in the school district that we live in now. Kindergarten is so different from when we went...it's so different from just 5 years ago when my oldest DD went...last year my youngest DD was required to be able to READ before she could advance to 1st grade!!!! It's crazy what kids have to do in school now adays!!!
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I know...I was learning my ABC's in kindergarten...it's way different now. My middle dd won't be going until she is almost 6 because of the cut off...and I am totally fine with that. She wouldn't be ready until then anyway. :)
 
here, as long as they turn 5 by December 31st, they can start in September. My older two have Jan & Feb birthdays, so they were 6 when they started, some of the oldest in their classes. My middle guy though, started when he was 4, and had his 5th birthday 1.5 months into the school year.
I haven't noticed any difference really in how well they have adapted, older vs. younger. I know there is a girl in Xander's class this year who's birthday is December 31st, so she will always be the youngest in her class, and she was more than ready.
I know too, mine all wanted to go to school, to be like their older sibling(s). In fact, my soon to be 4 year old wants to go to school now ... although he has to wait until NEXT year (2010) to start.
 
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