Is my child ready to start Kindergarten? Ready to move on to the next grade? Millions of parents agonize over these decisions each year. One of the first concerns of parents whose children are born in August through October is "should I let him start kindergarten early or wait a year?" Normal development in the early elementary years varies widely. Many parents also face the question of whether a child on the immature end of the developmental curve, educationally, physically, socially, or emotionally, should move on or repeat an early grade. Retention is a tough issue for me, but my gut instinct is to be against it in most cases. A better strategy is to delay the start of kindergarten. A young five who is disruptive in a group, who can't tie his shoes, or exhibits separation anxiety might benefit from waiting to start kindergarten. These individual skills are part of kindergarten readiness assessments. Iimmature behaviors signal parents to look deeper into the issue. Many preschools and kindergartens will help you assess your child's school readiness, and you should ask for a formal assessment. Some children adjust better when they wait until age six to start school. If you do make the decision to wait a year, you should definitely enroll him in an educational pre-K program to build his skills during this important learning year.
Why Does It Matter if My Child Can Tie His Shoes?
Learning develops along a continuum that begins in infancy. A preschool child must develop her gross motor skills to a certain level in order to progress in her fine motor skills. As she masters her fine motor skills, by cutting shapes, tracing letters, tying shoes, she becomes ready to internally manipulate and use words and math concepts.
Know Your School!
And, let your school know you and your child. Visit the school and notice the atmosphere . Do the classrooms have centers for a variety of activities or desks in a row? What is the teacher-student ratio? Ask for an appointment with the counselor if you have concerns about your child's readiness.
Don't be too concerned if your child has a few signs of immaturity. This is an age when he will learn a lot! If the school atmosphere is warm and flexible and active, he will most likely fit right in. A decision to delay kindergarten may be made early in the school year also, so you and the teacher have a few weeks to assess any problems that arise.
