Summer b-days and kindergarten

[luvsviola]

I've never met anyone who held their kiddo back and regretted it. However, I've met several who sent ahead and wished they hadn't.

DS is an April birthday, and with his issues, we are holding him back the extra year.

[z2akids]

I would talk to the teachers and listen to their opinions closely.

The problem isn't so much kindergarten, but 3rd grade and beyond. At kindergarten there is a huge range of normal development both socially and academically. But, as they age, it is more likely that differences will become more apparent.

My middle is a late June birthday. We sent him at 5. At 9, you can tell which boys are on the young end of the scale. My son is academically very bright (one of 2 children in his grade in enrichment). There are social signs at times that he is younger than the rest of his classmates. If he weren't so naturally bright, this would be more obvious. And, being at the high end of normal academic development does at 4 or 5 does not guarantee that the rest of the class won't catch up.

[luvsviola]

Piggybacking on that....

In junior high it is also very obvious. Often, the younger boys hit puberty a lot later than their older classmates, and it becomes frustrating for them when they are so much smaller than some of the older boys. The younger boys are also often a ton more squirrely than the older ones who tend to be more confident. It has nothing to do with intelligence--I have some wicked smart 12 year olds (who are more interested in video games and playing outside )in my 7th grade class, but they are so immature, while I have some 14 year olds in there who are interested in completely different things (mainly, girls). The 12 year olds don't have a prayer of making the "A" football team because they are tiny compared to the 14 year olds.

[Erinne]

Honestly, it seems like so many of the "problems" caused by having a late birthday and being one of the youngest are caused by so many other people red shirting. A classroom should have a normal distribution of kids with birthdays throughout the school year, so if there are 20 kids, there should be about 5 with summer birthdays. If there are about 5 kids who are on the younger end, any issues of "immaturity" or needing more help with academics would be considered on the spectrum of normal and teachers would have to find a way to work with it. When you have half those kids being held back, though, then you not only have very few younger kindergarteners, but you also will have a few very old already 6 year olds that those just turned 5 year olds now have to keep up with. Of course that one kid who actually started when he should will seem immature and unprepared! He's over a year younger than the "smart, mature" kids!
We will start my dd the year she turns 5. She may not be the most advanced kid in the class, but she'll still be ahead of the 5 year olds hanging out in daycare.

[danner]

In New York, we have Universal pre-K and I'm fortunate enough to be able to send my daughter, who has an early September birthday. So she would have been 3 for one day at pre-k, and will be 4 on her first day of Kindergarten.

I'm very grateful that pre-K is showing us all what to expect from Kinder, since it is curriculum run by the district. My daughter has an advantage though, being sociable and good with language. She tests at and beyond what is expected of class participants.

I wonder how I'll feel about my son though, who still has not spoken what I consider a proper word at 19 months. By this point with my daughter, she was singing Oh Canada and carrying on full conversations. So I think it depends on the kid for sure.

[lemurmommies]

Originally Posted by Erinne Honestly, it seems like so many of the "problems" caused by having a late birthday and being one of the youngest are caused by so many other people red shirting. A classroom should have a normal distribution of kids with birthdays throughout the school year, so if there are 20 kids, there should be about 5 with summer birthdays. If there are about 5 kids who are on the younger end, any issues of "immaturity" or needing more help with academics would be considered on the spectrum of normal and teachers would have to find a way to work with it. When you have half those kids being held back, though, then you not only have very few younger kindergarteners, but you also will have a few very old already 6 year olds that those just turned 5 year olds now have to keep up with. Of course that one kid who actually started when he should will seem immature and unprepared! He's over a year younger than the "smart, mature" kids! We will start my dd the year she turns 5. She may not be the most advanced kid in the class, but she'll still be ahead of the 5 year olds hanging out in daycare.

I could not agree more!

As a teacher, I am glad that you can't redshirt here. Yes, I have students in my class who have Jan birthdays and who have Dec birthdays. But none are more that a year apart. Some kids are immature, yes, but I can say that it isn't always the late birthdays!

[TeachinAuntie]

I have a September birthday & started K at 4 years old. Best student in my family....my older & younger sisters both were "late" starters meaning they turned 6 during their K year.

[bcarroll9494]

This will not affect my own kids (winter/spring bdays)
but I am a September birthday and my parents sent me to kindergarden just as I turned 5. (my mom is a teacher). Despite the fact that I did very well in school, my 5th grade teacher was the only one who commented to my mom that perhaps that was not the best decision. I was a very shy child.... which I am sure she read as socially underdeveloped I was always among the youngest in my class, but that never really bothered me.
I am sure it has been brought up in this thread already..... which I have not fully read through......but I think your instincts will steer you in the right direction and perhaps your child's experience in preschoool will help you decide.
Good luck! I know it is hard. Our state cut off date is Nov 1 - so I know a lot of fall-birthday families who struggle even more with what will work best.

[ohgirlohboyohno]

Parker's Birthday is Sept 14....2 weeks shy of the "official" cut off....so "officially" he is supposed to start K when he is already 5 and about to turn 6....I could petition to have him start early, and honestly he was READY as far as skills etc. He is not small for his age or anything (right now). But I spoke with a lot of teachers and administrators and they all said...have him wait.

It is much easier to create more advanced lessons or even bump up a kid than it is to hold them back or have them struggle. And you won't know when the age differenc will matter...may be the end of K or may be 7th grade....I would rather know he can handle the class then worry that he can't keep up.

[aries416]

Originally Posted by Erinne Honestly, it seems like so many of the "problems" caused by having a late birthday and being one of the youngest are caused by so many other people red shirting. A classroom should have a normal distribution of kids with birthdays throughout the school year, so if there are 20 kids, there should be about 5 with summer birthdays. If there are about 5 kids who are on the younger end, any issues of "immaturity" or needing more help with academics would be considered on the spectrum of normal and teachers would have to find a way to work with it. When you have half those kids being held back, though, then you not only have very few younger kindergarteners, but you also will have a few very old already 6 year olds that those just turned 5 year olds now have to keep up with. Of course that one kid who actually started when he should will seem immature and unprepared! He's over a year younger than the "smart, mature" kids! We will start my dd the year she turns 5. She may not be the most advanced kid in the class, but she'll still be ahead of the 5 year olds hanging out in daycare.

Yes. I agree. When I was teaching the cut off was Sep. 1st and school started early August. I had 5 kids who were 4 when school started and a few more who had June/July b-days. Some were 4 for a MONTH while other kids were almost 6. The difference was huge. I know my daughter is academically ready and she has lots of activities outside of school for socializing. Her preschool right now is integrated special ed and with kids 3-5 and I do think she's a little bored. I'm afraid she's going to be VERY bored if I hold her back.