Has anybody read an article “When Should A Kid Start Kindergarten?” by Elizabeth Weil?

Question

Has anybody read an article “When Should A Kid Start Kindergarten?” by Elizabeth Weil?

Answer 1

no, but I guess i will have to find it.

Answer 2

Ohhhhh....this is a huge hot button of mine.....The main thing this article leaves out is something called individual differences. That means every kid is different and each is different in different ways.

A kid who is not mature and has not the proper skills set for entering kindergarten simply should not enter kindergarten, whether he/she is four or a late five. A child who isn't ready for the experience will likely suffer if he/she isn't ready for the academic and/or emotional challenge of kindergarten.

On the other hand, and this is where I get a little frustrated with the public school establishment, is when we're talking about gifted children. Gifted kids are often more mature than their age-matched peers, and they're more academically advanced. And many, although not all, need a lot of mental stimulation to feel engaged and happy.

One of our kids is in K right now, yet she didn't meet the public school birthday cutoff by fewer than 3 weeks. At the time of her application to her (private) school, she was evaluated to have been working at almost a first grade level (she was about 4.5 at the time of testing). So in her case, it made a tremendous amount of sense to enter her into K early. And, funny, she's not the youngest in her class. And the oldest kid turned 6 the day after our daughter turned 5.

So I'm not advocating academic redshirting or early entrance. I am saying you have to know your own child--nobody knows your kid better than you do, and you should be the one to make the decision for your child.