Is redshirting your kids a bad or good idea and WHY? Personal experiences would be GREAT!?

Question

Redshirting - means to hold your kid back one year before putting him in preschool/kindergarten so that he will be more advanced in all subjects and even physically in sports etc.

Answer 1

What would the benefit be of him being more advanced in those areas than the other students?  Seems like that is backwards...you want the child to have many learning experiences - not provide the child with the chance to go somewhere that he already knows everything.

Hold him back if he's not ready...not if he's ready.  That's counter-productive and potentially destructive.

Answer 2

From a tsports perspective and academically its a great idea. A more advanced kid in sports and academically will stand out. When a kid stands out above the competition it makes them look better and eventually may help them get noticed by a college recruiter and possibly get them a scholarship in sports as well. If grades are better and national test scores are better then it could help them get an academic scholarship.

Answer 3

Well, for a student that needs held back its not so much a problem. I have never heard of this term, but i think of a child with already achieving in the grade, to be held back I don't feel would help, but hinder their potential  for acceding. My kindergardener, is very ready for first grade, reading well and great social skills, but if he was to stay in the K class, he would miss out on the opportunity to excel at his own pace.

Answer 4

holding a kid back who is up to speed with everyone else is just hurting his education and he will probably be bullied if he is older than everyone else however if he is struggling it may be a good idea

Answer 5

It all depends on the child's development in all areas. If the child is close to the cut off date for school and is generally immature and small of statue then holding him back might work out. If the child seems to be making good progress and is tall, holding him back would be disasterous. Being the tallest child or most physically mature in sixth grade could lead to behavior problems. One of my friends kept her son back because he was close to the cut off date and he resented her for it his whole school career. all of his friends from the neighborhood were a year ahead of him and were out of school a year before him. It did not help him with sports. He was an excellent athlete and would have been able to compete without being held back.