Parents are you waiting to age 6 to start Kindergarten? Why or Why Not?

Question

I am weighing my options and concerned I need to wait until age 6.

Answer 1

I live in Michigan where the age for Kindergarten is 5 before December 1st.  My son turned 5 in April.  He can write his name, knows all his letters (can recognize them, say the sound they make, and tell you a word that starts with the letter), he can count objects up until 29, etc etc.  He has been in a preschool/childcare setting since he was 12 weeks old and people are constantly telling me how smart he is.  I have never had any behavior complaints from his teachers or other parents. He participates well in the classroom during free play and group activities.  Despite all of this, he will be attending Kindergarten Readiness this year, then next year when he is 6 he will be in regular kindergarten.  The teachers in our district really push for the 2 years of kindergarten. They said he will not fall behind these first couple of years, but may further down the line in 2nd, 3rd, grade, etc.  I was told that with the No Child Left Behind Act kindergarten is not at all what it used to be.  They really need either a full day program (which our district does not offer) or two years.  My son scored well on his screening and the teacher said she will watch him close the first 6 weeks or so to see if she feels he should go straight to Kindergarten. I will be reluctant to do so.  I really think I may regret pushing him forward but I will never regret giving him that extra year to mature and develop.  I will do in the end what the teacher suggests, that is what she is there for, however I feel the extra year will do no harm.  Good Luck.  Talk to the teachers in your district to see what they suggest!!

Answer 2

My son is 5 and is starting Kindergarten. He did preschool last year and is ready for Kindergarten this year. I started him off early because he was so ready. Some parents though like to stay home and work with their child one more year. I think that if they are ready then go for it. My son loved preschool and is ready to go to school he says.

Answer 3

I am a 28 year old female with asperger's Syndrome. I think kids should start at 6 I turned 6 three weeks after starting kindergarten and it really helped me academically. Kindergarten is much harder now. Just turned five is very young to start elementary school whereas six is much better for the kid. Here many kids start  when they are about to turn 6 some have just turned 5 but that number isn't very large. It definitely helped me academically to be older but given being an aspie not socially. Under 6 should have time to play to be kids.

Answer 4

I waited for the twin girls for age six because I did not think they would be ready for kidergarten at age 5. On the other hand it was hard for my 5 year old son who was definetly ready for kidergarten at age 5 but I did not want to put him in there with the girls so now he will just be one of the smarter ones in his class! so it all works out in the end but I would wait for your child to turn 6 if you are that concerned! GOOD LUCK

Answer 5

Kindergarten by nature is structured to fit children who are just starting school, whether they are 5 or 8.  For normal, healthy kids it isn't about age but about experience.  Kids need to have experienced limits before they start kindergarten.  They have to have been told a limit, have been given choices inside of that limit, and have had that limit enforced.  Kids who have never had to comply with any limits will struggle when starting school, regardless of their age.

No, I'm not waiting until my kids are 6 for them to start school.  While there may be a handful of benefits the first couple of years, it quickly becomes old.  Starting normal kids at 6 ends up with them being good readers in 1st grade, getting their drivers permits in junior high, and being a legal, 18 year old adult for their full Senior year.  It really doesn't work well.

Answer 6

I say it is child by child and there development. My brother and I went to kindergarden at 5.  I missed the cutoff and was supposed to be held back a second time rather than go to 1st grade.  Mom had me tested and i passed i wen to 1st grade in private school (they don't care about ages as ability.   Then back to public school once i showed i could handel the work. I graduated a few months after turning 17 the second yougest in my class.  I never had any problems with  maturity or not fitting in because i was younger.

Answer 7

I didn't wait. I have twin boys who have a spring birthday so I thought I should wait but educationally they were so ready. The boys are all less mature than the girls at this age but they will catch up. My boys did great in kinder & were reading way beyond their level in first grade. I think sometimes waiting they can become bored. If you don't want to send him to kindergarten get him into a preschool program so that he can learn to follow rules & how to act in a classroom setting.

Answer 8

I am going to start my daughter next year when she is 5.  She will turn 6 that December.  She is 4 1/2 now, but looks and sometimes sounds like she is 6.  She knows all of her colors, can write her name, mom, dad, ABC's, and numbers 1- 10 (although she sometimes has trouble with 2 and 5 and S).  I am teaching her to read, but we are a ways off on her being able to read on her own.  Even though she thinks that she can ;-).  

So size, and academically, she will be more than ready.  The only thing that my husband and I are worried about is that she has been at home with us since birth.  No baby sitters or anything.  So I have been taking her to story time at our local library as much as possible, and we will probably try to put her in a mother's day out program or a preschool / daycare setting sometime between now and next school year.  Kindergarten where we live is full day.

If she where smaller, or if I had any doubts about her being ready, I would think about waiting until she was six.  It seems that a lot of people are these days.

Answer 9

MY eldest boy started Pre-Kinder this year (4yo) and he loves it. We were actually considering him not going to Kindergarten next year, as when he came into our lives, he was very behind.

We have worked with him, to try and help him learn so he is around a normal level. I am so happy to say that he will be attending Kindergarten next year, and is doing really well.

When he came to live with us, he'd barely talk, won't use the toilet or communicate with anyone. He has been in Pre-Kinder for a little over a month, and loves it. He actually made a friend, it was so sweet. And you can see all the improvements he is making.

I think it's a very personal question, that us as Parents have to decide for ourselves. We know our kids better than anyone.

It was a very easy decision for us to make after we spoke to the teacher about him settling in. She thinks he is doing great.

Answer 10

my daughter attended pre k this past year and she will be five on the 28th of this month, she did really well in pre k and i believe she is ready for kindergarten because she is anxious to learn and catches on really quickly so i am sending her to kindergarten this fall.  my second daughter will be starting pre k this coming fall and she isn't quite as independant so i am going to see how she does in pre k and i'm thinking about waiting til she is six.  good luck!

Answer 11

My son is 5 and starting Kindergarten this year. He will turn 6 in March. I am very reluctant to send him and have no idea if I'm making the right decision, to be honest. He doesn't go to preschool because they don't offer it in our district and the private preschools are out of our budget. He knows his letters for the most part but still mixes them up sometimes. He can write his name but will write it in all capitals unless I'm right there to instruct him otherwise. I'm more worried about him socially though, he isn't the type to go with the group and may not fall into the Kindergarten routine easily. With that being said though, I'm sending him because I don't want him to be significantly older than his classmates- graduating at 19 instead of 18, etc. We're going to give it a shot- the worst that could happen is that it doesn't work out and we decide to wait another year. Kindergarten isn't even required by law in my state so if he has too difficult of a time with it then it's not like we're stuck. One thing that's kind of annoying to me is that our kids are even expected to be "ready" for Kindergarten. When I was a kid Kindergarten was what GOT you ready for school. Anyway, best of luck to you with your decision- I know it's a tough one.

Answer 12

My daughter just turned 4 in May and can write her name         ( she's been able to write her name since she was 3, her name is Alexia) she knows all her ABC's and numbers and colors and shapes, and can count to thirty, and can count to 15 in Spanish. We were at the doctors office a couple days ago     ( I'm 16 weeks pregnant) and she points to the mirror on the wall and said "look mom, an octagon!" I was like OMG, I had to count the sides to make sure she was right, and she was, it had 8 sides. I think it really just depends on your child, and how far advanced they are. I know my daughter will definitly be starting school at 5. She goes to a greaatt preschool and I also work with her alot as well. I think if your child can write his/her name and knows their ABC's and can count then they are most likey ready for school.

Answer 13

From a teacher-

**USUALLY boys are less mature than girls.

**It is not only what they are ready to handle academically, but socially and emotionally as well.  

***Problems in one of these areas almost ALWAYS dribbles over into another area.  For example: A child who struggles and is frustrated academically may act out behaviorally.

** because your child knows how to count to 100, knows abc's, etc. he/she may do very well in K, but not 1st-then you are stuck w/the decision to push and get help or hold back...the jump from k to 1st can be huge.

***Schools expect SO much more than when you were little.  As a first grade teacher, I was expected to have my kids writing paragraphs by mid-year, know 240 sight words, read fluently, and understand double digit addition!!!!

**Sometimes it is obvious half way through kindergarten or into first grade that a kiddo should have been kept home longer.  However, in most cases problems show up in 3rd or 4th grade because of social situations and academically- they are expected to go from learning to read, to reading to learn.  

**If I have a student who struggles, I automatically go look on my class list at his/her b-day- almost all primary teachers do.  Most times our thoughts are "oh, yep!  Early birthday, they just aren't ready."

I would rather have a kiddo who is ready to learn the AGE APPROPRIATE material I am teaching= THAT builds confidence and success.  

Just some of my experiences, thoughts, and opinions!!

Answer 14

My son whom turned six last week will be just starting Kindergarten this Fall.  He could have gone last year, but we decided to wait.  He was not socially, behaviorally, or emotionally ready last year.  He is in a wonderful home based preschool large family daycare.  His teacher is Early Childhood Certified.  While the rest of the kids were doing the preschool stuff that he had done for the past three years, she made him his own curriculum kindergarten based.  She worked with him on all these things.  She said that over the course of the year he has improved dramatically in the area of social development.  I am glad that we waited because now I feel that he will better be able to handle kindergarten and may even be a little more advanced academically than if I would have put him in last year.  I was the youngest in my classes all the way through elementary school.  I started kindergarten early... I was four because back then the cut off was five by november and I turned five in the middle of October.  I was not as mature as the rest of the kids in my class... I felt like they were always picking on me.  In first grade the teachers wanted me to do this two year first grade thing called readyness.  My parents said "No", and sent me to second grade.  I would never want my child to go through what I did.  That is another reason that I decided to wait.  If you have any thoughts that your child may not be ready emotionally, socially, academically, or if he has a summer birthday I believe that it would highly benefit him to wait another year as we decided to do with my son.

Answer 15

It totally depends on the child. My son started school at one week past four years old - they start the September after they are four in the UK, and his birthday is the end of August. But I could have asked for them to let him wait a year.

Everyone looked at him and said they couldn't believe I wasn't waiting - he's physically small even for his age, he was nearly a foot shorter than some of the kids in his class!

But I'm so glad I didn't wait. He's the brightest student in his year by a mile. I think he'd have gone mad with boredom if he'd been another year behind.

Answer 16

in most areas children are required to start at 5. I see no reason to wait and when a child may be considered not mature enough, or delayed then a kindergarten and even pre-k  program at age 3 or 4 is good for them to get ready for kindergarten. The longer they wait the harder it is to adjust. And they can learn so much in the 3-4 year program and most catch up to their peers by the time they are in kindergarten.

Answer 17

I can only tell you my own experience with my three daughters.

I held my first daughter back a year from starting kindergarten.  She HATES being the oldest in her class, lies about her age to friends and boyfriends, and refused to learn to drive so people wouldn't know how old she was.  Her grades have always been poor, or I would have requested that she be accelerated to a higher grade.  Holding her back really didn't help her academically or socially in any way.

My second daughter was 4.75 years old when she started kindergarten, and has always been number one in her class.  She is now going into eighth grade, and is not only a straight A student, but is also socially competent and has tons of friends.  

My third daughter was just turning 5 (September birthday) when she started kindergarten.  She is going into second grade this fall.  She still struggles a little with reading, but has caught up tremendously over the last year.  She excels in all other areas, especially math.  Like my middle daughter, she is very competent socially.

Based on my own experiences with my children, I believe they should start kindergarten when they are as close to 5 years old as possible.

Answer 18

Personally, I hate it when someone says a 5 year old is too immature for kindergarten.  I was told to hold back my first son, and I refused.  He's now going into the 11th grade with a 3.0 and wants to be a scientist.

My younger son is high-functioning autistic.  He went to a Special day class for kindergarten and is going to a Special day class for 1st grade with the possibility of being mainstreamed.  I did not hold him back either.

Talk to the school and the kindergarten teacher about their expectations for kindergarten and then talk to your child's doctor.  Only you can decide what's best for your child.  Don't let anyone talk you into doing something that you don't believe in.  I'm very glad I didn't hold back either one of my children.  They are both thriving.

Answer 19

My oldest son had to wait until he was 6 to start, and then was held back in the third grade, he was an A/B student but didn't finish the state FCAT test witch is mandatory retention if not passed in Fl,  so now he is turning 11 in September and just now going into the 4th grade. I was going into middle school when I was 11. My daughter just finished kindergarten, and I debated not sending her until she was six, but decided if she had to repeat it would be better than her staying home all that year, or a better learning experience than being an older 5 in preschool. I also figured if she was really not ready when she started the teachers wouldn't let her stay. She did fine and is going into first grade.

Answer 20

My fiance has two sons who are age 3 and 5, they both live with us. The oldest will 6 in October, and he will be starting kindergarten in the fall, we just went the other day and signed him up for it,  I think it really depends on your child, but personally I think you should go a head and send them on to Kindergarten as soon as they are at the right age according to the laws of your state.

Answer 21

For boys it is recommend because of maturity factors and my oldest son turned 5 after the cutoff anyways so I didn't have to make the choice but if i did have to make the choice i would say 6 years old because most boys i know aren't ready at 5 years old.   Really i think most children need that extra wait. My youngest son will be 5 1/2 when he hits kindergarten and I will wait and see if he is ready for it, if he is really ready then i will send him, if not then i will hold off another year.  I feel like if they are having a hard time pottytraining, if they have any social issues, if they have attention problems or if you see any other reason to doubt sending them at age 5 then it is best to follow your instincts and just wait until age 6.

Answer 22

As a teacher, I think it is more important to consider your child's social behavior than age when deciding to send them to kindergarten.  Even kids who are bright and know the alphabet/numbers etc. may not be ready for the structure of kindergarten based on social maturity- and there's nothing wrong with that.  Kindergarten is a lot more than playtime these days, and kids who can't sit still to listen to a lesson or story, share with others, or follow the directions of the teacher may start out on the wrong foot in school if they are viewed as "misbehaving" at school, when really they just weren't ready for the challenges of school.  Just look at more than your child's age and knowledge when making the decision.

Answer 23

My son is starting kindergarten a year early.  He is only 4.  He will be the youngest child in his entire school.  I had him tested and he tested into first grade. He has been labeled as a semi-prodigy kid and I am no less than freaking out about it.  He is very mature for his age and already knew all of his letters (capital and lowercase), his colors, shapes. number up to 20, all common animals, and a lot of other stuff that I thought he was too young to know by the age of 18 months.  He is 4 and can already read and asks questions about microbiology, geology, human anatomy , and things that a 4 year old should not care about.  It seems impossible to know what is best for your child in the sense of education.  I guess all you can really do is give kindergarten a try and see what works best.  Since each kid is different, there is no right or wrong answer.

Answer 24

I wish I had waited with my son. He turned 5 in May & we sent him to K last year. His preschool teachers said there was no reason not to send him. Our K is all day everyday here & it's a lot for the kids. Reese struggled all year to keep up with what he was expected to do & know. We are now holding him back & I feel awful for him. If you have ANY doubts just wait, it can make all the difference. I want to add I don't think intelligence has everything to do with it. I don't think just because they can write their name & say their ABCs they are necessarily ready. Reese could do all that & more. Maturity has the most to do with it. As for what the 3rd answerer said, YES a year can make a HUGE difference, depending on the child.

Answer 25

I have raised my two boys

However if i may offfer a bit of advice and hind site

I would wait until my child was 6 for a few reasons

At that age  the children all look physical about the same

Example  when two children 8 months apart stand side by side it is hard to tell the difference  physically

however the oldest child  was doing everything that a child of 8 months does   on the day the 2nd child was born

So there is lots of social skills motor skills and mental knowledge  that is hidden  when look at physically

So i believe it is better to give the child with the upper 8 months the advantage  over the younger

That is not to say that one is smarter than the other etc

It is only to suggest that by experience alone  it plays a role

Also if your child is to be an athletics   believe me this is a major difference on the playing field  

AS the children grow  the 8 months difference will start to show in the physical ability's

Again  i would side on the side of the older child

They seem to be more prepared in general

This is  not a science nor is it a set rule  that the older will out preform the younger   in any of the areas

Its only the 8 months  difference is an advantage to some

Hope you understand this lol

And of course  the child will perform  much better with the help and guidance of parents such as yourself

Answer 26

I have started all three of my kids in pre-K at three years old, done another year of pre-K at four, and Kindergarten at 5. All three have thrived in school and I've never had a problem My kids go to a private Christian School, check your area for churches with pre-K programs. It's worth the little bit of extra money you'll spend!

Answer 27

well my daughter is a long way off from starting school, but I'm definelty starting her when she is 6 because she was very premature so more then likely she'll have some delays in development or motor skills so I'd like to take that extra year for her to learn so if she is behind she won't feel so out of place. I think it really depends on the child. If your child is 5 and know there abc's and numbers and colors and knows how to write their own name then I would send them to school at 5. If not I'd wait the extra year.

Answer 28

I know you asked for parents and I'm not one. I'm sorry but this is my story.

I was 4 when I started kindergarten and turned 5 two weeks later. It was the best thing that my parents ever did. I'm now a straight A student with many friends. I'm so glad i'm not in the younger grade because they seem so imature. I absolutely love my grade and am sooo happy with where I am. I would send your child at age 5 :)

Answer 29

We are waiting with my step son until he is six. His birthday is in the middle of september and school starts here in the middle of august.  If we started him at 5, he would be 4 for about the first month of school.  This was just our call b/c my stepdaughter was a young 5 when she started as well and struggled for the first half of the year.   Ultimately it's your decission.  If your child is more than ready at 5 and mature enough, then go for it!  If not there's nothing wrong with having them wait.

Answer 30

My mom swears by this: my two brothers and I have summer birthdays - So us two older kids started right when we turned 5. We were almost a year younger then a lot of the kids - at age 5-10, even 15 , 6-8 months can make a huge difference. We were immature -- acedemically advanced - but we never fit in, we were physically and maturity wise behind the other kids. We were outcasts, bad at sports, acted up in school and did not have many friends.

She started our younger brother a year late - well held him in K 2 years. He is the biggest, smartest, and so on in his grade. He loves school, excells acedemically and physically - and has really good self esteem - tells you he is smart, good at sports, etc.  he likes school. Something my other brother and I NEVER had.

Mom swears it is because he is older than the other  kids.

I am still debating on what to do with my 4 year old with a late summer birthday - I can definately see the benefits of holding her back a year.

Answer 31

I think it's a great idea. We start children off in school way too young in the first place. In some European countries they don't even start school until 8. They rather have their children first being social and then when they are able to know how to behave in social situations then they go to school. I think thats what the United States needs to start doing.