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Insomniac Mom speaks out ..sometimes while everyone else is asleep
Member Since: November 29, 2007 Last Signed In: June 14, 2009 Blog Views: 1387 Send To A Friend Sign Guestbook Add as a Friend
The First grade or Kindergarten dilemma..should you hold your child back...one year on.
Rats..rats...rats....rats..rats..rats...rats...rats...rats...rats...rats... September boys - should you hold them back and repeat Kindergarten? Not necessarily. Is five years old too old for a boy to be changing in the women's locker room? Kindergarten or First Grade for 5 year old boys with Fall birthdays? Airborne, Zicam, Occillium, helathy living, hand sanitizer, flu shots..none if it works against the Brisbane strain... How to survive insomnia and still be a good Mom December 07 January 08 February 08 March 08 April 08 May 08 June 08 July 08 August 08 September 08 October 08 November 08 December 08 January 09 February 09 March 09 April 09 May 09 June 09 July 09 August 09 September 09 October 09 November 09 December 09 January 10 February 10 March 10 
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The First grade or Kindergarten dilemma..should you hold your child back...one year on.
If you have a child born from late summer to early December then you have the same choice I did a year ago. You can hold your child back one year or put him or her into Kindergarten at age 4 (almost 5).
I chose not to hold him back. After much deliberation, heart ache and discussion we signed him up for 1st grade at age 5 rather than repeat Kindergraten. I have to say this was the best decision for him. If you are in this situation it isn't easy. Everyone and their dog will give you conflicting advice whether you ask for it or not. When it comes down to it listen to your intuition and it will all fall into place. My son is not the youngest in his first grade class but close to it. His birthday is mid-September and he is now confident and happy. He was never that out-going until this past year. If you are going through open enrollment I feel for you. This is the "illusion" of school choice. I was told by my neighborhood school that he might not be able to go there for first grade as he was in a private Kindergarten...."show up the first day and if we don't have room we will bus him somewhere else" they said. Thanks Sac City school district.... 5 comments from 5 users
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posted by
RN4kids
on Feb 16, 2009 at 11:00 AM
Thanks for posting this as so many parents are saying why they are holding their children back a year. . Many parents are redshirting their children so that will have the 'advantage' in school, not necessarily academic but so that they will not be the smallest, young, socially immature, etc. I personally think that many do want their child to be #1 in everything they do, including school, which is a parent's right. I want to the best for my child too and I think that will mean putting him in Kindergarten at the age of 5. FYI-I started kinder at age 4 with a December birthday b/c my mother said that I wanted to go to school and I am sure she needed the childcare. I did struggle with being a late bloomer (painful!) but it all worked out in the end . I am sending my son to kindergarten at 5 (Sept birthday) and I figure, if he doesn't do well, then we will hold him back. I am very involved with my children with extracurricular activities . I feel like I am going against the current. I know each family need to make the decision that is best for them.
posted by
sleeplessinsacramento
on Feb 16, 2009 at 11:50 AM
Thanks for your comment. Some parents do believe that you should hold all kids back to give them an advantage. I'm not sure if this really is an advantage or not. It really depends on how old your child is socially. Of course this probably improves test scores so I'm sure the schools like it? I did not hold my son back. He was 4 in Kindergarten and 5 in first grade. He is above grade level and although he was originally shy he is now very out going. I think holding him back would not have been good for him. Perhaps he would have been better at sports...but he's pretty sharp and I always have found he likes to play with older kids. In fact some of the kids who were held back are really younger socially...and although they seem to be fast readers and good writers now it was probably a good decision to hold them back. Just know that the most public schools do not usually give extra harder work for those who are a year older and more advanced in Kindergarten or First grade. I know this has frustrated some parents of older kids who are a year older than my son and have the same homework. The parents say is not challenging enough and some even took their kids out to go to private school. I don't think you can have it both ways.
posted by
theurbanmom
on Feb 17, 2009 at 05:43 PM
These are all good points. We also need to remember that they will be the youngest throughout their schooling. That means in many instances they won't be as old as many of their classmates. I was in the middle, but had friends in middle and high school who could not attend certain movies, get into certain (legal) venues, couldn't drive themselves to school events or sports practice and always felt beholden to others because they were never old "enough".
posted by
patiencengrace
on Feb 19, 2009 at 11:03 AM
My daughter has a late August birthday. She wasn't socially ready to start Kindergarten the Fall that she turned 5, but when 2nd semester came around she was ready to go. When I called our parochial school they had just had a child leave so there was a perfect opening for her. For her, it has worked out very well.
posted by
kellimwheeler
on Feb 19, 2009 at 04:27 PM
As with everything, it all depends on your child, and you know your child best. For my son (Oct. b-day) that meant waiting to start and it was a perfect decision for us. He was academically ready, socially ready, but not emotionally ready. As a former teacher, I'm not a big advocate of holding kids back once they start school if you can help it. I, personally, would take that off the table as a safety net.
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