A shy 7yr old with an April birthday - 2nd v. 3rd grade

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn’t hold a kid back with a spring birthday especially if they’re excelling academically. My spring birthday kids were never the youngest in the class. I redshirted my late July kid for kindergarten but he was behind academically and now still struggles in K.

+1

An April birthday isn’t that young- especially if he is doing well academically.

I’m not anti-redshirting at all…probably would’ve redshirted a mid-later summer boy if my boys’ birthdays fell that way (my state cutoff is Sept 1). But April?

I just don’t see how this would be warranted given your son is doing well in school.

[Anonymous]

Why would you do this to him? April would be embarrassing to him as he gets older. If he needs help, get him help but holding back is not going to fix that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn’t hold a kid back with a spring birthday especially if they’re excelling academically. My spring birthday kids were never the youngest in the class. I redshirted my late July kid for kindergarten but he was behind academically and now still struggles in K.

+1

An April birthday isn’t that young- especially if he is doing well academically.

I’m not anti-redshirting at all…probably would’ve redshirted a mid-later summer boy if my boys’ birthdays fell that way (my state cutoff is Sept 1). But April?

I just don’t see how this would be warranted given your son is doing well in school.

A held back April child will be very old for the grade.

[Anonymous]

People will just think he failed a grade if you hold back an April birthday. I’ve heard of June and even that is pushing it.

[Anonymous]

No one in the DMV holds back an April birthday. That would be really out of step for this area.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No one in the DMV holds back an April birthday. That would be really out of step for this area.

Agreed, at least at public I can't speak to private. Unless there is a significant special need. The cut off is September 30 so he is squarely in the middle, I'm very confused how he could be the youngest. There will definitely be May, June, July, August and even September birthdays in his grade here. Some August and Sep birthdays will hold to start K the next year, but not all.

[Anonymous]

FYI that most DCPS schools won't let you do this. They will accept an out of age range kid if the grade is the natural progression from the one they just finished, but they absolutely will not let a kid redshirt by repeating at parental request alone.

If you are talking DCPS, an April redshirt would be way out of step with the culture & a kid who excelled academically in private 2nd grade would be absolutely bored out of their minds. This is a recipe for disaster.

[Anonymous]

Keep him on track. A new school or group of peers might change things for him. Also, he might change some himself. My 7-year-old, a July birthday in second grade, has gone from completely bookish to a sports-obsessed athlete over the past couple months. Both “personas” are just a growing part of who he is.

[Anonymous]

Not all the boys kick a ball around at recess. He’ll find a friend and you’ll see the different activities that other kids are into. I know my son and his friends loved recess and the games they played but I forget what they were. Anyway he’ll find his place.

[Anonymous]

The cut off here is either Sept 1st or 30th depending on which state/county you’re moving too. He will not be anywhere close to the youngest. Send him to the correct grade.

[Anonymous]

My kids are in a DC private elementary school. We redshirted my eldest daughter born 7 days before cutoff. She has never been the oldest in her class. Most July and August birthday kids are redshirted. Lots of June birthdays too… some Mays. I have heard of 1 April kid that was redshirted and one February girl that was held back at some point (not sure which grade).

I worry the school will suggest we redshirt my March birthday boy born in March. In his case, it would be to make sure he is ready academically for K. I would still not want to do it. If your son is ready academically, I would not hold him back. He would be the oldest (by a lot) and it’s never good to stand out amongst classmates.

[Anonymous]

Are you looking at public or private? If private, talk to admissions, meet parents, have your child spend a day with each grade, and pick the grade you like best?

[Anonymous]

You are considering holding your child-- who "excels academically"-- back a year and putting him with kids who are 1.5 years younger than him? Because he is shy and got teased by other kids? Holding him back won't change that he's shy and that other kids might tease him (in fact, learning that he's going to turn *9* in the middle of second grade might lead to even more teasing), and sounds like it would do him a real disservice academically.

(Also, where do you come from where people consider holding back a kid with an April birthday to wait to start kindergarten until they're 6.5, and kids who enter kindergarten at 5.5 are "one of the youngest"? That's not the case around here.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are relocating to the area and as is, DS will enter 3rd grade in September. However, this likely is our only/last chance for us to reverse? a decision we made with putting him as one of the youngest kindergarteners. It wasn't an easy decision and while he has adjusted, he has had difficulties, socially. We have often wondered if he would have fared better if he was one of the oldest kids in the class.

A bit about DS: He is a little shy, sensitive, and loves to read and do arts & crafts. In 1st grade, the "jocks" excluded him from recess sports and that had a huge impact on him unfortunately. He has always scored 50% in height and weight so I don't think size was an issue. He is actually decent in sports but still refuses to play sports at school during recess. He is caring and is very good with younger kids, etc.

Would he feel more confident if he were to repeat 2nd grade in a new area/school, come September? He excels academically so one major consideration for us is that he might get bored. We are also trying to decide private v. public currently (he's been in a private school since kindergarten) and if we were to put him in a public school, we are thinking repeating 2nd grade makes good sense.

Appreciate your thoughts!

I have a very similar 2nd grader with a birthday in August. April is not really that young for the grade...There is no way I would consider holding him back now. Holding back doesnt change a kids personality. Find a supportive environment for him to try out sports.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn’t hold a kid back with a spring birthday especially if they’re excelling academically. My spring birthday kids were never the youngest in the class. I redshirted my late July kid for kindergarten but he was behind academically and now still struggles in K.

+1. My April kid is nowhere near the youngest. In a class of 25 first graders there are at least five June birthdays and a bunch of April and May.