Worried about length of school day when DS starts kindergarten

[Anonymous]

I think it depends on the program. We switched DD from 1/2 day Montessori preschool to the full day 9-3pm when she was 4.5. She was asking to stay, eat lunch with her friends and not be a car pooler anymore. She has loved it but they do not have to sit at a desk all day. They move around the classroom, do other activities, and get alot of outdoor time. Our elementary school does have a reputation for lots of worksheets in Kindergarten, prep for future test prep, and homework so we are doing the private Montessori next year for K.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What is redshirting?

Starting your kid late to let social/emotional development occur before starting the rigors of a full educational program.

(or the snarky answer: giving your kid the "gift of time" or starting them late so they can be the biggest/strongest/smartest in their class at the expense of the normal age kids in the grade)

[Anonymous]

OP - I would recommend not signing your kids up for any after school activities - ie any enrichment programs, sports, classes, etc. There is such pressure to do so, but really, I let my kids just come home and play and 'veg' out.

[Anonymous]

I'm 8:22 from the previous page. I agree about not signing up for stuff. My DD was in activities after school that first grade year and we had to drop everything except 1 (Girl Scouts, 2 nights a month). It was just too much for her. She wanted to do things, but she needed that downtime after school. By the next year, things were much better.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP - I would recommend not signing your kids up for any after school activities - ie any enrichment programs, sports, classes, etc. There is such pressure to do so, but really, I let my kids just come home and play and 'veg' out.

But many people have to send their child to the after-school program b/c they work. It would be great if everyone could let the kids come home and veg out but that is pretty unusual these days.

[Anonymous]

But many people have to send their child to the after-school program b/c they work. It would be great if everyone could let the kids come home and veg out but that is pretty unusual these days.

But if your kid is in after care, they are probably already used to the longer day. My older DD was not because I was a SAHM. Now that I WOH, my younger child is already used to being in the school environment all day. The concern is more giving the kid a chance to transition to all day without also having after school acitvities.

[Anonymous]

My kid went from being at home with me to full-day K with aftercare (I started back to work when he started full-day K). The after-care nearly killed him. He was so tired after a whole day of school. Finally, the after-care teachers let him bring a sleeping bag and many days, he took a nap at after-care. It was too much for him but I didn't really have any other choice.

[Anonymous]

I agree about the after care being too much. Our after care program was abysmal to boot. We switched to an after school nanny and it has worked out much better for us. Nanny picks up from school and then comes home and they do homework and play until one of us comes home.

[Anonymous]

My son had attended a preschool three mornings a week. He is very outgoing and active, and having to follow the program, even for that short time, wore him out. To help him make a confident transition to full day kindergarten, I found a terrific summer program for him.

It had longer days, though they were play-based. It was held at an elementary school, and he was exposed to larger groups of older kids, a larger facility, etc. I convinced a friend to enroll her son, too, so he would know at least one person there as he started.

The first few weeks were hard, but it all came out well. This enabled him to adjust to some of the changes at his own pace. His summer experience enable him to ride out some bumpy patches in kinder without being overwhelmed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here...thanks so much for the valuable input. It helps to see the advantages of jumping in to a full day at K rather than postponing it a year (which I've considered because his current preschool actually has a very good K program). My DS is shy and anxious in new environments, but has come such a long way in preschool because he's been there for three years with all of the same kids--he has some very good buddies and loves going to school. Not one of his friends will be in his school next year and I just worry for him. I imagine enrolling him in public K in first grade with all new kids would be even worse.

OP are you in DC, MC, VA? My DD goes to K in upper NW DC. They have a fair amount of downtime, an hour of free choice in the late afternoon and 2 30 min recess periods. For a full day it is a sweet schedule. One consideration is that many DC schools start in pre-K so some social circles are alread formed by K, by first I think it would be hard. MC has much less recess and more seat work according to friends. If you are in NoVA you could always move to Fairfax. For a more shy kid, I would post here looking for summer playdates, try to get a school directory or names of kids in your neighborhood from the school and start making those connections over the summer. If he has a good network now he can do it again, just give it some time. Try to do a playdate or 2 a week, afterschool can be tough, they are tired. Sunday afternoons are good for us.

Good luck, it's a really common worry but most kids do adjust!

[Anonymous]

OP appreciate your concern. My DS did not attend preschool at all and adjusted very well to all day K.
He now wants to stay to play after school. He smiles at the end of each school day and still has a lot of energy. Even if he was in a half-day program. Unfortunately, it's all about accomodating the working parents instead of the children anymore. He did enjoy being home for the first five years and not sent off to daycare or preschool as a toddler.






As his grandmother says, if he is not in school full time and no longer takes naps, then he will be doing something with that time anyway. Albiet...he would not be in an structured environment.

[Anonymous]

I saw redshirting was for boys in an earlier post. Why only boys? My ds will turn 5 the week kindergarten begins. He's always been the youngest, but never had issues with all day preschool (we're in a charter).

I'm also wondering how only half day k will impact the shock of all day 1st grade. I guess an ideal situation would be to extend the school day from half to whole as the year progressed.

[Anonymous]

I know that I went to a half-day kindergarten. (I'm not from the DC area, though.)

It was the only kindergarten option available at the private school that I went to. (K4-12) I entered that school in k5 and had no problems making friends. (The school adds about 10-15 students in kindergarten.) First grade, of course, was full-day. I had no issues 'adjusting'.

However... I started off in a day care from about 10 or 11 in the morning to 5 or 6 PM. And in kindergarten, I ended up going to daycare after school. I ate lunch with the 4 year old daycare class. We took a nap until about 2:30 or 3:00. We then went to the after school class and played. So... I was away from my parents from 8-6 everyday, but I was definitely not burned out.

That personally worked well for me. I never understood why so many schools insisted on full-day kindergarten. When my parents were in school (50's and 70's), kindergarten wasn't even offered at any of the public schools.

[Anonymous]

6:17 - your second statement is most accurate. Nicely done!