If you are redshirting, how will you keep your kid stimulated?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:His school is 9-1 5 days a week with 1 enrichment day per week that brings the day to 9-3. Other than that, we play at home and at playgrounds, read, color, do afternoon library or park programs, etc. Remember that K used to be half-day not all that long ago, but I would definitely look for a 5 day a week program at this point.

Yes, and we also went to school as 4 year olds, some of us being December birthdays!

Her child is in school. Half-day school is more appropriate for some 4 and 5 year olds.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: We have given this a lot of thought. We know he is not ready to go to full day kindergarten, which is seven hours a day five days a week. However, he needs more than three hours in the morning four days a week which is the most his preschool currently offers. I am looking for a couple afternoons of different activity (NOT Academic) to stimulate him beyond preschool… What is so wrong with that?
-OP

You know he is not ready? Are you a professional? Has a professional told you he's not ready?

Most likely if you send him he will acclimate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: We have given this a lot of thought. We know he is not ready to go to full day kindergarten, which is seven hours a day five days a week. However, he needs more than three hours in the morning four days a week which is the most his preschool currently offers. I am looking for a couple afternoons of different activity (NOT Academic) to stimulate him beyond preschool… What is so wrong with that?
-OP

You know he is not ready? Are you a professional? Has a professional told you he's not ready?

Most likely if you send him he will acclimate.

The classic response here is that whatever professionals told you, they are wrong. No matter what letters they have after their name, they should never have suggested redshirting.

So I suggest not taking this bait, OP. There are some vocal and bitter people on this board when it comes to redshirting for whatever reason.

[Anonymous]

We talked to his preschool teacher, asked his pediatrician, met with the lead K teachers at the elementary he will eventually go to, compared notes with other parents sending their kids to K and took those children’s birthdays into account, projected to later in his life when he will be the last to get his license, potentially be the smallest on any athletic teams, etc.
I’ve also factored in this will be the last year I have much influence over his education and I take that responsibility seriously and am happy to do so.
I’m just looking for recommendations on AFTERNOON PROGRAMS APPROPRIATE FOR THIS AGE. That’s it. Please and thank you.
-OP

[Anonymous]

Just do another year of Montessori and then tell him to be a leader in his private K class the next year. Easy peasy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We talked to his preschool teacher, asked his pediatrician, met with the lead K teachers at the elementary he will eventually go to, compared notes with other parents sending their kids to K and took those children’s birthdays into account, projected to later in his life when he will be the last to get his license, potentially be the smallest on any athletic teams, etc.
I’ve also factored in this will be the last year I have much influence over his education and I take that responsibility seriously and am happy to do so.
I’m just looking for recommendations on AFTERNOON PROGRAMS APPROPRIATE FOR THIS AGE. That’s it. Please and thank you.
-OP

Put him in a 9-3 preschool. Very few things will be for kids that age except homeschool groups.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We talked to his preschool teacher, asked his pediatrician, met with the lead K teachers at the elementary he will eventually go to, compared notes with other parents sending their kids to K and took those children’s birthdays into account, projected to later in his life when he will be the last to get his license, potentially be the smallest on any athletic teams, etc.
I’ve also factored in this will be the last year I have much influence over his education and I take that responsibility seriously and am happy to do so.
I’m just looking for recommendations on AFTERNOON PROGRAMS APPROPRIATE FOR THIS AGE. That’s it. Please and thank you.
-OP

Just for a different perspective, none of those things sound like they will doom your child to a dark and “less than” future. They aren’t even convincing as solid reasons to be held back. They do, however, sound like concerns related to competitive parenting, tbh. Plenty of us were the youngest (self included), and the items you’ve mentioned—like being the last to get a license—were completely. inconsequential. Yes I had a fall bday, but I can’t recall one negative outcome of being on the younger side. If anything, I did really well in school and would have been bored out of my mind in a lower grade. Plenty others who did well as the youngest.

Please consider whether you may be projecting onto your child. If you’re having this much trouble coming up with ideas to keep him stimulated, perhaps you should just send him on time. He may surprise you by rising to the occasion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We talked to his preschool teacher, asked his pediatrician, met with the lead K teachers at the elementary he will eventually go to, compared notes with other parents sending their kids to K and took those children’s birthdays into account, projected to later in his life when he will be the last to get his license, potentially be the smallest on any athletic teams, etc.
I’ve also factored in this will be the last year I have much influence over his education and I take that responsibility seriously and am happy to do so.
I’m just looking for recommendations on AFTERNOON PROGRAMS APPROPRIATE FOR THIS AGE. That’s it. Please and thank you.
-OP

Wow, you sound seriously unstable. I would suggest some intense therapy before subjecting your son to such a life altering decision.

[Anonymous]

Kumon

[Anonymous]

If you're struggling to think of how to stimulate your kid he should be in K. Red shirting is for kids for whom k would be entirely too overwhelming and negatively impactful- possibly those with developmental delays or on a slower curve of growth who need more time to catch up. If preschool isn't enough for your kid, he is ready for K.

I'm a teacher and a mom who red shirted an August girl who had developmental delays. Fwiw.

[Anonymous]

Who cares about athletic teams. DH was an October baby and gifted and would have been utterly unchallenged if red shirted. You sound unstable OP.

[Anonymous]

Some of these people are insane OP and miss the point entirely. How old isn’t your child? Is he 4 or 5 now? PK programs are usually from 8:30 to 3... we are in a private preschool in DC and my DD who is 5 and will enter K in August/September goes to school for 6 hours. Last year it was 3-4

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Some of these people are insane OP and miss the point entirely. How old isn’t your child? Is he 4 or 5 now? PK programs are usually from 8:30 to 3... we are in a private preschool in DC and my DD who is 5 and will enter K in August/September goes to school for 6 hours. Last year it was 3-4

Also, if you wanted to avoid wasting time reading about DCUM against redshirting, you should have avoided saying that. You could have just asked about afternoon programs for a future K student. Speaking of K, it is super common around the DC privates, but less in public school. You child will
Be fine being a few weeks older than the rest

[Anonymous]

Keeping mine stimulated was the exact reason I did not redshirt

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:His job is to play

+1

Have playdates or head to playground to play with friends. Foster independent play to build executive function.

Read to your kid a lot. Go to the library.

Cook and have kid help measure/count.

You could also look at K readiness skills for your school. Write own name. Write some letters. Know some letter sounds. Etc.