Almost 7 year old in kindergarten!!

[Anonymous]

The kids in a kindergarten class who start "on time" will have birthdays ranging over one year. Any who get held back will cause there to be a two-year spread. So yes, a child who turned six in October of his (first) kindergarten year and gets held back will be almost two years older than a child who turned five in August and starts kindergarten as the youngest in the class.

This is not new. Kids have always been held back. Teachers have always had to manage wide age (and ability) spreads. And statistically, holding a kid back is most effective in the primary (K-2) grades. I don't understand the freak out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The kids in a kindergarten class who start "on time" will have birthdays ranging over one year. Any who get held back will cause there to be a two-year spread. So yes, a child who turned six in October of his (first) kindergarten year and gets held back will be almost two years older than a child who turned five in August and starts kindergarten as the youngest in the class.

This is not new. Kids have always been held back. Teachers have always had to manage wide age (and ability) spreads. And statistically, holding a kid back is most effective in the primary (K-2) grades. I don't understand the freak out.

If summer birthdays are held back there will be a 15 month spread. I think that is the majority of redshirted kids - although I'm sure there are a few outliers here and there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The kids in a kindergarten class who start "on time" will have birthdays ranging over one year. Any who get held back will cause there to be a two-year spread. So yes, a child who turned six in October of his (first) kindergarten year and gets held back will be almost two years older than a child who turned five in August and starts kindergarten as the youngest in the class.

This is not new. Kids have always been held back. Teachers have always had to manage wide age (and ability) spreads. And statistically, holding a kid back is most effective in the primary (K-2) grades. I don't understand the freak out.

oh you aren't talking about a redshirted kid - you're talking about an ontime kid with a fall birthday who is subsequently held back a year. Sorry didn't read that correctly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I hate these threads. It always deteriorates into people posting about kids with special circumstances that justify holding them back or waiting another year to start. No one is saying that is a problem at all. People object to parents holding back kids just so that they can be better at sports, older, or more mature than other kids in the class. It is the trend of doing that which bothers those of us who had no choice (financially) but to send our kids on time. No one objects to particular kids who may have valid reasons to have been redshirted.

NP here. Yes, you are correct. I get it, really I do. However, I have a kid who was held back for legitimate academic and social reasons. Not to play a sport. He is low tone with motor delays, so he is not into sports and will never play on any teams. I get flack from people about the fact that he is held back though. Believe me, it was the right thing to do for him, and it's none of anyone's business. I also have a summer birthday child who I would have never dreamed of holding back. I don't get why people would hold an academically ready child back. I think doing it for sports is a really stupid reason.

[Anonymous]

Everyone talks about it in K, and how everyone should MYOB, but I totally don't want my 15 year old daughter in class with 17 year olds. That's just not fair developmentally.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Everyone talks about it in K, and how everyone should MYOB, but I totally don't want my 15 year old daughter in class with 17 year olds. That's just not fair developmentally.

Then you should make sure that she doesn't do accelerated math or any other advanced classes. Also, no school-based extracurriculars, like theater, orchestra, or sports.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hate these threads. It always deteriorates into people posting about kids with special circumstances that justify holding them back or waiting another year to start. No one is saying that is a problem at all. People object to parents holding back kids just so that they can be better at sports, older, or more mature than other kids in the class. It is the trend of doing that which bothers those of us who had no choice (financially) but to send our kids on time. No one objects to particular kids who may have valid reasons to have been redshirted.

+1, it isn't about an individual child, but about looking for an advantage, going with a trend that others are doing or assuming your child is "immature" although I'm not sure exactly what that means in a 4-5-6 year old as they are not supposed to be mature and are supposed to learn those things they are lacking as being part of a group at school. Most preschools are strictly play based and do not give that guidance or academics and just leaving them on their own sets them up to fail. If your child needs social skills, put them in a class. If they are struggling with concepts, work with them at home. If you do not work with your kids to prepare them for K., you cannot complain they are behind or immature, a you didn't give them the tools they need. (not talking about low income where parents have to work huge hours, etc) K. is not that difficult. Parents, who complain, just don't want to do their share and work with their kids and expect the school to teach them everything from reading to writing to all the other basics. At 3-4, parents should spend a few minutes every few days preparing their kids. For a middle class - upper middle class family, there is no excuse baring special needs (and even in that situation not always an excuse depending on the SN), parents cannot work with their kids for a few minutes teaching the basics.

+1 to both points. Though, in my experience, isn't K really just about social skills?

[Anonymous]

It can be a really tough call. My son is the youngest 1st grader in his school - he made the cutoff by a week. He is one of the smartest kids in his class intellectually and is in the gifted and talented program. But socially it has been tough. So far, based on K and 1st, he starts out the school year considerably more immature than his peers (lack of perseverance, crying, incredibly low frustration tolerance) and catches up closer to where he needs to be socially and emotionally by the end of the year. He does have friends at school (mostly tolerant, friendly girls), but not all that many. It is a really tough decision.

[Anonymous]

I wish people would just mind their business.
A child from DS's K class last year, repeated K this year.
I know it was tough for that poor kid to see all his friends move on to 1st grade and now being 7 in K can't be easy.

I don't care how old the kids in my DS's class are. It is not my business. How any why they are where that are at the age they are is up to the school and the parents so people should stop guessing. Does the kid have delays, do the parents want their kids to have the advantage of age and maturity. Who knows? Who cares?

As long as there isn't an 18 year old in his 1st grade class I am all good.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hate these threads. It always deteriorates into people posting about kids with special circumstances that justify holding them back or waiting another year to start. No one is saying that is a problem at all. People object to parents holding back kids just so that they can be better at sports, older, or more mature than other kids in the class. It is the trend of doing that which bothers those of us who had no choice (financially) but to send our kids on time. No one objects to particular kids who may have valid reasons to have been redshirted.

+1, it isn't about an individual child, but about looking for an advantage, going with a trend that others are doing or assuming your child is "immature" although I'm not sure exactly what that means in a 4-5-6 year old as they are not supposed to be mature and are supposed to learn those things they are lacking as being part of a group at school. Most preschools are strictly play based and do not give that guidance or academics and just leaving them on their own sets them up to fail. If your child needs social skills, put them in a class. If they are struggling with concepts, work with them at home. If you do not work with your kids to prepare them for K., you cannot complain they are behind or immature, a you didn't give them the tools they need. (not talking about low income where parents have to work huge hours, etc) K. is not that difficult. Parents, who complain, just don't want to do their share and work with their kids and expect the school to teach them everything from reading to writing to all the other basics. At 3-4, parents should spend a few minutes every few days preparing their kids. For a middle class - upper middle class family, there is no excuse baring special needs (and even in that situation not always an excuse depending on the SN), parents cannot work with their kids for a few minutes teaching the basics.

+1 to both points. Though, in my experience, isn't K really just about social skills?

The problem people at our school see is that the teacher is basically skipping over basic K concepts and going straight to 1st grade concepts (per the common core, not per what even used to be considered 1st grade skills) because over half the class is ready for this. This puts the class that is on grade level at a disadvantage. It's no longer ok just to be on grade level. Those kids appear behind when in reality they are doing just fine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hate these threads. It always deteriorates into people posting about kids with special circumstances that justify holding them back or waiting another year to start. No one is saying that is a problem at all. People object to parents holding back kids just so that they can be better at sports, older, or more mature than other kids in the class. It is the trend of doing that which bothers those of us who had no choice (financially) but to send our kids on time. No one objects to particular kids who may have valid reasons to have been redshirted.

+1, it isn't about an individual child, but about looking for an advantage, going with a trend that others are doing or assuming your child is "immature" although I'm not sure exactly what that means in a 4-5-6 year old as they are not supposed to be mature and are supposed to learn those things they are lacking as being part of a group at school. Most preschools are strictly play based and do not give that guidance or academics and just leaving them on their own sets them up to fail. If your child needs social skills, put them in a class. If they are struggling with concepts, work with them at home. If you do not work with your kids to prepare them for K., you cannot complain they are behind or immature, a you didn't give them the tools they need. (not talking about low income where parents have to work huge hours, etc) K. is not that difficult. Parents, who complain, just don't want to do their share and work with their kids and expect the school to teach them everything from reading to writing to all the other basics. At 3-4, parents should spend a few minutes every few days preparing their kids. For a middle class - upper middle class family, there is no excuse baring special needs (and even in that situation not always an excuse depending on the SN), parents cannot work with their kids for a few minutes teaching the basics.

+1 to both points. Though, in my experience, isn't K really just about social skills?

The problem people at our school see is that the teacher is basically skipping over basic K concepts and going straight to 1st grade concepts (per the common core, not per what even used to be considered 1st grade skills) because over half the class is ready for this. This puts the class that is on grade level at a disadvantage. It's no longer ok just to be on grade level. Those kids appear behind when in reality they are doing just fine.

Or, teach your kids those concepts before they start school regardless of age. Your kid should know basic numbers, letters, shapes and be pretending if not reading.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hate these threads. It always deteriorates into people posting about kids with special circumstances that justify holding them back or waiting another year to start. No one is saying that is a problem at all. People object to parents holding back kids just so that they can be better at sports, older, or more mature than other kids in the class. It is the trend of doing that which bothers those of us who had no choice (financially) but to send our kids on time. No one objects to particular kids who may have valid reasons to have been redshirted.

+1, it isn't about an individual child, but about looking for an advantage, going with a trend that others are doing or assuming your child is "immature" although I'm not sure exactly what that means in a 4-5-6 year old as they are not supposed to be mature and are supposed to learn those things they are lacking as being part of a group at school. Most preschools are strictly play based and do not give that guidance or academics and just leaving them on their own sets them up to fail. If your child needs social skills, put them in a class. If they are struggling with concepts, work with them at home. If you do not work with your kids to prepare them for K., you cannot complain they are behind or immature, a you didn't give them the tools they need. (not talking about low income where parents have to work huge hours, etc) K. is not that difficult. Parents, who complain, just don't want to do their share and work with their kids and expect the school to teach them everything from reading to writing to all the other basics. At 3-4, parents should spend a few minutes every few days preparing their kids. For a middle class - upper middle class family, there is no excuse baring special needs (and even in that situation not always an excuse depending on the SN), parents cannot work with their kids for a few minutes teaching the basics.

+1 to both points. Though, in my experience, isn't K really just about social skills?

The problem people at our school see is that the teacher is basically skipping over basic K concepts and going straight to 1st grade concepts (per the common core, not per what even used to be considered 1st grade skills) because over half the class is ready for this. This puts the class that is on grade level at a disadvantage. It's no longer ok just to be on grade level. Those kids appear behind when in reality they are doing just fine.

How can the teacher just be skipping ahead? In our school there are five K classes and a very defined curriculum. No one class can just skip ahead.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maybe there are circumstances you don't know about. Foreign adoption, travel, illnesses, etc.

MYOB

This is the great thing about this forum - you can ask or talk about things that normally are none of your business. Not OP, btw. People discuss the most taboo subjects on this forum. What is wrong with talking about this on here? It's actually a good thing because people are able to share the reasons anonymously. It can be quite informative.

The child could have been sick. Maybe there were delays that were were addressed by an extra year in K.

I have a relative who missed most of a year due to cancer treatments. The decision was to have him re-do the year. Not only did he miss the academics but he needed time to readjust to school, with the ability to miss if he needed to. If they had pushed ahead and put him with his peers it wouldn't have been good for him.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I just found out there is a boy in my sons class who's about to turn 7!!! Wth is going on? My 7 year old is in 2nd grade. This boy is social, and outgoing so I don't see any reasons that he was kept back. I'm concerned about my younger kids starting on time barely turning 5 when 7 year olds are in their classes.

red shirted. Plain and simple.

[Anonymous]

Or, teach your kids those concepts before they start school regardless of age. Your kid should know basic numbers, letters, shapes and be pretending if not reading.

K teacher here--No. Let them play instead. They can wait until kindergarten to learn those things. And if they've had enough time to play, they will learn them very quickly.