Hold back my winter bday DS in K bc he is "young"?

[Anonymous]

My son attended a very nice preschool and is now in a separate school for K. Both PK and K teachers say he is "young" for his grade, even though his birthday is in March, i.e. he is turning 6 in March this year during Kindergarten.

Academically he is right on target (teachers agree), we've had him evaluated for OT just in case and everyone (consultant and OT provider) agreed he did not need it, no on seems to think it's an ADHD issue... his only issue seems to be one of maturity, that he is too playful during class, can't keep his hands to himself etc). I haven't been able to get either teacher to give really concrete examples.

Would you repeat him in K?

[Anonymous]

No way. Why? His teachers agree he is on target.

[Anonymous]

Do his teachers specifically suggest holding him back?

[Anonymous]

Has the school suggested repeating? At our school unless the school initiates it, the parents can not decide on their own to do so. You have to go private for a year and come back if you choose that route.

Anyways, that seems strange. Has the teacher tried a behavior plan/chart? My kindergartner is 5 months younger than yours, and this worked for him. Being too playful is a super common problem for boys. If teacher is mentioning it so much I guess he is worse off that the other kids. I would ask to go observe or volunteer in class so you can see for yourself.

[Anonymous]

Why would you hold him back? Is the preschool wanting more money? It makes no sense. That is what K is for.

[Anonymous]

Yes--both PK and K teachers have suggested repeating and these are two different schools. We pushed ahead last year from PK to K in a private school, hoping that small class size would make up for not repeating PK, but are gearing same comments. If we do repeat K, we will go public.

[Anonymous]

1. March is not a winter bday.
2. Do you really want your son to be 7 years old in kindergarten?
3. He is on target. First grade in the fall. His teacher will use behavior strategies if he needs them. Making him sit through what he'd already learned will not mature him any faster.

[Anonymous]

This post brings back a lot of hard memories for me. We too went to a "nice" preschool and my active and happy son was repeatedly asked to be more like a calm sweet child the teachers wanted. It brought it a lot of negative attention to him which he internalized. It makes me sad for people to describe a K student as too playful. Children develop at different paces. The best place for your child is a place where he can be a kid. For my son, moving to K in public school was a great year. His playfulness and level of activity was balanced out by all the other kids and he didn't stand out one bit. He is now a happy and active 4th who grader at a HGC. I love active boys and get very upset when people come down on them.

[Anonymous]

If you are in public school you don't get to decide. It is very unlikely, based on what you posted, that the school would even consider it. Even kids who are very academically behind aren't held back. You might be stressing yourself about nothing unless you are thinking about putting him in private.

[Anonymous]

I would not repeat K.

A March birthday is not "young" for a grade. Is that their entire basis? "Young" based on chronological age? Or maturity?

[Anonymous]

No, I would not have him repeat kindergarten based on teachers' non-specific comments about him being too playful in class.

[Anonymous]

No, that's absurd.

[Anonymous]

I would put him in first grade and see how it goes. Private school / preschool teachers don't always understand how public school is. That is awfully old for Kindergarten.

[Anonymous]

He won't mature until forced to. Hanging out with younger kids in a preschool or kindergarten setting again will just increase his immaturity for another year and decrease him academically.

[Anonymous]

I'm not understanding why a March bday would be young for K. My daughter is a kindergartner with a May birthday and would never even consider this. To me, you don't qualify as a young kindergartner unless your bday is in July or August. Don't do it. I think it would do your kid more harm later on when he realizes that he is much older than his classmates.