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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Thanks everyone.  OP here.  I haven't read anything here that has given me any pause for thought on the issue.  My son only just turned 4 but he's [i]already [/i]ready for kindergarten.  He's in an amazing DC charter school that is fairly structured, and I'm pretty sure similar to most kindergarten classes.  It's not like he's just hanging out at home or doesn't know how to behave at school.  (He's a smart kid, but his greatest strength is his level of attentiveness and enrapt attention which translates into soaking up everything around him and learning very fast).

I just don't understand the "gift of time" comment.  Would it be a "gift" for him to repeat Pre-K?  He's already ahead of all his peers and gets extra individual instruction while they wait for the others to catch up.  How could that be a gift?  He'd just be bored.

The only hesitation I have really had has been whether by middle school he might seem younger than his peers, or if puberty hits late he'd be bullied when he's older.  It seems to hard to tell though.  Any thoughts on this aspect?  is it really likely to change a few years down the line?[/quote]

We have a DD in Kindergarten right now who is the youngest in the class.  She actually just came to that conclusion.  Kids talk about this stuff, and she came home upset about when her birthday falls in the year.

We seriously contemplated redshirting her--but, I can tell from your post that I quoted that our values are different.  I get anxious about DD's fleeting childhood.  I see no need to rush just because she is advanced.  I will try to share what we were feeling.

DD started reading and doing math at 3 years old, so she was never really going to learn that stuff in preschool.  Because she was so far ahead we chose a part time option with no academics for preschool and preK.  It worked out great.  By the time she graduated preK she was even further ahead having had no instruction.  Traditional kindergarten would not have been a good fit. We considered switching schools and letting her repeat preK with them to give her that same environment where she could just focus on social stuff and play.  But, in meeting with the new school (the one we really wanted to end up in) they advised us that their Kindergarten would be perfect because they were pretty strict about redshirting, used evidence based approaches in kindergarten (i.e. lots of play) and did not focus on reading--they focus more on expression and experience.  It basically felt a lot like preschool.  We were sold.

Now, I still second guess myself.  In these early years 12 months is a huge age difference.  It is definitely noticed.  She is not a leader in the classroom despite being so academically ahead.  She is less mature than the older girls.  She is less confident.  There is no doubt in my mind it would be a different dynamic in the preK room.  I also love this program and will be sad when she moves up to first grade next year.  I would repeat the kindergarten program in a heartbeat if it were not for all her friends moving into first.  It is just an amazing program.  We are thankful that it is a school that will differentiate for DD in first.

So, in the end we did not redshirt, and we are mostly happy with our choice.  It helped that we have a school that is pretty strict about redshirting and strives for an age diverse (within that year) classroom.  It also helped that we chose a very nurturing environment that did not needlessly push down academics.  But, like I said we might have difference points of view on the subject.  My child is academically advanced, and I feel that as long as she is happy leave it be.  Furthermore, her being academically advanced is blessing that affords her more play time and fun.  She does not get bored in a developmentally appropriate environment.  You sound like you are more concerned with him being in a class at his academic level.  In some cases that is just impossible and it is best to look for a good social fit and let the child continue what they are doing on their own.

That is my feeling.  My short answer is your DS sounds fine in the grade he is in.[/quote]

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