Remember, four months is about 20per cent of his lifetime.

Honestly, I wish that there was some sort of meaningful jr. k program for kids who needed a bit more than preschool but were not fully ready for the demands of K yet. My son is an August birthday, 99th percentile on his WPPSI, but very high energy and wiggly and somewhat emotionally immature. I am really struggling to figure out what to do with him next year.
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It's just now March. Wait until July or August to decide. If he is ready, send him. If in doubt, keep him back a year.

16:59, send him! They are all wriggly and somewhat emotionally immature. It's kindergarten!

Honestly, I wish that there was some sort of meaningful jr. k program for kids who needed a bit more than preschool but were not fully ready for the demands of K yet. My son is an August birthday, 99th percentile on his WPPSI, but very high energy and wiggly and somewhat emotionally immature. I am really struggling to figure out what to do with him next year.

We have an August boy who will be going to K on time. I know of two other August boys and three other August girls who are going to K on time. Don't listen to DCUM on this. There are plenty of kids who do not get red-shirted and do fine.

In fact, I know of a few September kids who will be applying for early admission and am pretty sure they will get in so, at least at our school, there will be tons of "young" kids.

Anonymous wrote:sent my DS to kindergarten at 4. November birthday. He cried after school because he was tired, but otherwise did fine. He is now at a Big three for high school and fits in well. He likes being 18 months younger than his classmates. Feels like he has a head start in life.

Late June birthday here. Went to a Big 3 was not redshirted. Was 17 (6-ish weeks shy of 18) when I graduated and one of my classmates was 20!

Had no issues associated with age differential (other issues are all my own ).

I imagine your son will do great! Our September born son is doing great in kindergarten. I have volunteered a number of times and he is right in the mix in terms of maturity. Trust me, you see kids with their fingers in their mouths (even sucking their thumbs), fidgeting all around, half-listening, etc. Boys AND girls, and many already 6! (Based on birthday parties, class activites that honor birthday child.)

I have seen huge growth in my son, maturity-wise, since the start of school. But like I said, there is a huge range anyway.

I'm not sure if it's allowed, but if so, maybe you should try to observe a kindergarten class at your child's future school. It will be an eyeful, and probably very endearing. It's sweet to see the kids soaking in the lesson information and improving their social skills.

Good luck! We are in Fairfax and I can't imagine how it would have been if our DS didn't start kindergarten.

My daughter is end july birthday and she was a month premature. Shes ready to start school. But it is true that a lot of people are redshirting. In her preschool there are two classes of 16 i.e. 32 kids in the 4/5 years. I already know of 5 kids (all boys) who are being redshirted! And im not even that well networked in the school.

My daughter is a July birthday, one of the youngest and the smallest. She's average academically and a social butterfly. She is doing just fine in Kindergarten and I really can't see it having benefited her to wait a year.

Anonymous wrote:He'll be the youngest and the smallest. Are you okay with that? Will you be okay with that when he's 10? 16?

Who is to say he'll be the smallest at 10 or 16?

My August son is being sent on time

It would have been a disaster if we'd waited a year to send ours. If you have a brighter kid, consider that aspect as well. Sometimes it's just fine to be on the younger end.

Mt son's best friend is a July baby. Yes, he was on the immature side in kinder. Issue gone by first.

In middle school, he is a top student, as he was always meant to be, and is significantly taller than my son. truthfully, my kid who is in the middle of the age group, is also a top student, but a pipsqueak and a bit immature.

Don't redshirt a kid who is ready for school.

OP, no one knows what will happen to your particular child, no matter how much you have him evaluated.

My June birthday DS started K in the fall and is doing well. He is small--20th percentile for height (if that) and barely 5th percentile for weight as of his fifth birthday. He is among the smallest in the class, there are a few kids his size, and many kids are much taller/bigger, but it's fine.

He is not the youngest in the class, either--there are a few kids with later summer and early fall birthdays.

And, I would have described him like yours in preschool--he was very shy at age 3 (to the point he barely talked or participated in some activities), somewhat more outgoing and "rough and tumble" at age 4, and now in K, has done far better than I would have expected.

I think a lot of people who redshirt, whatever their reasons, are very vocal about it at times but I don't think it's really the norm. We have good friends who kept their son out of K this year, partly because a couple of other friends told them, "you never regret waiting a year, and you might regret starting on time." In my experience, I absolutely would have regretted waiting a year and am so glad we didn't give that more than a brief consideration.

Anonymous wrote:He'll be the youngest and the smallest. Are you okay with that? Will you be okay with that when he's 10? 16?

Disaster!

Oh, wait, no, actually, it isn't.

http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/elements/2013/09/youngest-kid-smartest-kid.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/25/opinion/sunday/dont-delay-your-kindergartners-start.html?_r=0
http://www.slate.com/articles/double_x/the_kids/2013/09/academic_redshirting_what_does_the_research_say_about_delaying_kindergarten.single.html