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My son was born in late October. I'm hearing more and more about studies saying that being relatively "young" for a particular grade is a hindrance to a child academically, socially, and athletically, especially for boys, so many parents are holding their kids back a year before starting school.
My son is 2 now, is very big for his age, and is ahead of the curve on most things, but I still wonder if my wife and I should consider this.
My son was born in late October. I'm hearing more and more about studies saying that being relatively "young" for a particular grade is a hindrance to a child academically, socially, and athletically, especially for boys, so many parents are holding their kids back a year before starting school.
My son is 2 now, is very big for his age, and is ahead of the curve on most things, but I still wonder if my wife and I should consider this.
Do any of you have thoughts on this?
My son was born in Oct and we held him... I think it was the best thing we did for him (he's now 20)...
If he's big for his age it will be a disaster to hold him back. My son was a big kid, September birthday, he started on time and couldn't have done better. The only way I see holding a kid back is if he's VERY small.
If he's big for his age it will be a disaster to hold him back. My son was a big kid, September birthday, he started on time and couldn't have done better. The only way I see holding a kid back is if he's VERY small.
Think about it. If he's already big for his age, what's he going to be when he's with kids a year younger? That's a recipe for getting teased, being "different", etc. I also think that you are sending your kid a message that they can't hack it with kids their age and need an "advantage." We did a lot of research on this, and for every study that shows a benefit there is one that shows no benefit. And even the studies that DO show a benefit, the benefit is usually gone by 2nd or 3rd grade. So basically your kid will be better at cutting triangles in kindergarten, I don't think that's worth all the potential drawbacks.
There is also the fact that for the rest of his life, kids are going to ask him why he's older and he's going to have to say he was "held back." Now, you can spin it anyway you want, but when other people hear you were "held back" it usually only implies one thing.
Think about it. If he's already big for his age, what's he going to be when he's with kids a year younger? That's a recipe for getting teased, being "different", etc. I also think that you are sending your kid a message that they can't hack it with kids their age and need an "advantage." We did a lot of research on this, and for every study that shows a benefit there is one that shows no benefit. And even the studies that DO show a benefit, the benefit is usually gone by 2nd or 3rd grade. So basically your kid will be better at cutting triangles in kindergarten, I don't think that's worth all the potential drawbacks.
There is also the fact that for the rest of his life, kids are going to ask him why he's older and he's going to have to say he was "held back." Now, you can spin it anyway you want, but when other people hear you were "held back" it usually only implies one thing.
What I'm saying is that if you had a compelling reason to do it, like he was really small or was really behind in his development, that's one thing. But to do it just to do it, could be more trouble than it's worth. To me the idea of telling people you were "held back" for the next 13 years could be more damaging than not being able to color between the lines in kindergarten. Good luck.
My son is in Kindergarten now and he just turned 5 in September. He's doing just fine.
Of course he's been in daycare since very young at Tutor Time type places that do actual work with them (preschool type programs started at age 3), so he did have that preparation to his advantage.
Most boys are immature and not ready for the rigors of kindergarten at 4 years old. (it's not just coloring anymore).
However, wait till he is a bit older and see how he is developing educationally and emotionally. Full time kindergarten may not be good for him. At 2 you cannot really judge what he will be like at 4/5.
By the way, I taught preschool for a few years and I have MS in Education with emphasis on early childhood education.
My son is now 10 and missed the cutoff by 6 days. It was a blessing in disguise. He benefitted from an extra year of speech and OT. He is also very tall for his age and is one of the oldest in his class.
Seeing as his friend who made the cutoff by 1 week and the struggles he has ; I would keep him back if I had a choice.
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