When to start kindergarten

[SeekingSimplicity]

I'm just going to do a lot of rambling here, see if I can work this out. :D

 

OUr school year won't turn over till summer (may? depending), but I'm thinking about this now because I'll buy new books in a couple months and I'm trying to figure out what to get.

 

My son will turn 5 next year shortly after the schools cut off for K. So if he were going to ps, he wouldn't start till almost 6 years old.

This year, after he turned 4, I was planning to do some preschool activities with him, I had him a couple workbooks and math and science activities to do. We haven't done most of it because we had a lot of things happen this year and have been struggling to stick to any kind of schedule.

 

He says he wants to do school, really he just wants to be a part of what everyone else is doing. We just started doing some things like phonics and math, together this week. It will be a while before he's ready to start writing- his fine motor skills aren't there yet. Not sure how he's going to do with reading yet, he seems interested sometimes- not all the time. He still has to learn the names and sounds of letter, numbers, and how to sit still to do anything.

 

Originally, before my plans blew up, my plan was to do pk this year, and start K with him this summer. Late spring, early summer his sisters will finish up. They will have math and reading to do during the summer to keep on track, but nothing heavy. I would have a lot more time to devote to him. Now I'm not sure we'll be ready for K this coming up year.

 

I had considered either getting him some K math and science materials, do phonics, and let him follow along with his sisters on SOTW2.

Then I really want to try WP, and was looking at Sky and Sea. I thought I could get it for all my kids with the guides for both older and younger kids. Everyone doing the same thing together might be easier. And I'd get to satisfy my curiosity about WP.

 

Then I thought, well maybe I'm rushing it. After all, he really doesn't have to start school till 2011. We could just take another year to play and learn and have fun. Maybe I should stick to some sort of learning thru playing pk program. Something with some fun manipulatives. Timerberdoodles, maybe? Then add in phonics when he's ready, and maybe do K the next summer when he's 5 1/2.

[Amber in AUS]

So hard making that decision isn't it. My DD also misses our official cut off by only a few days, she should be pre-K this year by our state age cut offs. Personally i have done away with the grade tag and am just working at the level my child is at. When it comes time to register (grade 1) i will register her as per her age and just keep working at her level.

 

If he is ready to do some counting, numbers and letters go with that and when he is ready for more add to it.

[SeekingSimplicity]

Yeah, I think I'm probably making it harder than it is. I guess we could start slow, add things in, see where he is in a couple months when it's time to buy new materials.

[Ellie]

You don't have to have a specific date to begin doing kindergarten-level things with your ds. When you think he's ready, start. However, *on paper,* when you have to ut a grade-level label on him, go with the grade he would be in if he were going to school. Life will be much simpler if you do that.

[Cricket]

My dd turned 6 in late September. She would just be going into K this year. We didn't do much last year. The older two are doing Ambleside so she would sit in on a few lessons but nothing formal. I wish we had spent more time doing memory work. Amblesideonline.org has a list of achievements for a 6 yo child. We are using that as a guide this year and slowly easing her into year 1 work. She is still learning her phonograms and learning to read. Her penmanship is much better this year. She would follow me around too, wanting to do school, so I would print out some easy math worksheets. She is so excited this year to have her own mathbook. I think we made a mistake with our oldest by starting him too soon. My dh could read at 3 and was worried when our oldest wasn't reading at 4. So we would sit at the table everyday doing reading lessons. It was so ridiculous! :lol:

[Sara in AZ]

I have a son that will turn 5 in February, so wouldn't officially be starting kindergarten until next fall. He's really bright, always knows all the answers when he's sitting in on SOW with his older sister. He can read the first set of Bob books and I was trying to get going on a math program with him. I know intellectually he definitely could do kindergarten work right now, but lately he's been digging his heels in and doesn't want to do anything that I plan for him in the name of school (or anything else I want him to do, really!) And I was mainly pushing those things on him so that he felt included in school and was getting equal time with me. But as it's become painfully clear that he doesn't want what I want right now I've decided to pull back and just do lots of reading together, maybe get back to Five in a Row that I'd put aside for a while. I think our relationship right now is more important than reading or math. My daughter went through the same thing when I first started to push academics at 4 and by the time she was officially kindergarten age she was ready. I'm sure you're son will be fine if you hold off, and I trust that you'll know when he's ready.

[Guest janainaz]

It seems that it should just come natural. I over-think a LOT of things, but when it comes to school and that early learning age - it just has to flow. They show you what they are ready for. I work with my ds every day and I see his progression. He is no where near where my older ds was at the same age. He's a different kid, but certainly doing just fine where he's at.

 

Learning to read, learning to count, learning all of that stuff is just progressive. You can put any kind of curriculum together you want, but he'll learn at his own pace.

 

For me, I just make a goal. I would love for ds(turned 5 today) to be reading by first grade. He knows his letters and sounds, is learning to write, learning to count and it's a step at a time. Whether he'll be reading by first grade, I don't know. We'll just have fun along the way and enjoy our time as much as possible.

[The Governess]

Personally i have done away with the grade tag and am just working at the level my child is at. When it comes time to register (grade 1) i will register her as per her age and just keep working at her level.

 

 

:iagree:This is what I am doing as well.

[Georgiana Daniels]

Your son and my daughter are about the same age. We're going to start K next fall because it seems as good a time as any. Occasionally she wants to learn now--we have math and phonics materials for her. But she knows that it's optional, and she frequently opts out:D Next year, it'll be time to have daily work, even if it's only 30 mins to an hour.

[Rosie_0801]

Does he like art? That sort of stuff keeps people entertained and helps build muscles for writing.

 

Rosie