TheAutumnOak Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 I hope this is not too silly of a question, but has anyone started first grade with a 7 year old?...I am trying to figure out whether that is just too late...That would put him at 18 years old at graduation time, which I think is fine, but I am wondering if it is too late to start the science and history and the bulk of first grade work?... My son is 6 and we are working on reading...He is doing fine with math, but really needs more help with phonics, copywork, and narration...I am thinking of spending the reast of this year working on those things and then doing "regular" first grade work next school year (he will be seven) I am really nervous about waiting too long, but I don't want to rush...He has a September birthday, and if in public school he would be in first, but he would be the youngest one there... Any thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littlebug42 Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 Here with ps cutoffs, my daughter would be in 1st grade this year. She would have still been 6 in September but turned 7 at the beginning of November. I don't think it would be off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClassicalTwins Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 Mine turned 7 in November of their first grade year. Here in KY kids have to be 5 by Sept 30 to start Kindergarten, so mine didn't get to start K until they were nearly 6. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackacre Farm Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 My daughter is 7 and is doing first grade right now. She turned 7 early in the fall and I thought about whether she should be in first or second grade. I decided that I would rather she be an older first grader rather than a younger second grader. If she ever goes to school for some reason, I think there are advantages to being one of the older kids in the class. Plus, I wanted her to graduate at 18, not 17. I have no desire to have a 17 yr old heading off to college! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 My oldest (October birthday) did 1st at not-quite-6 but my DS (November birthday) may do a "transition" year between K & 1st and then start 1st at not-quite-7. In PS, they could be either as the cutoff is 12/2. Nearly all fall birthday boys "redshirt", and a lot of the girls do as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackacre Farm Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 I just wanted to add that when my daughter was 6 we focused a lot on reading and writing. We didn't worry about history or science. Now that we are doing first grade history, it is great! She can read so much of the material on her own and do so many more projects. We went to the library last week and got a whole stack of books on Jamestown and the first settlers and she has already read them all! So don't worry about waiting until next year to start history and science. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twogirlsmommy Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 Here in Oregon school (which is staring in first grade) is not required until a child is 7 (by Sept 1st). So I think that is just fine. You can always wait to do 1st grade and then go quickly through a year if you feel like you can (like do a 2nd/3rd year or something). I was a person who was very concerned about the cycles of history and science. We started out well and on time, but my oldest DD is now in 4th grade and we are doing SOTW volume 3. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iona Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 It is not too silly a question:001_smile: my oldest will turn 7 november of his first grade year, so he is on the older end. my second will just have turned 6 the summer before his first grade year so he'll be on the young end. i have considered holding him back just on paper so he'll have a little more time. you could always, just hold off on the history/science/extras until second grade if you don't want to change his grade level. just start them when you feel he has a solid enough foundation to add in the extras. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
My3Monkeys Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 Our PS cut off is August 1st, so here your ds would still be in kindy. I don't think there would be any problem from doing 1st grade next year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wy_kid_wrangler04 Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 My ds who is in K now will start 1st the end of August. He will turn 7 in October and so that sounds about right to me :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soror Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 I was wondering this as well, around here cut-off is Aug 1st and ds has a July 30th b-day. I would have delayed him if we did public, so he will be 7 going into 1st, he is a small kid as well, so I think it is for the better. Glad to hear of others on the older end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boscopup Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 Cutoff date here is September 1, so in my state, your son would be first grade at 7 anyway. And it's VERY common to redshirt boys. In my son's K class, there were a few redshirted boys. I know one turned 6 in August that year, so he turned 7 just as he was starting first grade (the school year here usually starts around August 7-8 timeframe). It's very common for boys to not be ready for formal school until 6. I'll bet if your son was in school, he'd be in good company at his age. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoutTN Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 We will most likely do something similar with DS. Its very common here for boys especially, regardless of how they are schooled. Go with what is right for your boy and don't worry about it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluemongoose Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 In my state the cutoff for Kindy is 5yo by Sep 1st. My DD (Dec bday) was very ready for school at 4yo almost 5, and so we say she is a first grader this year and just turned 6yo this last Dec. When we have to turn in our letter to the district we will just accept the 7yo nearly 8 first grade that they will call her. She will be doing 3rd grade at home though. It is just for paperwork and testing though, so I dont really care. My DS has a Jan birthday. I cannot see him ready at 4yo nearly 5 as DD was. I will likely wait to start Kindy with him until he is 5yo nearly 6 and so he will be 6yo nearly 7 when we do 1st grade. Again on paper with the public school he will be 7yo nearly 8 when they consider him a 1st grader...we will be likely doing 2nd grade at home though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
La Condessa Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 Your son wouldn't be starting first grade at seven here, because our public school year starts around August 20th, so he would still be six. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoyinIndo Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 My oldest son (now 10) has an August birthday. Even though he probably could have done 1st when he was 6, we opted to wait and let him have another year. It was the best decision I have ever made. He is flourishing in school, loves to learn, and I think it's because he is just a little "ahead of the game" rather than trying to catch up. Once I got over my personal hang-ups of worrying about what others might think, it was a great decision. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarreymere Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 My daughter is a seven year old first grader, with an early fall birthday. She is reading at a third grade level but we are doing everything else pretty much on grade level for first grade. I don't see any point in rushing things, and our local school district has an Aug 31st age cut off so she would have been a seven year old first grader in public school anyway. In fact, my daughter's fine motor skills are a bit behind so it has really worked out for us to move slowly with handwriting, ect. I plan to do school with her through the spring of her eighteenth year no matter what grade we happen to be in. If she gets ahead, well there are plenty of extra courses and harder courses we can do to keep her busy until she is eighteen. I have a public school granddaughter who is also a seven year old first grader with an early fall birthday. She is big for her age, too, so I imagine that she doesn't get bullied much! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 My sons are also 6 and have a Sept. birthday and would also be the youngest in their 1st grade class this year if they had gone to ps. We've called this year first grade, mostly because for most of the outside classes they take, they should be in the "first grade" level - they can sit still, listen, pay attention, etc. and have the small motor skills of first graders. We mostly do first grade level work, but I meet them where they are and they're at different levels, especially with reading. I did put them in the K level sports and that was good for them because they're not especially athletic and that was fine - both with them and with the soccer people (though as it was a different district, I think they actually would be the oldest kids in K over there - ah, September birthdays). These threads come around quite often here, I've noticed. People tend to have some very strong opinions. I really think if you're intending to homeschool for the long haul, that it doesn't matter that much, and parents should name the grade however they like and whatever they think will serve the kid best in the long run. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmyinMD Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 My twins will turn 7 this summer and will do 1st grade next year. It doesn't seem that common in our area to red shirt but my ds was not ready for formal school work last year at all. Plus my twins were 2 months premature and had they not been early they would have barely made the cut off for K. I'd rather they be a bit on the older side if they ever attend school. Both are smaller for their ages as well. Both of my cousins have red shirted their boys with summer birthdays. It seems to be more common to hold boys back. I know with b/g twins I felt my dd was ready for K last year and ds was not. I would not separate them though and I think it's fine for dd to have another year to mature as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NanceXToo Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 At the point I'm ready to start 1st grade with my son, it will be two months before his 7th birthday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hmschooling Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 My DD has a June birthday and just made the cutoff by a couple months...academically she was beyond K for public school K age guidelines. She's 9 and in 4th now and the youngest for her grade in all her activities and such. I wish I would have waited. I wish for maturity's sake, I would have let her have another year to be little. I have a son that is 7 and is in 1st grade. His birthday is in Decemeber so he's right about in the middle. This has worked better being older. My next DS has a sept bday and will be almost 6 starting K...this is PERFECT for this child. He could never have started K at just turned 5 like my DD did. Actually, she was 4 when we did MFW K. He would be one of the oldest in his class if he were in public school. I see true benefit to having kids older in these grades. Who knows with my next child, but I think I'll just start him in K when he's ready...he's a Nov bday. So, we may start our grades in January each year which will be different than what we put on our papers we have to file for testing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wheres Toto Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 If my son was going to public school he would just be starting kindergarten this September, right after turning 6 the end of August. So, he would be 7 at the start of his first grade year. We are working at all different levels - some 1st grade, some kindergarten, some probably pre-k. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Outdoorsy Type Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 My First Grader is seven with a December Birthday. My oldest has a Fall Birthday and was ready for First Grade at six years old. I think either is fine, and it is dependent on each child. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommy4ever Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 Here the cut off is Mar 1st. Meaning for grade 1 you must be 6 my March 1st to attend. Which means my oldest 3 were 6 entering grade 1, as their b'days were late March, April and June. My youngest was 5 when she started grade 1, as her birthday is November. She is 7 now and classified as grade 2. Although she has crossed over into grade 3 curriculum in some areas now. It's always interesting to see the differences in different areas of the country/continent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KLA Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 My oldest son (now 10) has an August birthday. Even though he probably could have done 1st when he was 6, we opted to wait and let him have another year. It was the best decision I have ever made. He is flourishing in school, loves to learn, and I think it's because he is just a little "ahead of the game" rather than trying to catch up. Once I got over my personal hang-ups of worrying about what others might think, it was a great decision. :iagree: And my son is now 12 in the 6th grade, and I still think it was the very best decision. Plus, I get to enjoy him for an extra year and he goes off to college or whatever that much more mature. My daughter is a September birthday and older for her grade too. We love it for her too. Both could have handled the academics and the social aspects fine if we had started earlier but I'm so glad we didn't. It has also been great as they approach middle school age and youth group - they are entering a bit more mature and ready to handle things better. KLA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheAutumnOak Posted February 7, 2011 Author Share Posted February 7, 2011 Thanks so much for all of the encouragement...I am going to continue working with him on his reading skills and look into making sure he is ready for first...We are going to wait until next school year to do first grade stuff with him... This has only been a problem because of his class at church...All of the other kids in his class at church are in 1st grade and he doesn't want to be the only one in kindy... I plan on home schooling for the long haul and would rather he is older than younger...I have to let go of the church class thing...He is also smaller for his age and has had some problems with having seizures in 2009...He had slowed activity on the front left side of his brain and the neurologist says he may have trouble remembering thing at times...I just don't want to rush him... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BatmansWife Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 My dd is a first grader. She turned 7 in October. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2chaney_girls Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 My oldest DD turned 7 on her first day of 1st grade... she is now an 18 year old senior and one of the oldest in her class. She was just not ready to start kindy as a newly turned 5 year old... she had great difficulty with separation anxiety and it would have been a disaster! Oh, I should clarify that she has gone to PS all the way through (If I knew then what I know now... she would have been home educated). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hedgehogs4 Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 I hope this is not too silly of a question, but has anyone started first grade with a 7 year old?...I am trying to figure out whether that is just too late...That would put him at 18 years old at graduation time, which I think is fine, but I am wondering if it is too late to start the science and history and the bulk of first grade work?... My son is 6 and we are working on reading...He is doing fine with math, but really needs more help with phonics, copywork, and narration...I am thinking of spending the reast of this year working on those things and then doing "regular" first grade work next school year (he will be seven) I am really nervous about waiting too long, but I don't want to rush...He has a September birthday, and if in public school he would be in first, but he would be the youngest one there... Any thoughts? What is "regular" first grade? A 6yo needs math, phonics and handwriting. period. Boys especially need little more than that, with plenty of other outside stuff to do, get into, experiment with. Lots of read-alouds about interesting history and science subjects are all you need for those subjects. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sewingmama Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 If you are homeschooling then why do church classes matter? If he doesn't actually go to kindy then there is no need to say he is in kindy - you can call it whatever you want. You don't need to tell anyone he is in a certain "grade" just tell anybody who asks that you are homeschooling him and don't do grades. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skueppers Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 In the public schools here, the cutoff is September 1. So a child born on September 2, 2004 would be in Kindergarten this year, at age 6 for all but a few days of the school year. They would then be in first grade next year, at age 7 for all but a few days of the school year. My daughter turned six in early November and is in Kindergarten this year. So no, I don't think there's anything wrong with a 7-year-old in first grade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twoxcell Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 In Oregon you have to be 5 by Sept. 1st to start K, but are not required to register to for school/homeschool until the year you turn 7 by Sept. 1st. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeganW Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 My kiddos may or may not go to public school in the fall. They have an April bday, so technically should have started kindergarten this year at age 5 1/2, and would start first grade at 6 1/2. As it was, we decided they needed an extra year, so they will start kindergarten at 6 1/2 and first grade at 7 1/2. So no, I don't think you are too late! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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