What age child do you consider to be 1st grader?

[Susie in MS]

I know this is not cut and dry, and that all kids work on different levels for different subjects. I am just curious what the majority thought is on this. What age child do you generally feel is best suited for 1st grade work?

[Mandylubug]

sixish, we don't claim grades except for at Church.. but according to our school board when in comparison to their birthdates; they would be 1st grade

[wy_kid_wrangler04]

I follow the state law for ages & grade level. Therefore a 6 year old turning 7 within or just after the school year is a 1st grader to me (based on age of starting K where we live). My 4th grader's birthday is in July but she started 'late' according to some people because of the state law where we lived at the time. That is how it was when I was in school also so to me they are placed correctly age wise. She started K when she was 6- she turned 6 the very end of July before the school year started. Curriculum is chose based on their own needs/abilities however, not by the grade they are in :001_smile:

Edited February 19, 2012 by wy_kid_wrangler04

[frankcassiesmom]

The poll might be better if it was 6-7, 7-8, etc.

 

Generally, 6-7 but it doesn't really matter.

[SkateLeft]

My son just turned 6 in January, so he's a kindergartener this year, and will be a 1st grader in the fall.

 

My oldest, who has a July birthday, was legally grade-skipped after the first 30 days of kindergarten, so she was a 5 year old 1st grader.

 

So there will be kids who are ready earlier, and kids who are ready later, but on average, I'd say 6-7.

[chepyl]

My son turned six in Sept, we started first grade when he was five; but he turned six in the first month.

[MeganW]

Here, in public school, kids go to 1st grade if they are 6 years old by Sept 1st. So you have everything from 6 to almost 7 year olds.

 

That being said, my kids will be considered 1st graders when they are all reading fluently, easily, and quickly. I *hope* they will be there by this fall - age 7 1/2.

[RootAnn]

That being said, my kids will be considered 1st graders when they are all reading fluently, easily, and quickly. I *hope* they will be there by this fall - age 7 1/2.

 

If I used that metric, my oldest wouldn't have been 1st grade until 7 1/2 & my dd#2 wouldn't be 1st grade yet at 8 1/2. :tongue_smilie:

 

I'd say age 6-7.

[Whereneverever]

If I used that metric, my oldest wouldn't have been 1st grade until 7 1/2 & my dd#2 wouldn't be 1st grade yet at 8 1/2. :tongue_smilie:

 

I'd say age 6-7.

 

Yeah, I don't like that. I'd have had four year old first graders.... And they were definitely not ready for that!

[AnointedHsMom]

I couldn't vote because it truly does depend on the child. I'd vote 6-7 if that were an option though. My older one started K at 6 so he was 7 while in 1st. My 5 year old, on the other hand, is doing K this year and will be 6 for 1st.

[mom2scouts]

In my area, kids are 6 by August 1st if they are entering first grade.

[raceNzanesmom]

6-7, depends on when their birthday falls and their K readiness.

[SewingMom2many]

I change grades when their ages change not when the public school year changes so when the kids turn 6 I consider them first graders. Really though, nothing happens, we just continue doing what we had been doing because we school year round and use whatever curriculum is best suited to them at the time.

[nov05mama]

I change grades when their ages change not when the public school year changes so when the kids turn 6 I consider them first graders. Really though, nothing happens, we just continue doing what we had been doing because we school year round and use whatever curriculum is best suited to them at the time.

 

:iagree: We've followed a general K=5yrs, 1st=6yrs, etc but curriculum is, and always will be, at whatever level he's at.

[boscopup]

Most states have a cutoff date sometime in the fall (Sept 1 is common) where the child is supposed to be 6 to enter first grade. Some states have Dec 1 cutoff, which means a 5 year old could be entering 1st grade (technically, in my Sept 1 state, 5 year olds do enter 1st grade because school starts at the beginning of August!). It's very common for boys especially to be redshirted if their birthdays are close to the cutoff, so you'll see a lot of 7 year old first graders because of that.

 

I would expect the average 6 year old to be capable of doing 1st grade work. Not every kid is average though. Some will be ready earlier, and some will be ready later (and those ready later are not necessarily going to be "behind" for their entire schooling career).

 

I go by state cutoff for the label. I then use whatever level is appropriate for my child, which may be different across the subjects. So I have two summer birthday children that will be 6 their entire first grade year. I have one November birthday child that will be 7 for several months of his first grade year.

[Kathryn]

I voted six because at some time during the school year, I think they should be six. Since states vary on cutoffs, I don't feel the need to go by my state's. DS has an early November birthday, so he was 5 for a while this "school year." YDS has a mid-September birthday and he'd be after the cutoff here as well, but I expect I'll start him when he's 5-turning-6 as well. I was mid-October and the cutoff was November 1 when I was little. I did fine starting at six.

 

I think it depends on the child, but in general I think that anywhere from already having turned six to turning six within the first half of the school year works.

[Wabi Sabi]

I go by typical school ages:

 

Pre-K ages 4/5

Kindergarten ages 5/6

First grade ages 6/7

Second grade ages 7/8

 

And so forth. You get the picture...

[Ellie]

6ish. You didn't have an option that included "-ish."

 

Now, I consdered my dc to be "in first grade" the year that they would have entered first grade if they'd gone to school, based on their date of birth and the cut-off date and age in my state; in California, that's 6 by December 2 (in Texas it's September 1, which is much more reasonable).

 

Most things written for children "in first grade" expect the children who will be using it to be 6ish, as children "in first grade" will be everything from just turned 6 the day before school starts to turning 7 the day after it starts. :)

[jennynd]

our stae cut off line is 6 t Dec 1st. so a 5 yo can start 1st grade here

[nukeswife]

That being said, my kids will be considered 1st graders when they are all reading fluently, easily, and quickly. I *hope* they will be there by this fall - age 7 1/2.

 

If I did that my 10 year old would just be making it to your parameters.

 

Typically here a 1st grader would be in the 6-7 year old range.

Edited February 20, 2012 by nukeswife

[Hwin]

6-7, but I just use the cutoff date our local schools use when telling people his grade.

[pitterpatter]

I think I voted too fast. I chose six, but I think a younger child could definitely do first grade work. Depends more on the curriculum than the child, I think. A lot of K level curriculum is too easy for the intended age set, IMO. It seems more Pre-K in many cases. My DD will be five in May. She is currently working on first grade level work in all subjects except math (we're finishing up SM Earlybird).

[...................]

I don't understand what the rush is around here.

 

Kids turn 7 during their first grade year. That could be anytime in the school year so theoretically, a child could end up 6 most of the year or 7 most of the year. But most fall in the middle third of the year.

 

And we all know waiting is best. So if your poll had "6-7 years" as a choice I would choose that but since it's better to wait for maturity, given your choices, I would say a 7 year old.

 

[sewingmama]

I don't understand what the rush is around here.

 

 

I don't think there is any great rush. I think the answers reflect the State laws in general rather then homeschooling grades.

 

In my State the cutoff is May 1 - all my kids birthdays fall after that so they will be 6 turning 7 in Year 1. I am grateful for the later starting date because even though my DD was academically able to start earlier she was not mature enough.

 

My niece lives in another State - where they start K at 4. She turned 5 in January and my DD will be 6 in June -but they are both in K.

 

K level work is the right level for my DD at age 5/6 however my DS1 would be so bored if he started K when he was turning 6 - he is already reading and doing K work now -so I'm glad I'm homeschooling because both their needs can be met.

 

Starting early doesn't always mean rushing.

[Homeschooling6]

Five of my dc started 1st grade at age seven. They have Sept./Oct. birthdays. Two of my dc were 6. Personally I like age 7.

 

The state cut off date is Sept. 1st here in Texas.

[Carpe]

Where I live the cutoff is February 28/29th. So kids from the end of August until the end of February are 5 turning 6 in first grade, the March-June kids are 6 and turn 7.

 

Everyone is 6 in first grade at some point. So I voted 6.

[JumpedIntoTheDeepEndFirst]

I think 6 is the average age for first grade. Some may be 5 when they start and some will be 7 when they finish.

 

That has no bearing what so ever on the work a child should be doing. They should work, and homeschooling allows the advantage of this, at what ever level is appropriate.

[abacus2]

I voted 6 because that's the most common 1st grade age. However for my children, my oldest was able to handle 1st grade work at 7, but my middle one is ready now at 5.5. Of course, they weren't ready for 1st grade work in all subjects at exactly the same time.

[chepyl]

I don't understand what the rush is around here.

 

Kids turn 7 during their first grade year. That could be anytime in the school year so theoretically, a child could end up 6 most of the year or 7 most of the year. But most fall in the middle third of the year.

 

And we all know waiting is best. So if your poll had "6-7 years" as a choice I would choose that but since it's better to wait for maturity, given your choices, I would say a 7 year old.

 

?

 

My son would be in K by our stayed guidelines, he does 2nd and 3rd grade work in most subjects. We label him first for church and extra curricular because that is where his friends are and he is at least if not more mature than kids his age. It is not about age, it is about the child. That is one reason I Homeschool. I don't feel like i am in a hurry, I just want him where he needs to be.

[PentecostalMom]

My dd is 5, will be 6 next month, and she is in 1st. We started early because she was ready.

[Lucy the Valiant]

Our state cutoff for 1st grade is 6 years old by September 30.

 

My children have all done wildly varying "grade" level work at that age, but we referred to them as being in 1st grade when they were 6-7.

 

Grade level references are really for other people's convenience. :001_smile:

[nansk]

The variation among homeschoolers (atleast on this forum, as I see it) is not how old the first-grader should be, but the scope of first grade work. The advanced work that some first-graders here do (range of subjects and level of maths and grammar), most homeschooled children may do in third grade.

 

I prefer to focus mainly on the 3 Rs in first and second grade.

[frugalmama]

Here, in public school, kids go to 1st grade if they are 6 years old by Sept 1st. So you have everything from 6 to almost 7 year olds.

 

Same here. Plus the kids that get held back, so actually you can have everything for age 6 {just barely} up to nearly 9.

 

That being said, I base DD's grade level on what level the majority of work being done is. We started K at 4 by DD's choice, so this year she is a 5yo 1st grader.

 

If she were in the PS system here, she would be starting K next year, as her birthday is days after the cutoff and no appeals are allowed. I don't see any point in making her wait 2 years when she was ready and willing to begin school.

[sassenach]

6-7

[IsabelC]

My dd is officially starting first grade as of last week; she is 6 years 7 months so she'll turn 7 halfway through the school year.

[Classically Minded]

Average ages per grade level:

 

Kindergarten - turn 6 within the school year and be 6 for most of the year

1st Grade - turn 7 within the school year and be 7 for most of the year

2nd Grade - turn 8 within the school year and be 8 for most of the year

3rd Grade - turn 9 within the school year and be 9 for most of the year

4th Grade - turn 10 within the school year and be 10 for most of the year

 

And the list goes on.......ending with 12th grade were the child will turn 18 during the school year.

 

Here are average ages for the trivium stages:

 

Grammar Stage - grades 1-4 (age 7-10)

Logic Stage - grades 5-8 (age 11-14)

Rhetoric Stage - grades 9-12 (age 15-18)

[Tress]

Our cutoff date is December 31th, so anyone who will turn 6yo in 2012, will start first grade September, 2012. Redshirting doesn't happen in the Netherlands (except, maybe, for children with medical problems, I don't know about that.)

 

Interesting to see the variety in ages in the US. Something I have to keep in mind, when evaluating curriculum.

[desertmum]

I think the child should be 6-7. In the UK the system pushes many first grade subjects onto 5-6 year olds but I don't agree with this. I think kindergarten and first grade should focus on the 3 R's. There is certainly time for the rest later on.

 

p.s. forgot to say I voted "other".

Edited February 20, 2012 by desertmum

[kolamum]

I ticked other merely because I don't think it's about age but maturity. I know some states/countries put stipulations on things. For instance, here they have to start on or near their 5th birthday.. but they don't have to go full force. I'm in the better late then early category and find that children started later catch up quickly. Having said that, I think my children were 6 in first grade. ;)

[Crimson Wife]

My two kids have fall birthdays, and both started K at not-quite-5 because they were reading. DD was ready to move on to 1st at not-quite-6 but I felt DS would benefit from a "transition" year between K and 1st. It isn't exactly repeating a grade because there is no remedial work involved. Many of the public and private schools here have a "transition" class and those are mostly made up of fall birthday kids especially boys. Even though DS was at home, I decided to do the same thing.

 

From an academic standpoint, DS was actually ahead in most subjects when I decided to do "transition" with him. However, he couldn't even write his name until February of his K year and came nowhere close to meeting the stupid CA state standard of writing full sentences by the end of K. Aside from the state standard, I expect a 1st grader to be able to work through WWE1 and there was NO way DS could've started WWE1 this past fall. He probably could've started it this semester, but I'm holding off until he officially starts 1st in August.

 

Also, his attention span for formal seatwork wasn't what I would expect of a 1st grader. DD at not-quite-6 was capable of doing 1 1/2 to 2 hours' worth of seatwork. DS wasn't.

 

I have also heard stories about fall birthday boys doing okay through elementary school but then running into maturity problems in 6th or 9th grade. I figured that the easiest time to do a "transition" year was early on.

[Haiku]

Probably 7, although a good number of 6 year olds could handle it. This is the problem with age-based schooling: it focuses on age, not ability. One-room schoolhouses had it right: you worked at your ability, regardless of age.

 

Tara

[MissKNG]

Six years old in my state. Our state cut off is December 1st.