Should 6yo boy w June bday be in K or 1st? Does this plan sound ok?

[ktgrok]

My son has a mid July birthday. I did hold him back a year, because he socially wasn't ready for kindy at just turned 5, and he wasn't ready to read yet developmentally. In our area they read in kindy. I've NEVER regretted that decision, EVER. He is older than most of the kids in his grade, but that is excellent for him. He is a bit shy sometimes, and has become more of a leader by being older. And it gives him an extra year to mature before highschool social pressures, etc. He's also always been very thin, so it helped him to be more on level size wise with kids. 

 

So although yes, your son meets the cut off for 1st grade now, it's up to you to know if he is truly at that level emotionally, maturity wise, etc. How does he compare to other kids his age?

[ktgrok]

It's funny, I always thought it would be a bummer for a capable child to be the oldest in his class.  I was the youngest in my class, and it still was not challenging enough.  Can't really see the point of school without challenge.  And 13 years is so long to just be complacent.

 Yes, but if you are the oldest you are the first to get a drivers license (very cool!), the first to develop muscles (cool for a boy), etc. 

[SKL]

Another odd thing I observed from my personal experience.  I was the youngest in my class, an introvert, not very social - autism / aspergers run in my family, so I probably got a touch of that.  I did not feel bad about not being popular, nor did I have any desire to play with the kids in the grade below.  I often cringed at the silly behavior of my classmates.

 

I decided to graduate early, so in my final year of high school, I spent about half of my day with the seniors.  Surprisingly, for the first time, I felt like I fit in.  I took part in discussions instead of trying to pretend I wasn't there.  People acknowledged me, befriended me.  Naturally I had expected the opposite.  In retrospect my real friends have always been much older.

 

When a young kid doesn't fit in at school, we tend to assume he's too young for his grade, but maybe that's not it at all.  How come we don't draw a similar conclusion when older kids don't fit in or have non-academic difficulties?  That they are too old for their class and should be promoted for social purposes?  Hmm.  Something to think about.

[craftyerin]

My own 6yo boy with a June bday is doing school mostly on a K level, because that's where he is readiness-wise for school.  BUT he goes to 1st grade Sunday School or any other activity where kids are grouped by grade.  I call him a "1st grader" because he was 6 before the school cut-off this year.  I think that grouping for grade according to the official school cut off, but working on whatever level makes sense for the individual child is what makes the most sense as a homeschooler.  By contrast, his siblings who are twins that turned 5 in June are "kindergarteners" for Sunday school, etc, but are working above him in most areas in school, because they can. 

[Dmmetler]

One thing I've noticed-it really doesn't matter. With the exception of academic competitions, pretty much everything my DD does is either determined soley by ability (gymnastics, piano) or it's determined soley by age (most homeschool classes and groups, U10 cheer), or it's open to anyone who is interested and has reasonable pre-requistite skills (our homeschool co-op, the mythology and Latin classes I teach). Almost nothing is by grade level, so therefore, it doesn't matter whether I call her an 8 yr old 3rd grader (her grade based on PS cutoff dates), an 8 yr old 4th grader (her grade based on the grade she was in when she left PS and moving up one grade each fall) or an 8 yr old 6th grader (the low end of the materials she's working on). No one cares.

 

I choose not to grade skip her on paper again because I don't want to graduate her early unless she's ready to go. And, if we'd homeschooled from the start, she never would have been grade skipped officially.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[kbutton]

As mom to 2 fall babies, I suspect it has more to do with couples snuggling up on cold winter nights than anything else. If you conceive in January or February, your baby will be born in October or November.

 

I think that's part of it, but I know people who've done it on purpose and are vocal about it. Oh, and we were told at the hospital when we had our one son in December that December is a busy month because people want to claim kids on their tax returns and get an "extra" year out of that benefit. Apparently people talk about that strategy in the delivery room! I didn't want a fall baby because I didn't want to be big and hot all summer. So of course, we had an unseasonably long, hot, and steamy fall the year I was due in December. :-)

 

I also know people whose first child came in the fall naturally, but they timed their other kids in the fall because they wanted same sex siblings to be able use the clothing they already had.

 

I must live in the land of control freaks or something.

[kbutton]

In my experience, there is no problem having kids socially mingling with a broad age range.  The problem comes when the teacher pressures, criticizes, punishes the younger kids for not being as advanced (outside of academics) as the older kids.  And punishes the parents for not red-shirting (every problem is allegedly because "s/he is young," though in reality these issues happen to kids of all ages).

 

 

This is what I see happening the most. And the kids are often a fine fit socially, just more "spirited" in the classroom or slower at work, etc.

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

Where we lived in FL was right near an extremely wealthy area.  The hospital staff was talking with us when our dd was born, and told us that they purposefully conceive with a goal to be full term near the cutoff date, and then they actually have TONS of C-sections planned the week before the cutoff date so that parents do not have to pay an extra year for preschool or day care!  Can you believe that?  Of course, that make it so that their kids are the youngest in their class but obviously those parents are thinking about something other than academic/social maturity.  LOL

[SKL]

First time I wondered how the cost of a C-section compares to the cost of a year of daycare ....;)

[Arcadia]

Of course, that make it so that their kids are the youngest in their class but obviously those parents are thinking about something other than academic/social maturity. LOL

I wished I had induced my younger by a few days earlier so that he shares my older's birthday. Then, I won't need to go through the red tape of requesting his public school for a grade skip now.

 

First time I wondered how the cost of a C-section compares to the cost of a year of daycare ....;)

That varies by insurance and cost of living ;)

Just for fun comparison, without insurance, natural birth cost about $2k~5k and Caesarian cost upwards of $20k when we asked in 2005 before hubby received his company health plans details.

[Lilaclady]

This redshirting June babies just doesn't make sense to me. If a child born in June is considered small when the cut off is September, do we keep redshirting kids early and early unit we have kids so are almost 2 years apart in the same classroom. When is I going to end and who is this really helping? I come from a part of the world where parents are pushing for their kids to get grade skipped so they can be done with school earlier so seeing kids being help back for not apparent reason baffles me.

I understand the parents that hold heir kids back because the kids are grossly immature but if we are honest, most parents do it to give their kids advantages especially in sports. It is just something that I find hard to wrap my head around

[Farrar]

The poor OP. She probably had no idea this was such a hot button issue here... ;)

[Meriwether]

I think that's part of it, but I know people who've done it on purpose and are vocal about it. Oh, and we were told at the hospital when we had our one son in December that December is a busy month because people want to claim kids on their tax returns and get an "extra" year out of that benefit. Apparently people talk about that strategy in the delivery room! I didn't want a fall baby because I didn't want to be big and hot all summer. So of course, we had an unseasonably long, hot, and steamy fall the year I was due in December. :-)

 

I also know people whose first child came in the fall naturally, but they timed their other kids in the fall because they wanted same sex siblings to be able use the clothing they already had.

 

I must live in the land of control freaks or something.

My brother was due late January. Dad said he was going to be a New Year's Eve baby so he could get a tax deduction during the whole pregnancy. It was mostly a joke, but my sister was two weeks early and I was six weeks early. My brother ended up being born about an hour before the new year.

[RosieCotton]

The poor OP. She probably had no idea this was such a hot button issue here... ;)

 

I love this forum and think love reading all the comments on this and other issues. !

Bring it!

 

No I didn't realize this was such a hot issue here so yes I was really laughing. . . .

 

We are fine with the path we are on, will keep going thru 1st grade material, will address his handwriting and adapt as needed of the next 12-18 months and wait and see. He loves to dictate his own stories to me (15-20 sentences total so far), then write them down from the whiteboard and illustrate them, it just takes him longer and it's not as pretty as his brothers yet. But no judgement. He will come along as he will.

 

It confuses me why some would choose to hold back for reasons such as mentioned in other replies like sports, but again, no judgement. Some things are more important to others I guess, or at least the things they've been programmed with.  Our babies came when they came, and I am thankful for that and want them to do their best per their abilities and age.

 

It was a gal at one of my homeschool Mom meetings who spouted off about the 6 year old age cutoff here, I didn't think it sounded right and shoulda just checked.

 

Sorry if anyone took offense within my discussion post. !

[Soror]

This redshirting June babies just doesn't make sense to me. If a child born in June is considered small when the cut off is September, do we keep redshirting kids early and early unit we have kids so are almost 2 years apart in the same classroom. When is I going to end and who is this really helping? I come from a part of the world where parents are pushing for their kids to get grade skipped so they can be done with school earlier so seeing kids being help back for not apparent reason baffles me.

I understand the parents that hold heir kids back because the kids are grossly immature but if we are honest, most parents do it to give their kids advantages especially in sports. It is just something that I find hard to wrap my head around

Hmm, well one could suppose that all those that grade skip are just pushing their kids ahead but that would be really rude, ungrounded and unfair accusation. Please don't assign nefarious motives as to all those who redshirt. I'm sure there are those with less than stellar motives on both sides. In my area the moms I've talked to about redshirting certainly didn't list sports as the primary motivation, the acceleration and prolonging of K preceded redshirting, not the other way around. As it is now we are all stuck in this system which has requirements for k which are inappropriate for many 5 y.o.s, especially boys. I find it ironic that most of the major critics are those who are accelerating their own children, if you want the right place your child according to their ability please extend that courtesy to those on the other end of the spectrum.

 

fwiw I would classify the child in the OP as a first grader myself as he meets the age, maturity and educational readiness level for a 1st grader.

[RootAnn]

 Please don't assign nefarious motives as to all those who redshirt. I'm sure there are those with less than stellar motives on both sides.

 

I have one kid a grade "ahead" of her age (per local cut-offs) & a kid who is "redshirted." Both were what was best for those kids at the age they entered K. I didn't realize I would ever 'redshirt' one of my kids until I had one that just obviously wasn't ready for K at the age of 5.

 

I try to give the benefit of the doubt to parents on the decisions they have to make. Parenting isn't for wimps.

[Soror]

Well, I have a son who is technically redshirted for our official activities as his bday is the day before our local cut-off. I really don't know that I will keep that designation come time for highschool though, actually my thought as of late is that I will go ahead w/ the older grade as that is what I really consider him now. I also have a daughter who will be nearly 6 by the time she is officially old enough for k and I likely think she will be ready before then and I'm really torn on what to do with her. I'm thankful I'm in a state in which I don't have to declare and I sure hope the decision becomes more clear.

[SKL]

I find it ironic that most of the major critics are those who are accelerating their own children, if you want the right place your child according to their ability please extend that courtesy to those on the other end of the spectrum.

 

 

Well, the issue I have is that it is easy and parents are often encouraged - often pressured - to redshirt.  But it is usually difficult if not impossible to accelerate a child.  It's not as if we could just go to KG registration in the year we felt our kid was ready. And if a child has problems in school, it is never attributed to his being old for grade, but often attributed to being young for grade.  In fact, it is the bias in favor of redshirting (the belief that older is better) that makes acceleration so difficult to accomplish.  So, you don't have to fight for the "right" to redshirt.  I've never heard of anyone being denied that right in the USA, but it happens a lot to kids at the other end of the spectrum.

 

[Roadrunner]

Kids in K learn alphabet and work on very basic reading skills. Math is equally minimal - numbers to 20, addition/subtraction to 10. By the end of K, they have to write one sentence. "I like to play" is all they want. The rest of the time is spent on going over colors, calendar, coloring... Lots and lots and lots of repetition. I am describing our experience in K. I don't find this to be high level academics for a neurotypical child. There are tons of kids who read at a low level for the first several years of school and that's O.K. I guess I am not seeing any "academic pressure" that could be the root cause of redshirting neurotypical kids. WTM asks so much more of children than PS.

[ktgrok]

Kids in K learn alphabet and work on very basic reading skills. Math is equally minimal - numbers to 20, addition/subtraction to 10. By the end of K, they have to write one sentence. "I like to play" is all they want. The rest of the time is spent on going over colors, calendar, coloring... Lots and lots and lots of repetition. I am describing our experience in K. I don't find this to be high level academics for a neurotypical child. There are tons of kids who read at a low level for the first several years of school and that's O.K. I guess I am not seeing any "academic pressure" that could be the root cause of redshirting neurotypical kids. WTM asks so much more of children than PS.

That is NOT typical of K here. What you are describing is our preschool stuff. K here is full day. Lots of seat work. Lots of academics as far as reading and writing and math. Homework nightly. Etc. 

 

Many children, perhaps more boys than girls, are not ready to do seatwork for very long at age 5, even if it is coloring and pasting. And Even less ready to be doing worksheets, writing, etc. And honestly, at least my child wasn't ready to be away from home all day at that point. If I had sent him at barely 5 he would have cried daily, I'm sure, when I dropped him off. At 6 we had no tears the first day, and he was fine. 

 

I agree that with homeschooling it matters much less, as most of those boys will "catch up" in a few years. 

[SKL]

To me it would make more sense to put the kids in and insist that they be accommodated than to make them wait a year to get the schooling they are entitled to.  To me the latter is the more drastic choice.  It would gnaw at me for 365 days or more if my kids weren't able to go to school because some nut thought 1st grade work should be moved down to KG, or didn't know how to use active games / play activities to teach.

 

Sure, there are kids who ought to start late, just like there are kids who ought to start early.  But the number of kids at each end should be roughly the same, and it should be supported by the same degree of evidence, not just a rule of thumb about gender and/or birth month.

 

Would people find acceptable a rule of thumb that every kid (or every girl) born 0-4 months after the cutoff should be placed in school early?

[Soror]

Kids in K learn alphabet and work on very basic reading skills. Math is equally minimal - numbers to 20, addition/subtraction to 10. By the end of K, they have to write one sentence. "I like to play" is all they want. The rest of the time is spent on going over colors, calendar, coloring... Lots and lots and lots of repetition. I am describing our experience in K. I don't find this to be high level academics for a neurotypical child. There are tons of kids who read at a low level for the first several years of school and that's O.K. I guess I am not seeing any "academic pressure" that could be the root cause of redshirting neurotypical kids. WTM asks so much more of children than PS.

I don't think that is typical now, quite often in many places that work has moved to preschool which is why many parents these days feel that they have to do preschool to even have a kid ready for k.  

 

Even more than the academics the seat time is often just too great.  

[wapiti]

To me it would make more sense to put the kids in and insist that they be accommodated than to make them wait a year to get the schooling they are entitled to. To me the latter is the more drastic choice. It would gnaw at me for 365 days or more if my kids weren't able to go to school because some nut thought 1st grade work should be moved down to KG, or didn't know how to use active games / play activities

More than just that year of waiting, I would be concerned with the following years and especially graduating an entire year later merely based on a child's developmental state at such an early point in time. I wish there were some acknowledgement (and provision for the fact) that child development is often not a linear process, that children can seem to plateau or even regress and then make giant leaps at other times.

[Soror]

More than just that year of waiting, I would be concerned with the following years and especially graduating an entire year later merely based on a child's developmental state at such an early point in time. I wish there were some acknowledgement (and provision for the fact) that child development is often not a linear process, that children can seem to plateau or even regress and then make giant leaps at other times.

Well, it would be nice but I think difficult in a ps environment.  Generally parents just have to prioritize w/ their child who doesn't quite fit. I trust that other parents are making the decision they feel best for their child based on the many variables.  

 

 It is another one of the many reasons we're hs'ing, ds never would have made it in ps, in the early years especially it would have been crushing for him.  I am so happy that I'm able to provide those accommodations that he needs and personalize his instructions w/ varying levels.  I wish all kids had that.

 

My dh was one of the younger ones in his class due to his birthday and he always felt that he was placed in the wrong grade and  didn't fit.  It would have been very beneficial for dh to have graduated a year later.  I think your perception that graduating a year later is negative is merely colored by your own perspective. It is not unusual for kids to want some extra time to figure everything out.  While some kids are ready to go early some kids just aren't.  I don't think one is necessarily worse than the other it just depends on the kid.  As I said I'm trying to figure this out for my own and I really don't know what will be the best as I can see both sides.  I'm hoping the next few years make it more clear.

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

Kids in K learn alphabet and work on very basic reading skills. Math is equally minimal - numbers to 20, addition/subtraction to 10. By the end of K, they have to write one sentence. "I like to play" is all they want. The rest of the time is spent on going over colors, calendar, coloring... Lots and lots and lots of repetition. I am describing our experience in K. I don't find this to be high level academics for a neurotypical child. There are tons of kids who read at a low level for the first several years of school and that's O.K. I guess I am not seeing any "academic pressure" that could be the root cause of redshirting neurotypical kids. WTM asks so much more of children than PS.

I don't know about CA because I am new here but back in FL this is NOT what is expected in K!  They are expected to be reading be the end of the year, and writing full sentences for weeks before the end of the school year.  There is no more sand play, no more play doh, no more circle time, no more naps. Only the private school kids get a break because at least they only have half a day and can go home and play!  In PS, It looks EXACTLY like first grade did, 28 years ago when I was in first grade.

[Tanikit]

This all seems a little bit silly. Here where I live we used to have children starting grade 1 if they turned 6 in the first half of the year (Jan-Jun) and turning 7 in first grade if their birthdays were in July-Dec. There was no compulsory kindergarten.

 

Now they are supposed to attend kindergarten, but kindergarten is the year they turn 6 and grade 1 is the year they turn 7. There is redshirting of boys mostly whose birthdays are in December (we run January to December). The question is: is the syllabus for kindergarten what was originally covered in grade 1 - I am not totally convinced - it seems that they just go slightly slower now - so they are learning to write in kindergarten and learning the ABCs but they are not reading in kindergarten here.

 

I think the problem is the formal academics and the desire to get kids to sit for so long - sure if they watch TV for ages they should know how to sit and sit and sit, but that is not what they should be doing - they need to play and move. 

 

A child can be taught to read very very early if methods are used that firstly do not involve writing and secondly do not involve sitting still and also do not involve excessive testing (or preferably any testing). Both my children learnt the abcs before 2 years of age just by me pointing it out (no workbooks, no pages, no asking them) Both also learnt to blend around 2-2.5 again with no formal curriculum - just by blending for them a few times a day and pointing to big letters in books and in the environment. My eldest would be diagnosed with ADHD in school - she CANNOT sit still but she can read at a 4th grade level - how is that even possible - it just requires thinking outside of the box and accepting things that teachers would never accept (like letting her read upside down while kicking, or holding the book for her while she wiggles)

 

For my children it is not the academics that would make me think - it is the school expectations alone. That is why I like homeschooling - if something is not working I can change it. I can go as fast as my children need or as slow as they need. I can have a curriculum that allows my eldest to be running and jumping and moving all day and allows my youngest to sit and color to her hearts content (she can sit still and follows directions really well - she would be a model student in school actually). Of course even then they must do things that they do not want to do because that is part of life but at least they have not been diagnosed with conditions they do not have simply because they don't fit into the "school box" or the "what the teacher finds convenient box."

 

 

[SKL]

I really don't think "sitting" is an age thing.  My youngest dd could have handled the sitting in KG when she was 1.  My eldest was more physical, but there was absolutely no issue about sitting when she was 4.  It wasn't even anywhere on the radar.  If she was told to sit, she sat, end of discussion.  (And we did not watch TV, so that wasn't it.)  But if it's true that a lot of kids can't sit in KG, then KG needs to change to accommodate those perfectly normal kids.   Having to wait for another year when you're already ready to read (or nearly so) is not right and not fair.

[Tidbits of Learning]

This can be a hard question especially if you have to declare a grade and have to test later with homeschooling.  Redshirting has gotten out of hand in my state.  Our school system is awful here.  My kids attended for years before I pulled them.  My girls with July and August birthdays were the youngest in their class.  There were kids 1.5-2 years older than them during different times of the year and it wasn't just boys being redshirted.  So my 8 year old 3rd grade daughter was in class with 10 year old kids come spring time.  I have 2 December students as well and they are boys.  Our cut-off is September so both started k at 5 1/2 and this worked well for them.  I thought they would be the oldest in their class.  My older son went to kindergarten at public school and most boys were turning 7 that spring.  They wanted me to hold him back to be 7 again and retaking kindergarten although he was academically ready for 1st.  They said he was immature.  So after being badgered for 6 months on the matter, I had looked up the rules for retaining kindergarten and the only way they could retain for immaturity is if the parent wanted it.  So we toughed it out until June and started homeschooling and haven't looked back.

I would go by the state cut-off especially if you have to turn it in on paperwork.  If for any reason you need to go back to school later, I have heard it is very hard to get them placed higher up or lower once you declare a grade level.  It is hard to determine sometimes in this low of an age/grade.  Even my late bloomer with diagnosed dyslexia/dysgraphia blossomed about 3rd and 4th grade and is on level with his peers.  So I would probably warn against placing in a lower grade based off of skills at 6.  It is a lot easier to get to repeat a grade level than it is to jump ahead a grade level.  

We went into the charter school system 2 years ago and I had to decide exactly where to place my kids grade-wise and even though my son didn't place in his grade level with all capabilities I place him where he would be in brick and mortar school.  It was the right decision.  I do wish that I would have placed my dd who is gifted into a higher grade level and skipped a grade b/c for the 2nd year in a row she has almost all higher grade level courses but her age wise grade level homeroom which means her homeroom teacher can't help me ever.  She knows nothing of the high school system. :(  Next year b/c she will have enough credit to be a sophomore they will finally change her homeroom to reflect her classes she is taking.

So I would say to at least put in your grade level age wise for the cut-off for your state b/c it is hard once you declare a grade level to get them moved up or down.

[bluemongoose]

(

Well, the issue I have is that it is easy and parents are often encouraged - often pressured - to redshirt.  But it is usually difficult if not impossible to accelerate a child.  It's not as if we could just go to KG registration in the year we felt our kid was ready. And if a child has problems in school, it is never attributed to his being old for grade, but often attributed to being young for grade.  In fact, it is the bias in favor of redshirting (the belief that older is better) that makes acceleration so difficult to accomplish.  So, you don't have to fight for the "right" to redshirt.  I've never heard of anyone being denied that right in the USA, but it happens a lot to kids at the other end of the spectrum.

 

This is exactly what I ran into, and what started us on our homeschooling journey. My DD has a late Dec birthday. The cut off date here is September 1st. She was ready for way more than kindergarten work when she was 4yo almost 5yo and she was very capable of siting still, being socially mature for her age etc. The district refused to allow her to test in early because they do not allow testing in early for anyone. They were sticklers about that cut off date. Our district is a small farming community school. There is 1 elementary school and one class for each 2 grades. Meaning K is one class, 1+2nd are blended, 3+4th are blended etc. They do not have pull outs for accelerated kids. Their solution was that she would sit through K and enjoy coloring, and in her first year of 1+2nd blend she would do the 2nd grade work and then her 2nd grade year she would do the 2nd grade work.... that is not a typo! Their comment was that eventually the other kids would catch up. So no hope for a child who is more than ready, but if I had wanted to hold her back an additional year, well that was a-ok.

 

I really don't think "sitting" is an age thing.  My youngest dd could have handled the sitting in KG when she was 1.  My eldest was more physical, but there was absolutely no issue about sitting when she was 4.  It wasn't even anywhere on the radar.  If she was told to sit, she sat, end of discussion.  (And we did not watch TV, so that wasn't it.)  But if it's true that a lot of kids can't sit in KG, then KG needs to change to accommodate those perfectly normal kids.   Having to wait for another year when you're already ready to read (or nearly so) is not right and not fair.

I agree that they need to do something about changing to accommodate more movement in K. My DD mentioned above could do the sit down thing very easily at 4, but not my DS. He is 6.5 and a first grader this year. He cannot sit still. If told to sit, he would sit for about 10 seconds and then start fidgeting in his chair. Eventually he would fall out of the chair or be standing on the chair or the chair would be next to him as he is half jumping near his desk. This is our every day at school. It is almost involuntary because he usually doesnt realize he has moved from his seat. When you call his attention to it he sits right back down, and rinse and repeat. PS would not work well for him because he would constantly be in trouble. The amount of sit still seat work and the lack of recess times (even in K levels around here) would make the long hours very hard for a boy like him...and his teacher too.

[boscopup]

I really don't think "sitting" is an age thing.  My youngest dd could have handled the sitting in KG when she was 1.  My eldest was more physical, but there was absolutely no issue about sitting when she was 4.  It wasn't even anywhere on the radar.  If she was told to sit, she sat, end of discussion.  (And we did not watch TV, so that wasn't it.)  But if it's true that a lot of kids can't sit in KG, then KG needs to change to accommodate those perfectly normal kids.   Having to wait for another year when you're already ready to read (or nearly so) is not right and not fair.

 

I do agree with this. At church, Bible class starts at 18 months old. The kids that first go in are usually stuck in a seat attached to the table, but by the end of the first 6 weeks, most of them are ready to sit in a "big kid chair" at the table like any other kid. The *really* active ones take maybe 12 weeks. I've never seen one take longer than that. The class does move around from table to story circle and back to table a couple times during the class period, but they're able to sit for 10-15 minutes just fine. By time they get into the 3-4 year old class, there is no moving around. They sit in their chair for 40-45 minutes. This has not been a problem for any of the kids I've seen, and I've taught that class several times.

 

What these kids aren't doing is reading, writing, etc. What RoadRunner described as "K" matches what my son's private school did (which made me wonder why people were bothering to redshirt there, but some did! It was all developmentally appropriate, complete with shaving cream on the desks for writing instruction!). But I know that many public schools across the country expect kids to already be reading by time they get to K, and they basically expect what my private school's 1st grade does in K. So I totally understand redshirting at those schools, where 1st grade has been pushed down to K.

 

In my homeschool, I expect my K'ers to do what my son's private school expected in K, and what RoadRunner described of her child's K experience. Those are my K goals. Writing a paragraph at the end of K? Not on my radar. I see no point in that in K. In my mind, "real school" begins in 1st grade. K is meant to get them reading and writing. In those areas where 1st grade is pushed down to K, they have pushed K down to preschool, so the kids are taught to read and write in preschool.

 

[kbutton]

Well, the issue I have is that it is easy and parents are often encouraged - often pressured - to redshirt.  But it is usually difficult if not impossible to accelerate a child.  It's not as if we could just go to KG registration in the year we felt our kid was ready. And if a child has problems in school, it is never attributed to his being old for grade, but often attributed to being young for grade.  In fact, it is the bias in favor of redshirting (the belief that older is better) that makes acceleration so difficult to accomplish.  So, you don't have to fight for the "right" to redshirt.  I've never heard of anyone being denied that right in the USA, but it happens a lot to kids at the other end of the spectrum.

 

 

Yes, and if they end up having exceptionalities identified later on down the road that keep them from ever being as "mature" (in whatever way the teacher means it) as the other kids in the class, they've just lost a year (or more if they should have been accelerated) for NOTHING. In some cases, everyone loses because they are now both bored and a bit immature. Definitely not a good combo.

 

I am glad FWIW, that this problems is nonexistent in some school districts and parts of the country. I do think geography makes a difference.

[RootAnn]

Kids in K learn alphabet and work on very basic reading skills. Math is equally minimal - numbers to 20, addition/subtraction to 10. By the end of K, they have to write one sentence. "I like to play" is all they want. The rest of the time is spent on going over colors, calendar, coloring... Lots and lots and lots of repetition. I am describing our experience in K.

 

My nephews were expected to be reading easy chapter books by Christmas of their K year. The one that wasn't was given special homework & pulled out for extra help. As others have pointed out, some geographical areas & some school systems have pushed 1st grade down to K. Others have not.

 

A child can be taught to read very very early if methods are used that firstly do not involve writing and secondly do not involve sitting still and also do not involve excessive testing (or preferably any testing).

 

Not every child can learn to read early even if you don't include writing, sitting still, or any type of testing. Kids are ready when they are ready. Parents and people who have not had one of these kids may not understand it - but your magical methods don't always work. To me, it is like people who advocate those Potty Train Early methods. Until the kid is ready, they aren't going to be able to do it. (You may be able to get them to go on a schedule if you sit them on the potty often enough, but that isn't the same as recognizing the feeling, holding it, and getting to the toilet themselves.) 

[Roadrunner]

Lots of kids can read easy chapter books in K, but that was not the expectation from teachers. They had a list of 100 words they were suppose to recognize (I, we, can, have, sing, play......). Dolche words? Sentences were built around those words. Our school used enVision Math and McGraw Hill Treasures curriculum and I believe this is somewhat standard in many CA schools. The work was so easy and repetitive that many kids (including my 4 year old I thought about redshirting) were bored to tears.

[SKL]

I use my eldest as a benchmark for what is reasonable to expect, because her IQ is supposedly average and she has learning challenges but gets support at home.  She started decoding a few words and remembering a couple of sight words just before her 5th birthday.  She read Little Bear and Frog and Toad books around age 5.5 or a little later, but well before her 6th birthday.  Around age 6.5 she was reading what I'd consider actual chapter books (e.g. Princess Posey) which were on the 2nd grade level.  But her usual reading choices when she was 5-6 were not chapter books.  She did read an average of a book per day at that age (and not the same book over and over as some schools apparently require).

 

I don't see the point of pushing more than basic reading in KG.  It seems counterproductive.  I could think of a hundred better ways to use that time.  But nobody asked me.  ;)