Advanced Kindergartner

Hi Kim.

I would talk to the teacher and the school principal to see what other options are available for your daughter.
I do know that you have to be persistant because I had to "ask" for my son to be tested for the gifted program in elementary school. He made in in finally. I knew he was talented and no one did anything about it. I have a daughter who does well in school but I know she does not belong in the gifted programs. ( all children are different - I am a mother of 3, 15, 11, and 23 months)
Sometimes the teachers don't make the proper recommendations for the children. If you know she is advanced and want her challenged, then it will mostly be up to you. Don't wait on the school because she may just keep being bored when she needs challenged in school.
Good luck.

C.

I know it is frustrating that the teachers don't want to move your daughter up, but look at the whole picture....Your daughter has the chance by being so advanced in K that she will excell and lead her grade. When she gets into high school and such, she will be getting scholarships and excellence awards. Also look at he social skills, sometimes because one is advanced does not mean their ready. My suggestion would be to get with the teacher to see if she can help modify the cirriculum for your daughter. Example, the class is learning the letter A, instead of reading the beginner books the class is reading, see if your daughter can read a more advanced book. Instead of just doing the coloring assignment, see if she can write a story about the subject too. This way, she stays with the class, but still gets challenged.I was the same way growing up, and they did not want to move me up as well, the school system woudl not allow me to because of age. However, I spent most of my time in the higher class. Not sure if any of this will help, but thought I would add my thoughts. Good luck.

Kim,

Can you talk to the teacher? This was my son in K too. He was reading at a 2nd grade level. Also his math was advanced. The teacher recommended him for "Quest" a gifted class but they were full. Never understood that, but anyway...she went to the 1st grade teacher and got advanced work that he did. Maybe there is an advanced class that she can participate in rather than moving her up. I was concerned about that from a maturity standpoint later in school, say when he was 16 and all his classmates would be 17 or 18. My two cents!!!!!!

My daughter is in a similar situation. She was in private school and they moved her ahead. Her birthday is in September, so she had just missed the cut off in public school, but the private school moved her ahead. She remained in private school until this year where she entered the 6th grade. I have noticed that my daughter excels at reading but struggles at math. Math these days is way more advance than when I was in school. Also socially, the girls are atleast 1 year plus older than her and she is exposed to must older experiences. The public schools have an advanced reader program called Quest. It may be different for each individual school district, but there is the opportunity for an advanced reader to excel while remaining in thier own grade. My advice would be to continue to leave your daughter in the correct grade level and support her reading at home. Once in 1st, she will have the opportunity to be placed in the "gifted program" which will carry many benefits. I wish someone had told me this when my daughter was young, because I would have never allowed them to move her up. Even though she is a straight A student, it is a struggle and the social aspect is a struggle.

My son, now in 3rd grade, was and still is in the same boat. My issue in Kdg was that kids were pulled out all the time for Speech, OT, ESOL, etc. to get extra help but the the kids who were ahead of the curve never got extra time to develop at a higher level. Quite frankly, they just aren't prepared for the higher level kids at such a young age. I was told that public schools in Kdg focus on getting kids up to Kdg level since many kids have never had any type of Pre-K or preschool learning. Many kids come with no history to the school or teacher and there is a lot of evaluating going on.

With that said, I worked very hard w/ the Cirriculum Development Specialsits (his teacher, by her own admission, said that she was overwhelmed with the special needs kids in her class and couldn't give him the extra attention he needed). My son was pulled out and joined a 1st grade class for reading and math several times a week but stayed with his Kdg class the rest of the time. For the time it was a happy medium - my son didn't get as bored thus not becoming a behavior problem.

Now that he is in 3rd grade, he's still ahead of the curve but it's not so big a gap. I tell him that one day he will get a "B" on his report card and the world will not fall apart - we tell him it will be a character building moment. He laughs! He is in the gifted program, but that doesn't necessarily address the 3 R's. He does special projects but not more intense language or math.

Work very hard within the system of your school. Remember that you are your child's advocate!

Good Luck!

Hi... DEMAND that your daughter goes into a first grade reading class during which when they have reading time.
Both of my daughters did this during grade K and what a difference this made! Her teacher should be smart enough to know that your daughter needs this advanced reading or yes, she will be bored!
Have A Wonderful Day!

If the school will absolutely not accelerate your child, then it is up to you now to give her the advanced stuff. My daughter was accelerated from pre-k to K, but she was still bored so I talked to the teacher and told her to please give her advance reading because she was bored and practically read the entire book before the end of the year. I was blessed enough to have a teacher that saw my daughter's potential. So, she went ahead and gave her extra work in school and home work as well. Hook on phonics is really good for the kids too. Bring your daughter to the library every day, I did that with both kids and they are 17 and 9 and they still love to read. Hope it helps. We buy them educational toys, you know computer games, it keeps them motivated educationally. We do not have PS, Xbox nor game boy, I think they should be learning about education rather than other things. Take care and God bless!

What you are describing is actually common. I have 4 children & 3 of them are un school (5 grade, K & Pre-K). I had the same concerns with my first child & I learned to trust the teachers & not jump the gun. She has been tested in reading, but what about other subjects? Try having her tested for the gifted program. That would give her the chance to stay in the appropriate grade for her age & would also challenge her. I do not recommend skipping grades because it puts them with older children & does not give them the benefit of being with their peers. Ask the teachers their advice, they have the experience & can give you the most information. It may not be what you want to hear, but they are the best resource when it comes to your child.

Maturity is a very big thing in school nowadays, more so than when we were growing up. I do understand your frustration, though. My daughter started reading at 3, and before she started Kindergarten, was whipping through the entire Magic Tree House series. She's in K now, and adding and subtracting double digits, and can read my husband's medical textbooks. She's currently being tested for the TAG program at her elementary school.

Having said that, I wouldn't skip my daughter for the world. There are a lot of other things kids learn in Kindergarten besides reading and math. Things like art, music, gym -- these are all important components to education taught at a child's level. Reading is something that many kids "catch up" in, and by 3rd or 4th grade, the differences in reading levels are not so distinguishable. Perhaps your school has an accelerated reader program?

Talk with your school and see what happens. Good luck!

I am not sure what advice to offer you because I am in the similar sit. How do you get your k tested for reading and I wondered what school your daughter attends? I am finding my daughter is doing less that she did at a private pre-k and is bored silly!
I used to teach at a private school for 5 yrs and will say they are advanced but not cheap. Good luck!

If you are in Douglas County, check out the gifted program and see if they will test your daughter. This will help with the boredom. She will attend a class called Program Challenge and they are able to explore many things above their grade levels. Hope this helps!
K. B.
www.balterbaby.com
www.baltercatalogue.com

Hi,
I have read some wonderful advice! I, too, have a son who was reading fluently when he entered pre-k and was advanced in most areas. I wasn't able to find out about testing him, but that's water under the bridge, he's 13 now. I am glad that he's with peers that are his same age, as some other moms mentioned. But one thing that has been a struggle for us is keeping him motivated. Good grades come so easliy for him it's hard to keep him motivated and he has become pretty lazy. He doesn't want to put any extra effort into his work. So I suggest that no matter what decision you make, be sure to keep that in mind and work with the teachers to keep your child motivated and working hard so she can be proud of the effort she puts into her good grades.
Good Luck!

If your child is not complaining then I would leave her at grade level. All children learn at differnt levels but by third grade it all begins to equal out and she will begin to be more challanged. I have four children and have noticed the ones who start out ahead seem to do better all the way through school so my adive is keep her where she is because you don't want her to lose her confidence.

While still encouraging her to excel and love reading, maybe you can use these next couple of years to get her interested in some other "non-scholastic" activities like dancing or sports. This could help her to keep from being really bored. And definitly keep a close watch on her to make sure she doesn't "slack off" but rather take advantage of the great grades she can make. Offer incentives and rewards. If she makes great grades now then that could create a life-long habit of striving for the best.

Good Luck!

Hi Kim,

I would suggest you start looking into private/homeschool schools. They will place your child in the class she is ready for. My son is 4 1/2 years old and is in K at the Hope Springs Christian School. He loves his class and looks forward to going to school everyday. They have a very nurturing environment and really care about the children. We love it and the main thing is that he does too. If you would like more information you can email me at ____@____.com

thanks
K.

I have a 2 yr old who already knows all her letters and is counting to 20, knows all her colors and shapes as well. I too am fearful she will be bored when she gets to school. But there is something to be said for maturity and growing up with her peers. You can work with her at home to keep her advancing. Or perhaps speak with the teacher/administrator of the school to see if there is a program she can get involved with that will encourage her intellectual growth. Another option might be to put her in private school where they are typically further ahead then the public schools and offen more willing to do more for those children who are advanced like your daughter is. If none of these things are options then I suggest you teach her coping skills. Perhaps let her bring a book to read when she is finished with her work or something to do when she has completed all the work the teacher has assigned. It seems to me that there are many more programs available for children who are lagging behind yet nothing much for those who excel. I wish you luck!

I was also an early reader and mathematician, and was moved up a grade in elementary. It wasn't a satisfactory fix, though because while the work was more on my level, emotionally I was different from the older kids, and I had no friends. Teachers will tell you that, and they are right. The solution for me was a gifted and talented program. The years I spent in GT were the only happy years I had in school. The others I was either bored or didn't fit in. I highly recommend you find a program for gifted students, whether in a private or public school, or consider homeschooling since you're at home anyway and have done such a good job so far. People often say that the problem with home schooling is that kids don't get enough "socialization." The socialization kids get in a 20:2 kid:teacher schoolroom is overrated. The kids are learning too much from the other kids (bullying, teasing, the worst aspects of pop culture) than they are from the overextended teacher. Whereas homeschoolers have a lot of networks in which people meet with their homeschooled kids for small group opportunities to socialize.
Good luck and God bless!
C. at Loving Hands Family Child Care

Is she in private school? If not and at all possible you may look into it. I noticed that at my son's school they are doing things like spelling tests (i dont remember doing that until 3rd grade) now in kindergarten. They also gear the reading books etc to the level of the child. You get more one on one teacher relationship so that she/ he can personally challenge your child.

Your daughter is very smart.
but, i don't know. Why do you think she don't learn anything in k? I think it is important to her to make frineds with same ages.She can learn sociality in k.

You have obviously done a great job with your daughter! I work with children and have been asked many times both about advancing a student and about holding a child back. One of the things I think a lot of people forget about is socialization. There is a BIG difference between kindergarteners and first graders and between first and second graders when it comes to social skills. There is a lot more to school than just learning basic academics. You also have to consider her skills in other areas like math. I also know that once kids get into first grade, there are often many children who are at a higher level than other kids who haven't started reading yet. Generally, classroom teachers can set up groups to address this. Or, perhaps she could get instruction on reading on a more individualized basis. My thought is, wouldn't you rather her be one of the best kids in the class rather than just in the middle? Of course, with all of that said, you know your daughther best and should make the decision based on what you and her teacher feel is going to be the right for her. Good luck no matter what you do!

We are going to have the same "problem" with our oldest daughter.

She's in prek now but knows all that's being taught. What we do is:
do activities here at home to teach something new or challenge her to use what she already knows in a different way (problem solving type activities). We are also
invovled in enrichment activities (music, art, dance).

We tend to focus on things that teach social skills, motor skills, and reasoning. In hopes that she'll be able to use the information she has in daily life, think abstractly, be creative, enjoy learning new things, and be able to do well in school while not being too bored.

Congratulations on having such a bright child! I'm sure your love of reading has a lot to do with her reading success.

I am a certified elementary school teacher and I think your daughter will be fine if she stays where she is. As educators we are trained to teach to the entire class, not just the middle group. We have strategies to help bring below grade level readers up to speed and to extend lessons for the children who are reading abve grade level.

Ask your daughter's teacher what kinds of things she will do as far as extension activities. Ask her what you can do at home as well.

In my experience, skipping grades is not usually the best course. Kindergarten is about a lot more than just reading. If your daughter moved up to first grade, she'd miss out on the base lessons in all the subject areas. Plus, kindergarten is FUN!

Personally, my daughter is the "highest" reader in her class. My hope is that she doesn't always feel like she is the smartest and that school is easy. I have seen third graders who always excelled in earlier grades really struggle in later elementary because they never had to study before. That's why I feel extension is so important.

Finally, you'll know if your daughter is bored if she starts getting into trouble. The gifted teachers tell their students "boredom is a choice." Next year, your daughter will take the CoGat which is basically an IQ test. That will give you more information. Ask your daughter's teacher if you can observe the class. See what things your daughter is doing. You'll probably see that Kindergarten is a very busy place where a lot of learning is taking place. Next year you can do the same thing. Above all, relax and enjoy these times. Before we know it, we'll be helping with research papers!

Good luck!