Any Teachers Out There? When Is It Best to Start Kindergarten?

Public schools require you child to be in Kindergarten if they are 5 by September 1st. She won't be accepted into public school if she doesn't meet that requirement.

I am a homeschooling mom of two. I would highly recommend doing what you think best for your children on an individual basis. Girls tend to be ready for more sooner, but they doesn't mean that waiting wouldn't be beneficial either.

I would like to suggest that not all learning is book learning. By that I mean that playing games like hopscotch, soccer, kickball, jump rope, etc. are extremely beneficial to developing reading and writing skills that will be needed later. There is an excellent book on this matter written by a doctor. The title was Learning Is Not All In Your Head.
I would recommend focusing on allowing your children to learn from doing rather that "lessons" right now. They learn so much just by doing. (like paint mixing, water play, making homemade bubbles, measuring and cooking) Giving them the foundation for learning and loving to learn is key to the entire rest of their schooling career and the rest of their life.

Back to your real question, I tend to fall on the "there is nothing wrong with waiting" side.

most private schools have an earlier cut off than public schools even. You never go wrong holding them back, but it's a gamble sending them too early. Sometimes they are fine, and sometimes they struggle.

Hi, S.. This subject hits home for me! My daughter is a September birthday, and we moved here from LA where the cutoff is later. The rules here state that the child must be 5 by Sept. 1st, and they don't seem to waiver in that very much. I was reluctant at first, but it is for the best. I compare her situation with my oldest daugter, who was one of the youngest kids in her class. Intellectually, she was ready for Kindergarten, but emotionally, I don't think either of us were.
My daughter LOVES being one of the oldest-- she is a leader for sure! She was also placed in the EXPO program, which should help to keep her challenged even when the subject matter may be something that she's already learned, esp. having a sister who just recently went through it all (they are only 15 months apart, but 2 school years). There is a definite maturity level difference between the oldest and youngest kids in the class.
My advice is to wait the year, and let your child be a 6 year old Kindergartener. I don't know anyone who hasn't said that has been for the best. She will experience advantages throughout her school years.

I TOTALLY agree with what everyone else is saying. It never hurts to wait. I've been in education for 23 years now and typically the differences in the younger children don't show up until fifth grade. Then they really struggle. Another thing to consider is that, if you start her early then she will be 13 in the ninth grade with boys who are turning 15,... We thought about bumping our daughter up when she was in first grade because she was soooo bored. But when my husband pointed that out to me, I said "no way"! I would much rather a child be an older, shining star than a struggling younger child. I think they would too. It's about more than just RIGHT NOW.

S.,
I agree with the others so far: the state requirement is age 5 by Sept. 1st. So you'll probably have to wait anyway.
I wanted to add my sister's perspective, though. Her birthday is Oct. 15th. She started K when she was 4. She was the youngest kid in her class. Everyone else was already 5, so when birthdays would come up she was embarrassed to be the ONLY 4 year-old about to be 5. She wanted to be 6 sooooo bad. Pressure created because my mom put her in school too early. Another thing, my sister is very small. Not only was she the youngest, but she was the smallest too. She was picked on by the bigger kids because they thought she was a "baby." It seemed that academically she was always having to prove herself to teachers who thought she was too young or too immature for her grade.
She is a very intelligent woman and now a teacher. She has turned out quite well and who she is partly because of her experiences. However, she would not recommend sending a 4 year-old to K, ever! Please consider my sister's early academic trials before putting your daughter in a similar situation.

Thanks!
P.

If you are going to put her in public school she has to be 5 yrs old by Sept 1. I don't know if private schools will take them after the end of Sept. I know my oldest daughter was 5 yrs old and than turned 6 yrs old in late October when she entered Kindergarten. She is a little ahead in subjects than the other kids because we worked with other at home. So next year she will be in a program because she is a little advanced in areas. Most of her class is 6 yrs old already.

Good Luck!

If she won't be 5 by Sept 1st, I would wait. We had my oldest in private school when he was younger and his birthday is in November. He was a grade ahead until 6th grade. He started having problems in the 4th grade. His immaturity compared to the other children began to effect his grades and conduct. He is now in his correct grade.

My advice is to wait. It will be best in the long run.

Hi S.,

Definitely wait until she is already 5! I learned this lesson already and started my daughter when she had just turned 5 and she was very smart but just not completely ready for Kinder so we let her repeat Kinder and she'll do first grade next year. I'm SO happy we made this decision....Kindergarten seems to have really changed since we were kids and the teachers expect alot more from the kids.
I also have a 2 yr old that has a November b-day so I'll be making sure he starts when he's already 5. I'm almost releived he'll be almost a yr ahead. It really does benefit the child. Has your daughter had any preschool? That would be a great benefit for her if she did.
Anyhow IMO, waiting that one more year is definitely worth it and she'll do just great as a 5 yr old (almost 6 yr old) in Kinder.

Take Care!