Is My Boy Ready for Kindergarten?

Is he in a preschool? If so, talk to his teacher about his readiness. If not, I would send him to kindergarten. He needs the socialization, and he may respond better to a teacher than to a parent when it comes to learning. I would also do some research on holding back kids - the latest reports do not seem to support red-shirting.

Please send him! I taught kindergarten for 5 years, and we got all walks of life. If he's old enough, he needs to go. It's funny because most of the time kids act so different at school than they do at home. So, just because he's not interested in learning at home, does not mean he will be that way at school. He will only benefit from starting when he is suppose to start. I hope you make the right decision. :) Good luck!

Hold him back for the reasons you've mentioned. If you start him in kinder then feel it was a mistake and he has to repeat, you're putting him in the position of having his friends go up into the first grade while he is still in kindergarden and he won't understand. As for the three year old, when is his birthday? If he's a summer baby also, just hold him back too, then you won't have a problem.
It's always better to hold them back a year. That will give them a headstart when school starts. You can teach numbers and letters at home at playtime and make it fun.

My oldest son turned 5 last July & started kindergarden the following August. My mother in law practically begged me to hold him out another year. I am really glad I did not. He has done really well in school. My thinking was that when he is older, he would resent me for holding him back a year & making him quite a bit older than the rest of the kids in his class. Granted he is the youngest child in the class now & his maturity level is not as high as some of the other kids; but I believe it has been a great learning experience for him & overal he has done well! Hope this helps.

Hi K.,
I know it's typical in the Woodlands to hold boys back, but I would suggest the opposite. If he's ready, send him. My sons have a June birthday, and I opted to send them to a private Christian kindergarten. There are 10 students in the class. They did extremely well in preschool and their teacher said they were ready. Since I started them in kindergarten, their reading has taken off and they love math. They are learning to work through relationship dynamics and mature. Their teacher has done a fantastic job. For us, it was absolutely the right choice. I would suggest talking to your son's preschool teacher. And don't worry if he doesn't know his alphabet, etc. They all catch up once they enter kindergarten. The teacher makes all the difference. Hope that helps.

I would suggest scheduling a visit to the school/classroom where you son would attend Kindergarten. See what the program is like and talk to the teacher(s) about your concerns. Make sure you son gets to go along and see what it is about. Seeing what he would be doing and getting to know the teacher(s) will give you a much better idea of whether or not he is ready for Kinder. Good luck!

K.
Hi. I am a mother of 3 kids, almost 4 years, 18 months, and 3 months, and I would encourage you to put your son in kindergarten. I put my 3 year old in a preschool program in the public schools where I live and I found that he actually flourished and started learning all kinds of things. You may find once he starts school he may love it and begin developing quicker and wanting to learn the things he doesn't seem to have any interest in right now (alphabet, counting, etc.). Good luck.

Have you thought about enrolling your son in a preschool part-time to help him be ready for Kindergarten? You'd be surprised how positive group/peer-pressure will encourage a child to learn!

IMHO, it wouldn't hurt to enroll him in Kindergarten and see how it goes. If the teachers feel he needs some more coaching, then you will have the option of enrolling him in a public or private pre-K program.

Best wishes.

This is a hard one for you, and I know you will do what you feel is right in your heart.
I work with pre-k (4year olds), kinder(5year olds), and special needs.
First , if you wait a year and hold him back his "younger" brother will pass him up...that couldn't be so good later when they are older. It could give him a pretty bad stigma.
Also, if he is in Speech therapy, well, more couldn't hurt. He could then get the therapy at school and out of school.
Also as some of the other moms have said you can hold him back next year if you feel he needs more work.
Maturity really isn't an issue...most 5 year olds are immature...after all...they are 5. And kinder teachers all know this...
kinder isn't about work..and stress. they have fun when they learn. most don't even realize that they are learning.
You can help him from home by making all things educational...like when you are driving and pass a sign...read it and spell the "easy" words. when you are talking, in everyday conversations...after you say the sentence...spell the easy words. when you are working on colors...also spell the words. it is easy and just becomes a part of everyday life.
My son was a bit behind at the end of Kinder, I put him through summer school...and he BLOSSOMED. he caught up in a matter of days. It was wonderful to watch. He is now a srtong reader and never has to pracrtice spelling words...it's great.
Also in kinder...most everything is learned through interactive play, and songs...lots and lots of songs. you can google color songs...and some great ones will pop up..there is a set, that the color words are put to our old favorite songs, "like are you sleeping" that is the tune for the R.E.D. song.
So I hope you are put at ease with all these answers. I know they all go back and forth, but do what feels right in your heart.

Why would you ever want to hold your child back from anything educational? If you hold him back now, he will be 6 when starting school, and therefore can be starting 1st grade (unless you're putting him in private). 6 year olds normally start 1st grade. Kinder is not legally required. Plus, if he ever gets severely sick or has to be retained at a later age, then he will be just that much older than all the other kids. Believe me, as a high school teacher, that is not good for him. Putting a small child in too early can be bad too (for his size matters at times). But, he's turning 5 in JUNE -that is the perfect time to start Kinder. If his birthday was in September or your son has physical or mental issues, then I could see the dilemma. Otherwise, do your son a favor, and have him start when he is supposed to. You're not putting him in early or late, but right on target!! If you don't, he will be a whole year behind to start off. That's not very fair to your child.

If your son is in speech therapy, he can receive services at school also as part of his curriculum. It could be that his lack of interest in the alphabet is related to the speech impediment which could be caused by some type of hearing loss at some point. (My son had reccurrent ear infections and tubes as a baby/toddler which caused him to miss some sounds which, in turn, caused a speech impediment. That made it difficult for him to establish a solid foundation for reading until he got a bright therapist at school. Steps were taken, some special classes added to help him catch up and now he's taking college level courses in the 11th grade.
I also don't believe that it's "necessary" for a child to know/recognize the alphabet or be able to count to 100 or whatever when they enter kindergarten. That's more of a "my kid's better than your kid because they can......" thing and there are teachers out there that get special training and are paid to teach these things. Children are forced to grow up too early now days.
If an interest is there, help it. If not, don't push it or he'll lose all interest.

What I've seen happen is parents go ahead and put the child in kinder and then decide to have them have a second year of kinder if they need it. This can be a good solution, but the trouble is you are only allowed to hold a child back twice, and if he ends up having trouble, this can really limit your flexibility if you've already used up one of the years. However, having a brother in the same grade who is a year younger could really damage his self esteem. Given the two, I would have to say it would be best to send him to kinder and also enroll him in tutoring like Kumon, to help him stay up to speed. I worked at a Kumon center while getting my teaching degree in college and it is a terrific program. Good luck, this is a really tough choice!

My kids are all girls, and my middle is a mid-July birthday. I was determined that she begin Kindergarten just after turning five because I thought she was ready. And I was prepared that she could repeat Kindergarten if necessary. She's now a junior in high school. She did fine academically and socially all along, but I was kinda concerned that she started high school when she had just turned 14 -- even tho' that's what I did. I've heard that boys typically mature a little later, and I think his maturity is the key here, not his IQ. Good luck to you!!

I think it would be a good idea to send your son to school now. If you think he needs extra help they have programs at the school to help out your son. To be more specific, my little girl has Autism and also gets speech therapy, but your son sounds like he is pretty normal and they have a program for children 3-6 at school called PPCD, which also can be for normal children who just have a slight delay and that may be able to get your son interested. I don't exactly know if you would be interested in that, but the school diagnostician and the school psychologist usually get involved if they "suspect" any delays. It sounds like your son will fit in fine at school. Once he makes new friends he'll probably become more interested. I personally wish I would have known about programs like PPCD when my daughter was 3, then I would have given her a head start, but instead, I learned about his when she was five and they suggested I hold her back a year not because of academic reasons but because they wanted her to develop more socially. Also I have a son that will be turning 5 in two weeks and he is going to be going to Kindergarten this fall. I would send him to school if I were you, and at least if he needs any help at all, whether it's for social development or for academic reasons, than at least he can have that opportunity at school, and you will know for sure. God bless.

Why would you hold him back 1 year? I've never heard of holding back a child because of maturity, sports and academics. You say he's smart and I'm sure he is. Don't let others tell you what to do based on there experience or what they've 'read.' Go ahead and register him for school this fall and he probably will do good because kids learn better around their peers. Good luck.

I know you got lots of responses for both. One reccomendation I have is, if you decide not to send him, check out preschool. Many of the public schools have preschool classes your son may qualify for since he is recieving speech therapy. I would also ask the speech therapist what they think. They see your son in a learning setting, and might have a better idea of how he would function in a classroom setting. Along with that many work or have worked with the school system and know what will be expected.
Good Luck!

My opinion is to put him into kindergaten, you won't know for sure what he will do unless you give him the chance, then if he still needs more time at least you know you tried, if he is in speech therapy maybe you could get him into early headstart over the summer, my son is in pre-k and I wasn't sure at the beginning of the year, he didn't seem to be retaining information, but over the year he has learned a lot and he loves it there, we work with him at home and the consistancy at school and repetitiveness has set in.I have another son (2) who is in speech therapy and my 5 month old will have to start school late because of his birthday so I hope he will have the opportunity to go to pre-k, good luck!

My co-workers daughters are in the same grade because one needed to be held back. They are in different classes and seem to do fine.

Kindergarten will be a structured environment that might encourage growth. Stay involved with his teacher and if you need to hold him back talk with his teacher and speech therapist they will help you and know your son.

My mom thought about holding me back because I have a July birthday. I was a slow learner. I did fine and had lots of support from my family but the older I got I wished I was held back...I now have a degree from a 4 year college, work full time and have a family.

With support your son can do anything.

If I were you, I would give him the opportunity to let you know if he is ready. He will show definite signs if he is not ready, believe me. He may be encouraged to learn his alphabets, numbers, etc. in the company of other kids his age in a school setting. Some kids are really stubborn with their parents, but pretty open to new things from their teachers. Give him a chance, maybe three months, and see how he progresses. But don't let him see that you are hesitant about sending him to school, b/c he may feel your anxiety and become fearful and clingy. He may start to feel that school is a bad place instead of an exciting opportunity to learn great new things and make new lasting friendships. Keep in contact w/ his teacher so you can reinforce w/ him what he has learned at school. This can help build his confidence and show him that you are interested in what he is learning. Most kids will naturally want to share w/ you what they learned at school anyways. Take advantage of that by doing about 10mins of reinforcing at home. GIve kindergarten a try. I think he will do fine. If not he can do it again next year. lol.

If your son is in preschool, ask the teacher. Also, ask his speech therapist if she has any recomendations.

Send him! He can only benefit from the socializing, oral language development, etc. You never know, he might blossom after starting school.

My son wasnt ... His birthday is in june and he was just to in mature. I think boys are a little slower then girls to mature. I wish i would of waited one more year. He was just not in tune with the other kids that were a little older..we ended up keeping him back one year...and that one year was such a big difference... He felt more comfortable with kids a little younger then him. And the work was such a difference...well good luck C.

Ask yourself this one question; Would it be better for him to be near the top of his class or for him to struggle to keep up? I have a Sept. baby who I keep home until she was almost six and I have never regretted it. I have seen so many children who end up having to repeat grades usually kinder or first) because they started too early. hey often take this to mean they were not "smart" enough to move up and it ends up being a huge blow to their confidence. Rare is the child who is born during those "fence" months who is mature enough to start on the early side. Just a thought, do the schools in your area offer testing to see if they feel he's ready?

BTW, I would also consider keeping your youngest home another year to avoid the boys being in the same grade. It will likely be the best for both of them :0)

Sept. 1st is just a hard fast date that you can't put them in, nothing wrong with holding him back especially if you have doubts that he is ready. Let him enjoy his childhood while he can. Peer pressure, stupid school rules, and pushes for academics will always be waiting, I promise! Besides, he may get by now, but the may thrive later! Good for you getting to stay home. Congrats!

Don't hold him back. I was held back and I had lots of problems that my mother don't know......

I would hold him back! It helps boys out all around be better at social skills and better at managing their behavior. My son turned 5 in Sept. and just missed the cut off. Him being the oldest in his class has been very helpful in his learning and his social behavior. I would hold my child back again if I had to do it all over again!

I would hold him back a year. You are giving your child the gift of time. Everything is so much more stressful on the child and they are not really allowed to be a child anymore. You do not have the option to hold him back just because you think he is not ready once he has started Kindergarten. If he "passes" he must go on.

My husband has an Aug. 30th birthday and his parents put him in as he was suppose to. He always wishes they had held him back. He was a late bloomer so was always very small to do sports. He was at the top of his class he just wishes he could have been able to play more sports.

I have a friend of mine who is waiting for her child to start for another year. His Birthday is Aug. 28th. She did however put him in a preschool so he could get use to being in a school environment.

My oldest starts kindergarten this year and he turns 6 in Nov. and is also a boy. I am still paranoid that he is not ready.

Good Luck,
J.

Hi K.,
My son when he turned 5 in April 4 years ago i thought he was ready for kinder.I wish i had kept him home now until the following year.I should have considered he was just comming out of 4 and still hadn't matured enough to be in kinder.If you decide to keep him home{not a bad choice} it will allow you to work w/him more and when he goes to kinder he'll be more stable and not lag behind as i've seen my son do these past years.

K.,

My son is now 21 and just now starting to mature where some boys mature at 18 or so but my opinion is some boys just are on their on pace. I wish I had kept him home one more year as he wasn't ready in so many ways but the one I saw most of all, was emotional. He just didn't mature at the same pace as the other boys and therefore he was always pointed out by the teachers as kind of a trouble. But now that I have grandsons I see what I didn't see as a mom. Don't get me wrong he learned and was bright and passed but he struggled so much more then I think he would have had to had he just stayed behind one more year. A year makes a huge difference for boys sometimes and in his case I think it would have made a difference in his overall life. On the other hand you said your 3 year old would be ready and that is ok but don't push your 4 year old if he isn't ready, emotionally. Does he bite his nails? pick at his skin around his nails? or toes? have nervous habits? those are all signs he might not be ready. If you would like to talk you can email me at ____@____.com :)

It is always good to have them be the older ones in their grade. This way they are more mature and sure of themselves. Having your boys in the same grade is not a huge issue. I have twin boys who turned five last year and I started them in Kinder in August. They are on level but I feel like they would have a better time if they were a bit older. Needless to say, my gut tells me I should have waited a year. My daughter is an older third grader and she is top in her grade.

I hope this helps.

Deborah

I am a retired teacher--even though I taught grades 7 - 12 for 38 years, not kindergarten, I have NEVER known anyone who held back a boy who regretted it. I have known MANY parents who sent boys on to kindergarten who wished they had not done so. These are friends and acquaintances as well as boys I taught in high school who were emotionally, socially, and educationally immature. Holding them back makes them the oldest in the class, which gives them an advantage.

I am a former kindergarten teacher. I think first you should go with your instincts. If you think he is not ready then he probably isn't. It is true that boys mature more slowly than girls.
Is your son in a preschool program? The preschool teacher could help give you some insight into what your child is like in a classroom setting.
My biggest concern would be that you should not assume that if you send him on to kindergarten now that you will just simply be able to make him repeat kindergarten if YOU feel he needs it. Schools have to report the number of children they retain in any given grade and year. It looks bad for them statisitcally to have kids be held back. They do not retain children lightly. There must be a glaring problem or a group of behaviors that prove the child should be held back.
If you have the means, a preschool that has a transition program would be beneficial. It is there for children who may not quite be ready just like your son.
Also, children know when they or other students have been held back and they do not hesitate to point it out to each other. Being made fun of and repeating work that he has already done could cause low self esteem in a child.
In my opinion, it is better to allow him a little more time to mature so that he will be successful and not struggling. He would be one of the oldest, not one of the youngest. He will not have already done everything in kindergarten so he shouldn't feel that you have held him back. The only way he will know that you are holding him back is if you tell him.
Good luck in making a difficult decision.

We're in Round Rock ISD and they have the Kinder Round-up starting around April. You have a tour of the school, they have a special activity for him, and the teachers also test him on some basic information and they can better advise you. I always thought that it's better to hold a child back a year than have him repeat a grade because there might be some social issues associated with that. Just seeing their classmates go to the next grade can be hard for some kids. In Asian cultures, when a child immigrates to America, sometimes the parents put them back on year to give them time to adjust to the language, new environment, etc. That's just my general opinion but you know your son so you're the best judge about what the best choice is for him.

I speak from experience. Our oldest son has an August birthday so he was the youngest in his preK class. He was not interested in "doing" as much as he was in observing the other children, so we decided to have him repeat preK. That was the best decision! He spent that next year as a class leader, eager to learn. He is now an engineer making good money and we are all glad that we held him back. (It is very difficult to get a school to allow a child to repeat K when he is not failing) Two of my other boys have had speech therapy and I can tell you that the extra year can really make a difference in how well the teacher will understand his reading. Also, it is very common for children in speech therapy to also have difficulty with handwriting, often reversing letters. Please don't rush your little guy, let him learn to enjoy school.

K., I have a somewhat similar situation however, my 3 1/2 yr son is currently attending a Montessori school. Your note mentioned that your son was in speech therapy. My son's teacher has a concern related to his language development. Sometimes he speaks in complete sentences and other times he doesn't. This is a concern for his teacher b/c the other children communicate at a more understandable level. My son seems to be a late bloomer when it comes to speech. How did you know your son needed speech therapy? Can you recommend a speech thereapist.

Read the book "Boys Adrift" by Leonard Sax. He also has a website www.boysadrift.com. He has tons of research to back up holding boys back a year. I have a 22 month old son, and I gained a lot of insight from his book. My little one was born in late May, and even though he's incredibly smart, I am seriously considering waiting an additional year before he starts kindergarten.

Only you know if he is ready. If you think he will benefit from staying home one more year, keep him home. Maybe you could set up at home centers and have a learning environment in your home. That way, when he does start kindergarten he will be older and ahead.

My aunt was a Kindergarten teacher for over 26yrs. when my oldest went into kindergarten. He was born late August, she immediatley told me I should think about keeping him back one more year. Her experience with her own children were, the boy was a late June baby and she regretted not holding him back. Her daughter was early August and she did hold her back. I held both my boys (my oldest August baby and my youngest late July) back and the both did fine. Hope this helps.

Hi K.,
I would difinetly hold him back. It will not hurt him and will help him in the long run- I had two little ones same ages- boy and girl- boy one year older than girl- birthdays July and June- sent him off to school at age 6 and was not a good thing- had to hold him back a year which made them same grades througout all school years. but holding him back was the best for him because he was not ready like I thought............If you have a school that has more than one kimdergarten class or first grade- I would suggest you make sure they are not in the same class- so each one can develop their own pace without the competition of the other sibling.....that is what I did and it worked for my two.........long story short- keep him home another year and you will see difference in his readiness.
good Luck and Blessings

There are a few schools that offer the program the gift of time. Its for kids that are old enough but aren't ready to start kindergarten. The program follows the same as kinder but at a slower pace. I know St. Thomas Espicopal has it. You may want to call to see if that is a program to consider before sending your child to kinder. My son is in kinder and I think its very fast pace. They are taught to read and have to be at level C before being promoted to first grade. Good luck in your decision.

As a mom and an elementary school principal, I would suggest that you try to put your son in a half day preschool program next year instead of kindergarten. This will develop an interest in school while still giving him a chance to play and develop social skills. You can repeat kindergarten but now a days it is very academic and it does not sound like he is there yet. If you have anymore questions please feel free to email me at ____@____.com.

I held my son back and never regretted it... I started first grade at 5 and then turned 6... and when I graduated and started looking for work, everyone wanted someone older or married... (Lived in a small place with few jobs available).

School was a breeze for him...

J.

Let him do kindergarten--you can always let him do it again if necessary. Give him the chance to achieve early!

honestly, I have never heard of anyone sorry they kept their child home. I have heard many regret sending them when they were not sure they were ready. I have 2 boys (born august and september) both are one of the oldest in their classes. But one is in the gifted program and soaring. The other is leading and top of his class.
I was a teacher before staying home and well it was sad to see the difference one year can make. confidence is hard to get back if you loose it.
Plus...once they start school you do not get them back. I suggest keeping your little guy with you and enjoy puzzles, games and reading at home with him.

I have heard plenty of people regret putting their kids (especially boys) in kindergarten when they're technically able to go, and nobody I've ever talked to has regretted having them wait a year to start kinder. And to offer another alternative to keeping him in pre-school for another year: I have one friend who put her son (born in August) in a private half-day kindergarten when he was 5, and then put him in public kindergarten when he was 6, and she has been completely happy with that decision. Good luck with your decision.

If you're "on the fence," keep him back. I have 4 girls and one boy and it really is true; the boys are a year behind the girls. Better for him to be near the top than the bottom of the class. Keeping him back will make him look forward to school instead of setting him up for a lifetime of "I hate school."

I've taught kindergarten for 5 years and think that you should go to the school and talk to the principal and kinder teachers there. Only you know your child, but maybe letting him start kinder this year with an open mind that he may need to repeat due to his age could be good for him. Talk to the teachers, and go with your instincts.

One of my boys is in Kindergarten now and I had held him back. I don't think you'll ever regret that decision. He's more sure of himself and is the smartest in his class. It's been a great decision for us. My son was also immature. Life is hard enough without pushing them before they're ready. As far as having 2 in Kindergarten next year, they can always get different teachers and who knows, maybe you'll hold them both back a year. I, in no way, can see how it would hurt them.

As a side note, I have an 8 yr old boy who is in 3rd grade and soars through the curriculum and is great with his social skills. He was READY to start and I have never regretted that decision either.

Good luck and God bless!

My son was born in August and had a speech delay. He is also very shy. He repeated his preK year. At the end of his preK year his teacher said it was such a goo idea to hold him back. He was more confident made more friends, and more at ease. This year has been his first year at kinder. He is the oldest, but is still shy. He has a little more confidence to handle bullying situations and kinder"politics" better than if we hadn't held him back.

So that's what we did and we are happy with our decision. Paying for another year of preK is a little painful on the purse though.

Good luck with your decision

If you have any doubts my recommendation would be to hold him back now. If he is a weak pre-schooler he will most likely be a weak kinde-gartner and so on. I would give him that extra year to mature and develope in social and academic areas. I am speaking from experience of myself,who had a Sept birthday and my son, who had an Aug birthday. My parents put me in 1st grade and I had no pre-schooling prior and I was the youngest in the class (private school allowed after Sept 1 birthdays) and I struggled in various areas all throughout my school life. My husband & I did not want my son to have the same experience so we held him back at kinder. I feel if made him a stronger all round person and he is a graduating Sr this year with only minimal problems in any subject.

There are many struggles and adventures along the way to graduatation. Best of luck & God Bless.

The school system should be able to test in some way and help you decide if he is ready for kinder.

This is my 2cents, but why not enroll him in Kinder. If he doesn't do well then you can make the decision to hold him back at the end of next school year. When my step-son was in Kinder he didn't do very well and we made the decision to hold him back at the end of the year.
If you keep him out of kinder now and he doesn't do well next year then you will be holding him back for two years.
This is a very personal decision and whatever decision you make as a family will be the right decision.

Hi. My son turned 5 last August. I went ahead and started him in Kindergarten. His teachers have said that he is immature and that holding him back in the 1st grade, if he needs it, would probably be good.

I feel that starting him in K was a wise move on my part. He now has the idea of "what" school is and "how" he is supposed to act.

I hope this info helps.
K.

I didn't read the other responses, but just a little fact many don't know...Kindergarten is not required in Texas. You can keep him out and still enroll him in 1st grade next year. I did with my daughter due to a lot of changes in our family structure just before then. She was not ready for any more change at that point, so I kept her in daycare/preschool one more year. She did have to join a "reading recovery" class for a short time each day until Christmas, but she caught up in no time. No harm/no foul. Proof - she is now an 8th grader reading at 12th grade level.
Just do what you think is best for your guy.

Check out the posting from Melinda S. on Oct 16, 2008. It is similar to yours and she received some great advice.

Here was my response.

We are still very good friends with our child's kindergarten teacher. She has always said you will know if your child is ready for kindergarten if he can do the following things.

Can he sit and listen to an entire picture book without getting up and being distracted?
Can you give him 3 directions and he can complete them without any help. Ex: "Honey, please go to mommy's room and get her purse, then please find my sunglasses in the purse and bring me my sunglasses to the kitchen?
Can he write his name? (does not have to be perfect).
Can he go to the potty all by himself? Can he dress himself?
Can he open and then drink from a small carton of milk?
Teachers also note that most kids all even out by their third grade year. These younger children who have been given lots of attention and have been in daycare are also a bit more prepared for school.

You are correct, many boys are not ready for school late summer, but there also many that if held back will be bored and then can become disruptive once they start school. You will know in your heart. Follow your mommy heart and brain, it will tell you.

I have a five year old and he did a split of pre k and kindergaten this year and then next year he will be in kindergarten all day. He was born in august and i have a 3 1/2 yr old who can't wait to start school in august. if i was you i would talk to his teacher and see if she thinks he is ready for kindergarten or see if you can do a split like i did. we all just want whats best for our kids.

Hi K..

My opinion: hold him back. It may be difficult having 2 boys in Kinder at the same time, but it could also be a good thing. Your son is delayed and I think getting him in this early would be a disservice to him and he will struggle to keep up with his academics. Aside from academics, I think it would be terrible for him socially to make friends in a class and then be held back a year as his friends move on. Boys tend to be delayed in all developmental areas: academics, socially, as well as physical. I think he would do better as one of the oldest, with a one year advantage.

HTH

You have had a ton of responses. But childhood is so short! Give him an extra year to be a kid and hold him back. He has the rest of his life to worry about school work, jobs, etc. An extra year of childhood is a gift.

My son's birthday is in August. I held him back and do not regret it at all. Many people hold kids back these days. Kids who start kinder at age 5 with summer birthdays will be with kids who are a year or even 15 months older due to many parents holding kids back. There is a difference between kids who are a year apart in age. I don't think it matters how smart they are, emotional intelligence and maturity are huge. Hold him back and he will be confident and just blossom.

Why not enroll him in a kindergarten prep or transitional kindergarten in your area to give him some great head start skills?

K.,
My son also has a June birthday. We held him back and he is now 13. I don't regret it at all. He was bright but very immature. June is a good month because he will still be able to play sports such as baseball, basketball, swimming etc. with the kids in his grade. My son also takes all Pre-AP classes in the seventh grade. I'm not sure he would have been able to take Pre-Ap if we did not hold him back. It will be to his advantage to hold him back and don't worry that he will be in the same grade with his younger brother. They are close in age and in a lot of ways it will be easier for you to have two in the same grade instead of 3 boys in 3 different grades. By the way, my son has a twin sister and they have a lot of the same classes and can study together. If one forgets something or doesn't understand something the other one will usually makes up for it. It is a blessing.

Only you know if he is mature enough to handle it. My son's birthday is September 1st and that is the actual cut off date. We chose to keep him back a year. So he will be starting this year at 5 and turn 6 after a couple of weeks into the year. I believe this is the best decision for my child. I can tell how much he is grown in this last year and there is no way he was ready to go last year. I am currently going to school to be an elementary teacher and I have been out observing at schools, one teacher told me that a little boy she had in her class just wasn't ready for school and his birthday was in June. It's different for every child and only you know whether your baby is ready. Good luck! Also what might be helpful is go to your local school and ask them for a kindergarten handout. Inside should be a list of things your child should be able to do prior to attending school. Work on it with your son and see if he is ready!:)

My daughter is also a June baby. As a result she is the youngest in her class. Many of her classmates are a full year older. When they are that young, that is a huge difference. We did not know we had a choice to wait a year. If we knew, we would have. She struggled all through kinder and is now a first grader. She is doing just fine now but I feel like all the struggle could have been avoided had we waited a year. If you are at all on the fence, err on the side of caution and wait a year. Good luck!

Hi K.-
This is certainly a subject that gives you lots of different advice! I personally am a strong advocate in holding children back who are on the fence but only YOU know your child and his best interests. There are children who thrive either way and if you feel he will catch on quick and it will motivate him then certainly send him. If there is any doubt in your mind that he could possibly struggle or it could effect his self-esteem then hold him back. I do believe the law has changed on the rights of parents to hold their child back. Check with your school to see if parents have a say in this before making your decision.
Best wishes to you and your soon to be Kinder!
Elizabeth

Hi K.,

I know you've gotten tons of responses and I have not read them all, but here's my 2 cents anyway.
This is a very personal decision~YOU know your son. If deep down you think he is not ready I would hold off. He is only going to be young once and I don't think one more year of "growing" is going to hurt him at all. My daughter turned 5 at the end of July. She was NOT ready at all for Kinder. Socially, yes, no problem, but academically, not. Same thing, was not interested in practicing numbers, letters, etc. and was having a hard time identifying numbers, letters, etc. And she had been in a learning environment since two years old! I thought she might have a learning disability~I put her in a "Transition" class which is more than pre-K but not quite Kinder. and she bloomed!!! She is 6 and started Kinder. this year and is doing wonderfully!! I have to say, keeping her out for one extra year was THE BEST decision I could have ever made! So, if you have any reservations about starting your son, I'd wait. It's not going to hurt him. And that extra year might be exactly what he needs. Just my opinion.

Good luck!!

My son also has a June birthday. We let him go to Kindergarden. He struggled. He struggled thru 1st. I wish I had not allowed him to start so early. There were 3 boys in the same class. 2 with june b-days, 1 July. Us & the July held ours back in 1st grade. The other June went on. Our 2 boys ecelled thru school while the other June struggled throughout his school yrs. It doesn't matter that your 2 boys will be in the same grade. What matters is wht is best for your oldest son. He'll appreciate it later. Our son we held back in 1st? He tells us it help him to hold him back, although he hated it when he was 6. Now? He finishted high school in the top 10% & from Tx A&M last May. Tough decision? Yes, worth it? yes. Oh yea, everynight was homework, or makeup work with no play time throught that 1st grade yr. I suggest keep him at home one more yr. Me? I'm 49, with a 26,25,24,16&15. (I was glad to get one out of the house, but it wasn't worth it in the long run.