Preschool, When to Start

I think either 3 or 4 is fine for starting preschool. I started my kids at 3 and 3 1/2. They enjoy(ed) the preschool setting. If you want him to have more interaction with kids his age and you aren't sending him to preschool...you could join a playgroup, do a class at the YMCA, sign up for a sports or gymnastics class. There are lots of different possibilities.

My daughter's birthday is Aug.29... and I started her in preschool a few days after her 3rd birthday and to be completely honest she was to young and it really didn't help.It's not fun being the youngest in the class and you can usually easily point out the youngest.

I would recommend starting preschool at age4!

Caleb did 3 yr old preschool last year and loved it! His Bday is June, but I signed him up because he needed some friends his age, too. He just went twice a week for 3 hours each day, so it was just enough, but not overwhelming.

Trust your instincts. What do YOU think is right for him, for you, for your family? Then go with that.

Don't worry about what other people are doing.

I have a 4 yr old son and I waited til he was 4 to start him in preschool. I wish I would have started him at 3. He needs the social interaction very much. I'm a stay at home mom during the day and I work a shift from 8pm-2am. My daughter will be 3 in February and I will start her in preschool when she turns 3. I think its good for them. My first daughter didn't go into any preschool and she was really shy in Kindergarten. I don't want the other 2 2 go through that also. She wouldn't go up and ask someone to play, she waited for someone to ask her. I would enroll your child in preschool now if you can. My son does a kindergarten readiness class at the E.C.F.E near my house. I'd check them out.

Sorry about the lay off! I had that happen to me last October 2008 and I was in the same situation except my kids were 4 and 2. I decided to find a preschool to start my son in just to give him that social interaction that he was craving. He started in November 2008 and thrived! I am very glad I was able to send him. My daughter who turned 3 in Feb 09 wanted to go to school too. But due to laws had to wait until this past September to start and she loves it. If she could go to school 3 or 4 days a weeks she would.

Hope this helps! Good luck!

Starting at 3 is mostly for the socialization. With a stay at home mom and not being around children his age there is two ways you can handle it. One thing you can do is have play dates with other children or if available join a class for younger children like gymnastics. You could also just do a day care a couple days aweek. Preschool won't hurt him at 3 and if you can afford it, he will probably enjoy it. My kids were ranch kids and did preschool at 4 and they did great with the socialization even though they weren't around many when younger.

You and I have similar situations as I have a 3 year old son who turned 3 in August and a 1 year old son. I was laid off as well so I am home now as a result. Regarding the preschool situation, I did decide to put my son in preschool so that he would be able to interact with kids his own age. Although he likes going, it is a struggle as the teacher expects him to sit in one spot, talk quietly, etc., which are difficult tasks for my son. I have mixed feelings about sending him but overall I would say it has been a good thing. If I were you, I would not feel bad about him not going. I would just enroll him in some classes at the YMCA, etc. Good luck!

I see you have gotten mixed comments on whether or not preschool is necessary. I think it all depends on the child and the school.....and also how you define "preschool". Preschool isn't necessarily SCHOOL. My daughter started "preschool" at age 27 months. Two days per week for 2 1/2 hours each day. It was wonderful for her. Her class was called "Creative Play". It was not a heavily structured school. It was just as it says in the title of the class....PLAY! They did learn things but it wasn't strict or forced. I think it's a great opportunity for children to learn to interact with other kids their age, to pay attention to a teacher or other grown-up in a group setting and to find some new activities that they would enjoy.

She's now 3 and is in her 2nd year of preschool. Two days per week, 3 hours each day. We are trying a different school but it's still mostly the same concept....structured play. She loves to go and asks everyday if it's a school day. I was worried at first if she would burn out on school by the time she gets to kindergarten but I don't think it will be a problem. We'll probably shift her to 3 days per week next year when she's 4. I think it will be a great prep for kindergarten. Depending on what school district we are in, she may have full day kindergarten 5 days per week. I think it would be a huge shock to her system to do that without having some preschool experience!

I think you should do what's right for you and your son. I wouldn't worry too much about "over-schooling" him. A lot of the preschool programs really aren't that much different than what a child would be doing in daycare!

PS...Our kids are the same age....my daughter turned 3 in June and my son is 18 months. My neighbor has the same ages but opposite genders..older boy with little sister. She's done the same classes with her son too.

Good luck!

Check with your school district. Most have a day to "drop in and play" for free. It would be a way for him to get to play with other children.

Our daughter is 4 1/2 and this is the first year we did ECFE mixed ages so I can attend with her and her 2 1/2 year old brother. It's a short 12 week program.

Do you have any friends who stay home with their kids? You could line up play dates if you really feel he needs that right now.

I stay home with our 2 kids and whenever we go visit my friends and aunts daycares or have playdates the kids come back with "new things" that we wouldn't neccesarily approve of..... (Sayings, words, killing their toys, etc....) So, it's not always in the best interest of kids to be with so many other kids all the time. We limit our "play days" to about once a month or so sometimes less.....

He will be fine! Just do lots of stuff together at home. Playdoh, projects, singing songs, rhymes, teach him his ABC's, letter sounds, counting, etc.

I have a son who just turned 3 in July too. I thought about preschool, but also decided to wait til next Fall, when he's 4. He goes to daycare now 3 days a week, which is good for him. You could always do ECFE classes with your kids for some social interaction with other kids. Those can be educational too. Plus you can get together with other moms and talk. Check in your city for their community ed book or website.

I work at a preschool and I've seen three year olds that definitely should have spent another year home with their mommies.
My son on the other hand went to preschool as a three year old who turned 4 in early September and it did wonderful things for him to learn some routine and sharing and taking turns on a different level than he had at his home daycare.
You know your child better than anyone else - if you think he could benefit from it, try it out. If your instincts were to wait another year, I would recommend waiting - unless he has developmental needs that you think would benefit from early intervention services. (speech, gross motor skills, etc)

U.,

I really think you should move forward based on your son. Does he talk about wanting to play with others? If you feel like he's wanting this extra interaction, you should seek it out for him. Maybe starting preschool for half days, even if it's only 2 or 3 days a week to let him "get his feet wet" and see how it goes from there.

Don't forget that there are lots of opportunities to seek out social interaction in your community. Find a MOPs group or other such group in your area, lots of bookstores have special storytimes for preschoolers, local library often host preschool activities along with family nights, etc. These are all great places to meet other parents with preschoolers and maybe find a couple with whom to set up playdates. Look around for opportunities for him gain some social time and you might be surprised how much you can come up with.

My daughter is 3 and her brother is 1 also. I did not start her in preschool either because I wanted them to play together. I do take her each and every Sunday to church. There she learns about God and plays with all the other children. During the week I try to have her visit grandma at her farm so that they get "out" too. do you have any options like this?

Kids don't have to go to preschool. If you are looking for interaction with other kids, try finding a play group, or sign her up for music or gymnastics classes, something like that. Get together with friends with kids, trade off babysitting for each other so the kids can play together and the moms can take turns running errands alone. Sign up for ECFE, that is a great outlet for kids - to be with other kids their age, and a great way for moms to connect with other moms (or dads). Good luck
S.

I would start at 4. I started mine boy in 4k this year. Don't rush it.

Personally I don't agree with preschool because kids need to be kids for as long as they can and actually starting them too early can cause learning issues in the future. 4 would be a good age for a part time preschool. I am sure that as a stay at home mom you have already started him on the basics of numbers and letters. Let him stay little as long as he can they still grow up way to fast.