[kerc]

4.5 yr old is reading. Like driving down the road reading signs and such. She is sight-reading most words, no phonics. She can count to 100 by herself. She gets the basic concepts of addition, subtraction. She did preschool last year and we were really really happy there. She is a bit of a lone sheep when it comes to group stuff -- she wants to do things her way and her way is a bit strange (even in a liberal school). That said, she did make friends at school and has hit it off with out new next door neighbor (almost 7 months younger).

The school cutoff here is Sept 1. I can have her tested and she has to pass 2 of 3 tests (recognizing 100 sight words is one of them, 2 years of preschool is another and I'm not sure what the third is but I think it's a test). I'm pretty sure she could do it.

I'm a bit concerned that kindergarten early will be rough -- i.e. some social stuff that would be a breeze the following year will be more of a challenge. I'm also a bit worried that the years in school later (i.e. 3rd, 4th, 5th grades) will be very UNchallenging for her. I have reason to believe that my daughter could be amongst the top few percent academically (her dad is, I'm not as bright but I am well-educated --- dad scored almost perfect on the SAT and managed a 4.0 in college without really trying). But dad (who is very like dd1) was bored and screwed around in high school. He also never felt like he fit in in elem., except in the once a week "able learners" program.

I don't want to get school started off as a bad experience as preschool has been fabulous. I also don't want her bored. I don't necessarily want to send her to college at age 17 either.

Anyhow, I'm looking for some discussion. I feel kind of strange talking about it with my friends IRL because, well, how do you say she really could be among the top 2 percent nationwide intellectually. What do you all think? What would be concerns? What questions should I ask?

 

[Geofizz]

Kristin, knowing Erin, I think that starting K this year is certainly something to consider. If it were me, and if Erin were my kid, I'd probably send her.

Have you talked to her preschool teacher about her readiness?
How's she doing with sitting still for the duration of a story/activity?
How well does she follow instructions from other adults?

What would happen if you commit to 3-4 weeks of K in the fall, discuss with the K teacher, and evaluate on whether or not to continue or pull out?

 

[carmel23]

Like your daughter, my oldest son was reading well before kindergarten and doing basic math. But I never wanted to put him in kindergarten early, but rather do a bunch of stuff at home to bridge the gap between his abilities and preschool.

Is it a full day kindergarten, or half-day? Has she been in a preschool full-time, or half-day?

(baby crying, will finish later.....)

 

[quaz]

I have a similar case with dd who will be 5 in September. I could have gotten her into K if I wanted.

Instead I'm doing pre-K with her this year.

The reasons....

While she shows many indicators of giftedness, she is not 'into' academics. She avoids them. She can do basic reading, though... I started teaching her in March, for 10 minutes a day b/c she has a severe pronunciation issue, and my research showed an increase in phonological awareness could help (it has helped some). She can kinda count to 100 (she needs a few of the 10's cued). She can do addition/sub in story probelms or manipulatives. So, she has the academic skills, BUT not the interest.

She is HIGHLY emotional. Lately it has been exponentially worse. She just bawls over trivial items and nothing helps.

Speech... I'm concerned that with as unclear as her speech maybe, it will pose issues for her... I'm hoping the extra year helps.

By me, they are transitioning to full day K... At this point, she still can get HIGHLY tired in the afternoon, and when she is tired, she is prone to HUGE tantrums and loopy behavior. I can't imagine her lasting a full day for 5 days.... especially if much of the focus is going to be in academics. DD REALLY needs unstructured play.

Anyway, I do have concerns that she will get bored later. I also have concerns that K isn't right for her now... so, we are doing 1/2 day pre-K (just like K USED To be), and next year will be full day K (Just how 1rst grade used to be).

There is no easy choice or best choice for kids like this. I think either choice we will/would have issues.

Tammy

 

[Roar]

One thing I'd consider is how open the school might be a to grade skip later. Some places it seems like you've got a window to start a kid early in k but it is hard to negotiate a skip after that. Also, is there a gifted program and when does it start.

Also, I think it would depend somewhat on your area and how far out of step she's going to be with her peers in K next year. There are some upper middle class areas where it isn't very uncommon for kids to be reading by the time they start K. There are other areas where it would be really unusual. Do you have any sense of that.

 

[Newsprint]

Is there a Montessori pre-school in your area? They have a class aged 3-6, and is great for picking up on strengths and readiness and as they occur. I'm not in the US so our experiences will I guess be quite different but you could check the Montessori thread.

 

[kerc]

good things to consider. here 1/2 day kindergarten is "normal" but they offer full-day as well. If we start k this fall she'll do 1/2 day, the following year we'd do full day.

preschool is 2.5 hrs, 3 days a week.

Wendy I think you have a great idea in starting and if it doesn't work out, stopping -- but I think Erin would get really attached to her teacher.

I'm going to call the school and find out if it would be possible to skip kindergarten -- i.e. if she's ready can she just start in first grade.

 

[2 in August]

Just please be careful. I was 4yo when I started kdg, I've always been smart. I really had to work hard in some subjects. I think it would have been easier if I was a little older and being the youngest all the time was hard socially.

 

[joensally]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Roar One thing I'd consider is how open the school might be a to grade skip later. Some places it seems like you've got a window to start a kid early in k but it is hard to negotiate a skip after that. Also, is there a gifted program and when does it start. Also, I think it would depend somewhat on your area and how far out of step she's going to be with her peers in K next year. There are some upper middle class areas where it isn't very uncommon for kids to be reading by the time they start K. There are other areas where it would be really unusual. Do you have any sense of that.

I agree with the above, and also exploring the montessori option.

DS will be almost 5 when he starts K and certainly has all of the K curriculum mastered. We'll consider a grade skip in subsequent years, but not K. It's the settling in year, IMO, and more fun than gr1. Also, the social dynamics in a K class are substantively different than those in a gr1 class.

It would be worth discussing with someone in your school district (specialist) or at the local school if you're really wondering about fit.

 

[LisainCalifornia]

Just remember the earlier you start them, the younger they are when they leave home for college. That was the deal breaker for me.

My husband is a really smart guy, and he skipped two grades and graduated at 16. It was really hard for him to enter college at 16, and he had to go close to home because his parents didn't want him leaving home at that age and living on his own. He has done great things with his life and career, but still talks about how frustrating it was to be a sixteen year old college student.

My son was easily reading at 4, and I would have never considered letting him enter school early. He has a very high I.Q. and is a whiz at math and sicence. He is now 13 and still thriving, and will be in 8th grade next year. He will be 18 when he goes to college (he wants to go to UC Davis and become a vet) and I will love every minute of that last year home with him. Our kids grow up so fast, don't rush anything!

 

[jogirl]

My dh was gifted and very bored/frustrated in school. Hated it. We won't make that mistake. My dd is 4 and will start K early this fall (jan birthday)... and even with the early entrance they'll still be making some accomodations for her. She can count by 2's, 3's, 5's, 10's forward or backward, add double digits in her head, do basic multiplication, and is just now getting into chapter books (cam jansen and magic school bus - she's been reading since soon after 3). She loves learning and is just so far ahead that we're trying to close the gap... plus, she enjoys the company of the older kids better... doesn't have many 4yo friends that can play with her on certain board games, etc. I'm happy with our choice and she's beyond excited. As long as she's happy, learning some work ethic, and socially functional then I'm happy too. It wouldn't hurt to test with the school for early admittence and get their opinion, but I think you need to weigh her interest in academics and figure our your priorities for her education, which vary by family. My dd was very clear about starting school this year (we did part year Montessori - didn't work - and part year homeschool, which worked, but apparently she really wants school!).

 

[neptunemama]

One thing to consider is it's a very different thing to enter elementary school at not quite 5 vs. not quite 6, regardless of grade level you enter into. An almost 6 yr old is so much more ready for the entire elementary school experience. At not quite 5, many just aren't there yet. My younger dd has a late fall bday, missing the cut off for K by almost 3 mths. We tried to get the school to assess her last year but they refused, holding hard and fast to their cut off. This year, when they assessed her, they found her assessing across the board at 2nd grade or above, and she'll be skipping K and going into 1st grade in the fall. We're hoping she'll be challenged, but realize we don't want to skip her two grades right now. Having her in a pre-K this past year has been wonderful. I'm so glad she didn't go to K last fall. She's grown so much emotionally and is more than ready for 1st grade. She would've done fine in K this past year academically and socially, but at not quite 5, I think she might have struggled at times emotionally. If skipping a grade is an option for you in the future, you may want to wait and let your child mature a bit.

 

[kerc]

neptune are you saying your dc was in prek last year and will be in 2nd grade this year? or 1st grade?

Not that it really matters...

That's the basic idea I'm considering. Doing a second year of preschool and then skipping kindergarten. I filled out the paperwork to have her evaluated. They seem to be be cranky about the whole process, so I figure it is better to have her evaluated now even if we decide not to move forward.

 

[Geofizz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by LisainCalifornia Just remember the earlier you start them, the younger they are when they leave home for college. That was the deal breaker for me.

... And there's no reason to go directly from high school to college.

I went abroad for year. I was an exchange student in Turkey. I lived with a Turkish family, became fluent in another language, gained a world perspective, and gained the confidence that I can learn anything and that I can rely on myself in sometime difficult, confusing situations.

kerc, sounds like you have a good plan.

 

[zeldamomma]

The problem of linking age and specific academic levels in traditional schools is one of the reasons we're homeschooling. But if we couldn't homeschool, I wouldn't put a child in kindergarten early unless his/her social maturity was on par with the typical kindergartener.

Dh's and my birthday are 3 days apart. I made the kindy cut-off and he did not. I struggled socially in school (which may have happened regardless of when I started school, but being the youngest didn't help) and was bored to tears by 3rd grade in the very traditional school I attended. Dh was essentially 6 when he began kindergarten. He loved being among the oldest, and because his school allowed him to work at his own pace, he was not bored. He took college level calculus in jr high. Admittedly, dh's parents were much more likely to advocate for their kids than mine were, and dh would probably have made life very difficult for a teacher if he were bored (he is definitely spirited). However, I see no net gain to me for starting school a year sooner than he did, and an extra year to mature might have done me a world of good.

HTH!

ZM

 

[neptunemama]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kerc neptune are you saying your dc was in prek last year and will be in 2nd grade this year? or 1st grade? Not that it really matters... That's the basic idea I'm considering. Doing a second year of preschool and then skipping kindergarten. I filled out the paperwork to have her evaluated. They seem to be be cranky about the whole process, so I figure it is better to have her evaluated now even if we decide not to move forward.

Yes, she just finished up a year of pre-K and will start 1st grade this Sept, skipping K entirely. She assessed at 2nd grade or above in the various areas they test, but dh and I felt it best to skip her only one grade right now and see how things go. If her needs aren't being met, then we'll reevaluate at a later time.

It definitely can't hurt to have your dd evaluated now. Good luck.

 

[kerc]

glad to know someone else has the same general plan as I've come up with.

 

[subrosa]

As an early reader who started kindergarten on time, I think I personally would have been better served starting a year earlier. I was always able to excel effortlessly in school, and when I finally got to a point where I actually had to do some work, i really floundered. There were no challenges that gradually built up my work ethic, so I spent all of elementary school with a novel tucked under my desk...it led to some rough times. While we had gifted education, it was in the form of Sturday enrichment classes that, while fun, weren't particularly useful.

Good luck in reaching a decision.

 

[EnviroBecca]

Quote:

Just remember the earlier you start them, the younger they are when they leave home for college.

Unless they spend a year between high school and college working as a teacher's aide at the high school, like my grandma did, or working in the family business, like my cousin did.

And kids who start kindergarten "on time" can wind up leaving for college early. The university I went to has a summer pre-college program that actively recruits students (who are there the summer after 11th grade, planning to go home for 12th) to enroll for the fall and not finish high school. I've known several people who did this, including one who never went home from pre-college but just had her parents mail her stuff! It works out great if you get your bachelor's a year early...not so great if you drop out, because you don't even have a high school diploma.

At any rate, I think it's silly to let college entrance age be a factor in deciding kindergarten entrance age. College is a separate thing--people can go when they're ready.

 

[MaryCeleste]

I can understand not wanting your child to be much younger than her classmates (although, if she's clearly advanced, you're going to have to deal with the grade-skipping issue sooner or later).

OTOH, I'm confused by comments such as this:

Quote:

Originally Posted by neptunemama An almost 6 yr old is so much more ready for the entire elementary school experience. At not quite 5, many just aren't there yet.

Where I'm from, 95% of children start half-day kindergarten the year they turn 4. If we moved back there, DD would be scheduled to start this fall. She would still be 3, as would the other children with birthdays late in the year. But I think she'd be ready. I have vivid memories of my own early days of kindergarten, and the only children who had trouble adjusting were the ones who'd never done any organized group activities without their parents.

By contrast, where we're living now, DD wouldn't be eligible to start kindergarten until two full years later. She'd be turning 6 shortly after the school year started! I find this completely baffling, as do my relatives. Is American kindergarten really that dog-eat-dog? How does it differ from preschool? Aren't they basically the same thing, except that kindergarten is in a school building?

:

It's kind of a moot point for us, since we're not planning to use public schools... but I just can't wrap my head around the discrepancy.