OT: Skipping Kindergarden

[ThreeMusketeers]

My daughter who will be 5 in April. Is attending preschool this year. It is a "public school preschool" Meaning, it is VERY sturctured. And they do pretty much everything they will be doing in Kindergarden here in the fall. She goes for 4 hours a day and has learned a wealth of information. She has always been "smart for her age". She had a couple of evaluations and the teachers have all said she is well above her age level for testing (she tested in October at 6 years old, as far as knowledge, speech, emotional and physical development go.) Even now, I can see that Preschool is no longer a challenge for her and she is looking for more to do, and harder things to conquer. I have recently been teaching her how to read which she has picked up so quickly, and at 4.5 she is reading MOST of the stage one books that we picked up at Walmart a few weeks ago. We don't have the money for a private school. Are there any other options? Is it wise to have a child this young SKIP kindergarden? I mean, there are alot of things that I feel she could still stand to get used to, such as a FULL day of school, being around more kids her age. And just the sheer fact that would mean a year sooner leaving the nest. I am happy she is smart and I don't want a smart kid to turn into a troubled one b/c of a lack of "challenging things to do" but I also don't know if skipping Kindergarden is the right choice.
Have you ever been in this situation??

 

[TheDizMom]

My brother was really smart. He was reading Newsweek at 5 and had great verbal skills. He could tell you anything you wanted to know about whales at 7 and dinosaurs at 8. He would have tested for sure at well above his age before kindergarten. One big problem he wasn't mature enough. We lived in Sacramento at the time and they had a late cut-off. His birthday was in October so he was not yet 5 when he started kindergarten. The problem was he was not mature enough to have started and it caused problems because he couldn't handle himself when he got bored and so he simply turned off, and through his entire education I don't think he ever turned himself back on. I don't recommend she miss kindergarten. There is something to be said for that experience and what she will learn socially form it. She may start out ahead of the other kids but that doesn't mean she will be bored, she will probably do just as well. Chances are pretty good she is going to level off and be right with the rest of her class. But being with kids who are at the same emotional level with her I think will be an even bigger confidence booster for her and will only make her succeed even more. So many school district now have advanced placement type classes that if she continues to progress at her present rate and be doing well they will probably recommend these types of classes for her as she moves one through school. My niece,8, for example is really good at math and they have put her into a special accellerated math program which challenges her more. She has learned so much I think she is even with her brother and my DS who are a grade ahead of her. My daughter got an almost perfect score on her pre-k screening and went to a awesome preschool where she was learning to read, getting her numbers down and any number of other things. I thought "oh, she is going to be so far ahead of her classmates when she gets to kindergarten." She really isn't and some of her classmates are ahead of her. She is doing great, loves school and most importantly she is happy. I volunteer in her class and she is very attentive to what is being taught, sits quietly, and follows directions well and to me these are some of the really important skills they learn in kindergarten. I also think the curriculum they teach in kindergarten these days is more like what we were learning in 1st grade. It's a whole new ball game now because so many of these kids are going into more structured preschools and go in knowing a lot more then we ever did. Unless the professionals around you is strongly recommending she go right into 1st grade
I wouldn't do it.

 

[RangerPooh]

I can't comment on skipping kindergarten, but I would reconsider the idea as you stated there are still things to be learned such as social skills. You are doing a great thing by teaching her to read! Aare you working on her counting skills? If so increase the number up to at least 20. Or to do basic math such as addition. You could also work on her penmenship, such as how to correctly hold a pencil, how to write her letters, as well as basic words. I'm stduent teaching in a second grade classroom and I must say that this is a skill that many students are still trying to master.

Plus you could also ask that her preschool teachers give her more challenging activities. This could be puzzles, beginner books to read, practing writing, etc. Preparing your child for school is great just rememebr to not over do it. An overload of information could potentially be a setback rather than an advancement. When she does enter kindergarten you could always speak to her teacher about offering her more advanced material. This way she can still be in the classroom with her peers and receiving similar/the same material but at a different level of instruction that is more appropriate to her ability level.

Another thought to help stimualte her mind is to expose her to science museums geared to kids. Or to introduce her to music. HTH.

 

[barkley]

i would'nt do it. preschool tends to be very different than kindergarten-and esp. if she has'nt done a full day school session before it would be a big adjustment going from both preschool to the demands of first grade as well as going from half to full days. i would also be concerned with her going to school with kids who may be much older than her. allot of parents are opting to keep kids with later bdays home an extra year-so a 1st grade class can actualy be largely populated with 7 and soon to be turning 8 year olds.

you might also want to find out what the curriculum for the k classes are-if the classes are twice as long as what she is doing now they may be covering allot more information at a faster pace than you realize. i know here it was the expectation that entering kindergarteners knew how to read, do some addition and subtraction, as well as have some other skills that in years past would have been closer to what a mid year 1st grader knew (it was in response to so many parents sending kids to preschool-all the traditional k curriculum had already been covered).

it may also be a 'non issue'. here and many other places it's not parental choice that gets a child skipped a grade. it's determined by the school after evaluating academic skills, emotional and social capabilities. your school district might offer the option of not doing k at all-but generaly that means keeping them out for that year and having them enter 1st the next.

i'de rather have my child enter k and find it not challenging and then deal with that vs. jumping them into 1st finding it academicly/socialy/physicaly (as in going to full from half day) inappropriate such that they'd get 'put back' and have to deal with possible issues of self esteem for feeling like they've somehow 'failed' or 'were'nt good enuf'.

 

[susykt4]

First grade is so much different than kindergarten. At first, kindergarten did bore DD. She already knew how to read, count to 100, etc. She also HATED that there was a nap time (even though it was only a few minutes.) However, she did learn a ton of new things I would never have thought about teaching her at home. And by the middle of the year she was learning math that actually challenged her. Now in first grade the teacher makes sure she is challenged. I think at the beginning of kindergarten there are so many kids in the same class with vastly differing skill levels that the teacher is overwhelmed by getting everyone to the same level. I don't regret sending DD to kindergarten as the things she did learn were important.

I know this will gain me no popularity points on the boards, but I think we worked too hard with DD at teaching her skills she didn't really NEED to know at a young age. She enjoyed learning and certainly nothing was forced, but I still think we taught her too much at home. DS is 4 and has a November birthday so will be almost six when he starts kindergarten (DD's birthday is in July so she's one of the younger kids in her class.) He's already learning a ton in 3-yr-old preschool and DH and I decided to not work with him too much extra like we did with DD. I mean, we'll definitely keep reading to him and working with him, just not push him to read or whatever before kindergarten.

My friend's son (now a freshman) is truly gifted. She homeschooled kindergarten and considered skipping first grade when she placed him in public school. She ended up placing him in his grade (even with an October birthday making him one of the older kids in his class) and has never regretted it. His social skills were lacking. He also was challenged with advanced programs throughout primary school and went to our district's gifted school for middle school. Now he's in a high school program that will challenge him and get him college credits. Really, when you think about the big picture, what's the rush to get your kid out of school and into the real working world SOONER? Good luck with your decision!

 

[CleveRocks]

Regardless of he academic skills. I agree that kindergarten is important for proper socialization. Give her a chance to learn to socialize with peers in an all-day every-day environment, before the added changes of homework and tests and staying in your seat for longer periods of time, and so on.

My son hasn't been tested, but I'm quite sure he would fall into the gifted category. At age 3 before he could read, he could name every Thomas the Tank Engine train even from photos in catalogs. He could name every dinosaur, and I mean every dinosaur, dozens of them that I had never heard of. Quick example -- I'm reading him a dino book one night and I mention a species that I pronounce "Stru-theo-MEE-mus." With his innocent three-year old face, he looks at me and says, "Daddy, that looks a lot like 'Stru-theo-MY-mus.' Are they cousins?" Again, he was three years old. He was reading before day one of kindergarten.

Even though he was in pre-school 3 full days a week, he learned a lot in kindergarten. He learned about staying in his seat, but mostly about working and playing with others in a more structured environment.

Even at such a young age he seemed to have fragile self-esteem, so landing in a kindergarten class where he and 3 other boys were head-and-shoulders above the other 14 kids was a great big boost for him. He finally found something he excelled at when he compared himself to others (he's among the slowest runners, among the shortest kids, isn't as assertive in games as most of the others), and as a result school really turns him on.

In first grade, when he was bored with the spelling and reading work, I brought this to his teacher's attention and she responded by having special "challenge" spelling words and "challenge" reading that he and a few of the other kids have rather than the regular stuff the other kids are doing at the same time. He's doing fourth grade reading but socially he's an average first grader, and thank goodness he's not in with bigger and more socially-developed kids.

While I absolutely abhor the idea of holding kids back just for the sake of holding them back because they're a few months from the cut-off date (except in some obvious circumstances), I also don't think that sending them too far ahead at such a young age is wise (except in some extreme circumstances), either.

 

[daisyduck123]

Hi!

There are so many parents out there who think their children are smart enough to skip a grade. (I'm a teacher, so I know this). But really, it happens, RARELY, & a lot of factors are brought into play before a child is skipped.

My DD12 skipped 1st grade & it has worked out the best for her.

But, it was not our idea, it was the principal's & school's reading specialist's idea & they "strongly urged & highly recommended" that we do it. Our DD though was testing beyond any test they gave her. (The principal actually talked about skipping her again, but I said "no".

So after 9 days in the 1st grade, she was moved to the 2nd grade.

She though, is & has always been the tallest in her class (got her period at 10yo, over a year before any of her 11 & 12 year old friends).

She'll finish the 8th grade this May at the age of 12 & is 5'6" now.

You have got to think of more than academics.
My DD is & always has been very mature for her age.
She fits in so well with the others in her age group & has so many friends there.

Her teachers never know that she skipped unless we have mentioned it to them, & then they are always in a state of disbelief that she is so much younger than everyone else.


In my 16 years of teaching, besides my DD, I've only known of one other child to be skipped. If your DD is ahead a little academically, no big deal really. There will be others in her class like that too. My DD was one of the special cases where it really needed to be done & has worked out the best in all areas....socially, academically, physically, emotionally.

There are a lot of kids reading at the age of 4, so don't worry, your daughter's Kindergarten class will have other "readers" in there. Skipping a grade involves a lot more than just being a year or two ahead in reading levels.

 

[lastminutemom]

First, do you know how your school works -- even in kindergarten at our public school, there is some grouping, the kids change classes for reading by ability level. So, the kids who are reading are not with the kids who don't yet know all their letters for the reading portion of the day. Have you taken a tour of the kindergarten yet?

Second, a good friend of mine, on the advice of the principal and teachers at her child's school, moved her from K to 2nd. She has regretted it since high school -- not because of the academic but the social. She felt like she was pushed to grow up faster because of being with older kids.

She is a freshman in college now and so is her boyfriend, but he is nearly 2 years older.

 

[mericletwins]

As a teacher, I would say no way. Academic skills are not really the best indicators believe it or not. Social skills, emotional maturity, etc are what needs to be closely looked at. If you did skip the grade, things may be fine for a year or two, but the gaps (social, maturity) by the time they hit middle school become like the Grand Canyon.

 

[MinnieGi]

I also would not do it. My DD is in kindergarten this year and I volunteer quite a bit in her class. There were several kids that came in reading and one who is very far advanced in reading chapter books (not the step learning kind). However this child fits in socially very well with the group. He is not bored and enjoys class. The teacher adapts her lessons to give him more challenging work and books just as she adapts work for the kids who are still working on sound-letter relationships. I am always amazed at what DD's class is learning in kindergarten. I am also amazed at how fast the whole class is learning to read. Kids who came in not even being able to name all letter sounds in the alphabet are now reading and writing.

 

[Acklander]

you might be surprised at what your child can get out of kindergarten. Ds was in kindergarten last year and they would group the kids so they could move along at a different pace depending on their needs. By the end of the year DS was reading chapter books, and had started on multiplying and the basics on division; and as others have said, the social part is so important at that age.

 

[Aristomommy]

Do you hvae an option of all day Kindergarten? Some schools are now offering it. DD's private school had an all day Kindergarten and it suited her needs fine. They also did small group work according to a child's reading and math skills. Those who needed extra help and those who needed to be accelerated got appropriate instruction. You can always start her at K, see how she does and then bump her to first grade with teacher recommendation. It is not unheard of, but the child needs to be academically and socially ready. Ask you child's school about gifted education at this level and let them know of your child's abilities. HTH

 

[Hannathy]

I wouldn't do it. Back when the starting age wasn't so set in stone my DH, and my sister started early. As adults they have both stated how much they hated it, especially in high school My DH for example couldn't drive until after Christmas his junior yr- how many girls want to have Mom drive on a date as a junior? They both handled the work but socially said it was hard. Very good friends of ours let their DD skip kind. and had a lot of trouble in middle school when she rebelled at being treated for her age by them and not her grade level. She was always trying to "act" older so her friends would accept her and fell in with a fast group. It took yrs to get her back on track behavior wise. (is in Law school now ,so is a smart kid) It is also hard if it is done later too, my BIL skipped in High school and started college at 16! Big mistake he said he was too immature for the Ivy league school he was at and ended up changing schools and basically starting again. Based on all of these I actually did the opposite with my son, he could have been the youngest or the oldest based on cut off dates and I went with waiting the yr.(and many. many others did to) It has worked out fine, goes to accelerated math, they have diff. level reading groups, etc. As someone else said what is the hurry to get them into the adult world a yr. early? She only has a few very short years to play with her dolls,etc. why make her loose a whole year of that. Because to keep up with the girls in her class she will.

 

[AllesonWonderland]

Is there a gifted program in your school district? That can help make sure your child is challenged without skipping a grade.

 

[Pinnie]

I am a kindergarten teacher with 31 years of experience and I say no. Kindergarten offers opportunities to practice social interactions in large and small groups that will be needed in future years. Also, something to think about..... Your daughter will enter high school at 13. if she decides to join marching band, debate team, dramatics, mixed choir, etc. do you realize she will be with boys 18 and 19 years old? Also, there is her physical development to consider. Locker rooms in middle school can be brutal.

If I had a nickel for every parent that has told me thier child was "gifted" I could have retired years ago. At conference time, I send home this 'list" and the parents can really see if their child is truly gifted or bright.

http://www.bow.k12.nh.us/BESGifted/brightvs.htm

pinnie

 

[sweetpeakaris]

I personally wouldn't do it. Preschool is a lot different than preschool. Also you should check to see if Kindergarten is mandatory in your State. I'm sure if she starts Kindergarten and the teacher feels she is ready to be tested to be moved to 1st grade, they will let you know. My dd also attended preschool and did well, however she learned the majority of what she knows now from being in Kindergarten. The curriculum may seem the same, but trust me it's not.

 

[belle&beast]

Is there a gifted program in your school district? That can help make sure your child is challenged without skipping a grade.

This was my first thought, too. I was really young in my class and I struggled socially when I hit junior high because I was almost a year younger than my classmates. I physically was smaller, developed later and was just less mature. It was fine in the early grades, but seventh grade was a nightmare! My poor mother...

 

[almburr]

Go to Kind. Ds is in Kind. And they are already diagraming sentences.

It varys state to state some do do require Kind.

 

[KalBen]

If it were my child, I wouldn't skip kindergarten. My ds was reading well before kindergarten and his teacher provided him (and the other kids who were readers...there are often quite a few) books at his reading level so he could keep progressing.

Research shows that just because a child reads early, it does not predict continued reading achievement at a level significantly above their peer group. By the end of 4th grade, many early readers are at similar levels as peers who started to read at a later age.

I also agree with a previous teacher poster about how so many parents think their child is gifted when they really aren't. Rather, they really don't have a good handle on the continuum of skills children exhibit at various ages.

 

[Syrreal]

When I was 4, I started kindergarden. This was partly because I was super bored in preschool and would actually run away all the time. It helped that I knew my dad was right outside and I wasn't in danger or anything.
I was also one of those really smart kids. I could read before I was 3 and was already fluent in 4 languages by the time I was 4 (at the time my parents didn't even know I spoke English and didn't find out until I tested into Kindergarden).
About 5 months after I started Kindergarden we left the country for a few months. My mom took all the work that I would be doing with us so that I wouldn't come back behind my class. I finished it all in less than a month (mainly because I wanted to just play). When we came back it was a few months after my 5th bday) and my teacher was surprised about how far ahead of my class I was. The school offered to let me skip 1st grade and go straight into 2nd. My parents said no. I am actually really glad that they did because I was already the youngest person in my class. It's even a bigger difference between 5 and 7 than it is between 5 and 6. A few years later, I tested into the gifted program.

I was always a good student. Always liked school and studying (and reading). That hasn't changed. I was one of the kids who didn't get their DL until senior year in HS. No big deal. And I never had to be driven on a date by my parents once I got to HS.

So, in my very long winded way, I'm agreeing that you may not want your kid to skip kindergarden. Even though she may be ready academically, it doesn't mean that she is ready maturity-wise.