Yesterday I was able to do a presentation with Dr. Kush (my great boss!) to a lovely group of pre-school moms who are about to venture into the world of Kindergarten. I wanted to take some time to share some research based findings and tips with you regarding Kindergarten and the early childhood years!
The best advice I can give you is to do your homework and read the research! I want to provide you with some current research regarding the AGE your child should start Kindergarten. In California, the cut off has been 5 years old by December. That means that we have been sending 4 YEAR OLDS to Kindergarten! The state has recently CHANGED this because they were finding it to be disastrous as 18% of those kids were failing and not socially ready. The new law is now 5 years old by September 1st of which the state is going to take 3 years to move it back one month at a time.
Research tells us that:
oChildren who are older when they begin school have higher levels of academic achievement (i.e., higher scores on tests or higher grades received) than the younger children
oChildren who are older when they begin school have more success in maintaining a regular progression from one grade level to the next than do their younger counterparts
oChildren who are older when they begin school achieve at a higher level than their younger peers in terms of grades and scores on scholastic tests. These studies found persistent effects through grade 4, grade 6, and grade 10
oTeachers rate the performance of older children “better”, girls at a higher level, and older children as being more popular and exhibiting more socially acceptable behavior
Research also tells us that:
- Children who are younger receive more referrals to psychological counseling that result from academic rather than behavioral (i.e., social or emotional) concerns
- Children who are younger have more difficulty with social skills. This results in younger children being disliked and showing more aggression than their older counterparts.
- Children who are younger are not able to overcome a lower ranking throughout their elementary years.
Basically what this is telling us is that the MOST important factor in a child's success in school is what
age they are in relation to their peers in the class. My opinion is, even if your child is the tallest, smartest
kid in your pre-school class, if he is the youngest, do not send him yet. Just wait. You won't regret it! In
all my years of education, I have NEVER had a parent regret holding their child back for another year
of pre-school or Kindergarten, BUT i have had countless parents regret sending them on or pushing
them forward knowing they were the younger of the bunch. Here's another thing to point out...if your
child is relatively advanced for their age, that is wonderful and SO great for their self esteem. However,
most kids all even out around 3rd, 4th and 5th grade. The early years are very developmental, some kids
just "click" a little bit later - and that is OK! Don't get caught up in the race...let your kid be a kid, he will
be fine!
Most important thing is that your child LOVES learning and the school experience. You don't want to
set your child up for having to tutor and spend hours doing homework at home just to try and "keep up"
with their peers. (Absolutely no positive research for this by the way - only harmful). You also don't
want them to be socially not ready for where their peers are at. Much bigger consequences here in my
opinion.I have always urged parents to think about their child in 5, 10, and 15 years. How old do you
want them to be when you send them off to college? Do you want them to be the last in their class to get
their driver's license? The smallest on the football team? No. Of course not, but the age at which you
start Kindergarten affects all of that.
An excellent book to read on this subject is OUTLIERS, The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell.
I HIGHLY recommend it. I find that Dads especially enjoy this one. A MUST read! Ok, so don't worry
about what your friends are doing, your sister, your neighbors, ....just know what is best for YOUR
family and for YOUR child...nothing else matters! Put the flashcards away, stop studying for your
Kindergarten entrance exams and go to the park - play, explore, and have fun with your precious little
people! They will soon be driving off to college. :(
Get out there and Play!
Heather
