Is My Child Ready For Kindergarten?

Article from Chino Unified School District:

Kindergarten! For most of us, that glorious first year of school was a time for playing with blocks, finger-painting and singing along with the teacher. However, times have changed. Since the late 1950’s, when the success of Russia’s Sputnik spawned a national determination to be educationally competitive, an acceleration of academics has gradually reached down to the kindergarten level. Accordingly, the issue of a child’s readiness for an academic kindergarten experience becomes crucial. It’s clearly apparent that when children enter school before they are ready, their chances of failure increases. In fact, many are classified as learning “disabled” when they are simply not mentally and physically ready for certain tasks.

Children who are bright but physically unable to perform the necessary kindergarten tasks grow frustrated. Nancy Wilson, Director of Learning at The Reading Game (a well-recognized reading development program), says “passive resistance, ‘playing the clown,’ and psychosomatic disease” are some of the outcomes of the frustrated child. Louise Ames, from the Gessil Institute of Child Development, believes that “behavior age” (the age at which a child is behaving) would be a much better guideline for kindergarten readiness.

As a result of the work of Louise Ames and others, professionals are more and more advising parents to start children in kindergarten at a later developmental and chronological age. Here are ten considerations for starting kindergarten later:

1. An extra year when needed helps foster enjoyment rather than drudgery in school.

2. Studies show that less bright, but older, kids show more with their ability.

3. Work that requires close attention before a child’s eyes are ready can result in nearsightedness.

4. Older children receive more above-average grades, score higher on standardized achievement tests and show more leadership.

5. A younger child’s academic problems can sometimes last throughout their school career.

6. When learning is stressful, it never reaches the memory bank.

7. Studies show that 4 and 5 year olds need time to play – it will help them cope better later on.

8. Parents who have held back their child or repeated kindergarten were generally pleased with the results.

9. Pressures for academic success take away from other interests.

10. If you are going to err, it’s certainly safer to hold a child back rather than pushing him or her ahead.

There is no doubt that it is a difficult decision as to whether you should send your child ahead or not. Here are some of the questions specialist Mary Hummell lists in her book, “Ready for Kindergarten?” If you can answer “yes” to most of these questions, you child is probably not ready for kindergarten.

· Does your child have a birthday in November, October, or September?

· Does the child have a birthday in August, July, June or May?

· Does the child have immature speech?

· Does the child have difficulty staying still for very long?

· Does the child forget rules?

· Does the child have difficulty with directions?

· Does the child have difficulty with left and right?

· Was your child slow with teething?

Some parents feel the only way they can truly know if their child is ready for kindergarten is to go on a trial basis. This can work out if it is handled in a positive way. However, the down side is that if the child must repeat kindergarten, his feeling of failure may inhibit the production of positive results.

One difficulty parents have in analyzing readiness is comparing kindergarten programs. They vary greatly. A child could very well be ready for one kindergarten but not another. A parent must ask himself whether his child can fit in with kids 9 months to 12 months older.

Some parents ask, “what have we created by keeping everyone back?” Others are too proud or embarrassed to retain a child. They ask, “how can my child flunk kindergarten?” Or, “how can he or she not be ready?” They are concerned that relatives and friends may not understand. Nancy Wilson of The Reading Game says we should think of it as a ‘continuation’ not retention. Giving the child an extra year does not mean your child is not intelligent. He may be very bright, but each child matures at his own developmental pace. Contrary to the belief that a child will catch up if sent ahead, studies show that children in fact do not “catch up.”

Parents are often worried that the child will be physically bigger than others in the classroom, or whether other children will make fun of their child if he is retained. Nancy Wilson says that these factors should not be used in basing a parent’s decision on readiness. If grade placement is handled in a positive way and an understanding established before the child starts kindergarten, the child’s perspective should not be a problem.

How do you know if your child is ready?

· Have your child take a readiness test.

· Conference with the preschool teacher.

· Assist in the classroom and make your own observations.

· Compare how the child does in relationship to the child’s peers.

· Check out the requirements of the school that the child will attend.

As much as 50% of school failure could be prevented if children were placed in the proper grade on the basis of behavior age. By delaying the child’s entry into school, you can make a winner out of him, even if he’s only average or a little below average. Remember, if you have made a decision to send your child to kindergarten at a later time in his development, stick to your decision. It is the future of your child – not the future of friends and relatives that is at issue.

Your child is going to be in school for a very long time. So let’s make these years enjoyable. And remember, most of all, that it is not how your children start but it is how they finish that counts!

Contributed by Christine Clark - Chino Hills, CA