Post Pre-school / Pre-Kindergarten

My daughter missed the cutoff by a couple of weeks but we early-tested her into Kindergarten and, although she's one of the youngest in her class, she is doing great, both academically and socially. She now goes to Happy Valley charter school in the Northwest Valley and we love it there. They have a very advanced curriculum and bunch kids in classes according to their academic level. I know they just started having a Kindergarten class for kids in the September - December birthday group (the ones who normally miss the cutoff for the year). They do fill up very early though. You might be able to find a similar program at a charter school in your area. Good Luck!

I came across a similar problem with my daughter. The school cut-off date for being 5 is August 31st and my daughter turned 5 on August 17th. She is very bright and already knew everything she would need to know to enter Kindergarten. However, socially she can be very shy and introverted. She only went to preschool for 3 hours during the day and was very clingy and did not want to go in general so I was very worried about her not being able to sit in a kindergarten class for 6 hours without mom. So, I took the whole first week of Kindergarten off from work so that I could take her in the morning, go back and stay and each lunch with her and play on the playground and then pick her up. To my surprise she did great and loves Kindergarten. But, I had already decided that if she did not do well after a month or so, I would pull her out and then wait until the next year to start her. Being that she is soo smart I was afraid if I did wait that extra year that she too would be "Bored" becuase she is so ahead of the game.
She is the type of kid that needs her sleep and if she does not get enough sleep she is very very cranky and acts out. It has been a struggle making sure she gets to sleep by 8:30 every night for school. Maybe your son needs a little more sleep than what he is getting and that may be why he has poor impulse control.

Hello!
My sister was in the same situation many years ago where she was just a few days past the cut off date for first grade. Because it was a light year for first graders they extended the cut off and therefore she was included and started that year. She was developmentally (emotional & social) always 1-2 years behind her biological age and ended up not having a good time in school, not just in first grade, but for her entire school career.
I am convinced that her entire life would have been different if she would have had that extra year then in Kindergarden or at home.
While this happend 30 years ago, I think about this every time when this question comes up and will likely face it myself with my daughter in a few years.

On the other hand, every child is different, and being bored and under-challenged is just as bad. Would you have the option of trying it and if needed, to pull him back out?
If you wait, I am sure that there are advanced groups that will keep him then challenged and interested academically, while he would get the time he needs for social development.

This is a though one! I wish you both all the best!

Hi M.,

I know of people who have held their children back because of maturity issues and also people who have had young kindegartners too. Probable the best thing to do is check with the school about having him tested to enter kindergarten early. I'm pretty sure that they look the student both acedemically and maturity.
His 'trouble' now may be that he is just high energy and doesn't need a nap any longer. My nephew had a similar problem and it turned out that his school was the real problem.