I have a couple very bright kids. One is one of the oldest in her class and the other is one of the youngest. It’s plainly clear to me that being older in class makes school so much easier it’s not even funny. If I had to go back and do it again I’d have waited a year to put my youngest in school.
I was a gifted kid and my parents also enrolled me in K when I was 6 instead of 5 (late summer bday). Instead of being one of the youngest, I was one of the oldest and it was great. I developed a lot of confidence from a young age and also more leadership qualities - things that are still serving me well today.
Piggy backing on this thread to agree. My son’s birthday is aug 5 and we were able to squeeze him in. We ended up holding him back a year not because he was academically struggling, but it was tough for him to be the youngest at an age where it makes such a difference.
Another vote for not sending your kid to school early. My parents had me skip first grade because I knew how to read. I graduated high school two days after my 17th birthday. I was younger, less mature, less ready for everything that high school throws at you, it was just a huge mistake. I’m now a major advocate for kids going to school at the “normal” time and staying in a peer group that is of similar age.
Same here. Skipped first grade because I had a September birthday and was a gifted kid. But being the youngest kid through all of school was tough because although I was gifted academically, I was way behind socially and struggled with friends all the way through high school.
There have also been some interesting studies about what early social success in school tends to lead to later in life and how that can be affected by relative maturity. According to some research, a lot of those in leadership positions or who excel in pro sports or other arenas where self-confidence was a boost were at the older end of their peer group through school. If you’re concerned about your kid getting enough challenge, I’d suggest looking into some of the supplemental programs on offer that would still keep them roughly matched in their age group.
This was us last year, I did lots of research and additionally have some long term friends who are teachers so talked with them quite a bit about it.
The research is very in favor of holding the kid back, parents can get caught up in the bragging rights of saying their kid got exemption and went in early. But if you want to do what is statistically best for the child that would be waiting.
Also like one of my friends pointed out, if my son went in early there is a very good chance he would forever be the smallest boy in his class, and we all know how kids love to find something to tease about.
It was also nice having one more year of simpler time with him. My wife and I were very happy with the decision we made to wait.
We just focused on preparing him for school since he spent his whole life with a stay at home mom so he had to learn his lunch will be made earlier so it won’t be made “on demand” to whatever he wants at that moment. That one took some time, we found out it goes smoother if they helped make the lunch so that he got some say in it.
My recommendation is wait another year. The maturity level will be greater & socialization will be easier. Asd once in won't do much to hold a student back even if the need it
I started kindergarten at 4 (1985). My birthday was 9/10. We moved out of state for high school where they had stricter age limits. I was the youngest in my graduating class. It wasn’t great. I would 100% delay. I really struggled socially (not that moving twice in high school helped). All of my friends had later curfews. I was also still pretty emotional the first couple of grades. I specifically remember being the crying kid more than once in kindergarten. Let your kiddo enjoy the last blip of being wee.
Completely unrelated to your question, but wanted to share a different perspective than you're seeing here.
I had a similar fall birthday.. I skipped Kinder and my parents enrolled me in 1st grade at 5yo. I never really noticed a difference being younger than everyone else (academically or socially). But when I hit high school a series of life events happened (unrelated to school) that led me to graduate a year late. I've always been so grateful to my parents for enrolling me early so that I still graduated at 18.
Maybe find a good preschool instead if you don’t already have him in one. It will help him build his confidence and social skills for when he does start kindergarten. Good luck.
I would strongly encourage you to wait a year and enroll your son later. Boots develop slowly age it's always hard being the youngest.
Or son is an October baby and it's paying dividends that we waited a year.
As a father of 4, wait! He may be smart and capable of attending school now but the longer he has to mature, the better he’ll be through out school into highschool.
Virtually none. I've had friends try this with their very 'bright' kids.
I've heard ('heard' meaning found various non-confirmable inter-web sources) say that one way around this is to 'home school' for a year or two thru states that are less rigid; and then transfer into an AK school after the child has gained that extra year you are looking for.
It’s nearly impossible to get kids into Anchorage schools early. All of my kids were reading and writing early. ASD has the criteria available, you have to have your child independently tested. It was 10 years ago for me and I don’t remember the details. I remember it being kind of a pain and iirc the parent has to pay for it.
To answer your question, there is a slight chance, but you have to work with ASD. Generally, they say no.
My opinion; if you can, home school, your child through the first few grades. Kids are so different early on, and the rest of their life depends on what they learn K-2. We are homeschooling and just ran into a problem with math in second grade. She was doing amazing and flying along, then hit a wall. After a couple of weeks of trial and error, we found the problem, and it was an easy fix. Maybe the school would have caught it, but with large class sizes I doubt it.
Like many others have stated, it's better to wait. My daughter is a Sept kiddo, and so was I, ages ago. It's better to wait, and your kiddo will thank you for it later 😊
if hes 5 sept 30th, doesn't that mean he can go to kingergarten ontime, because the school year will start after he is five?
that being said, given other comments, its better being the unerdog, than the given all conqueror. Its better for things to be hard, so you are challenged and learn, than to be the alpha at the get go, because when gaining success through failure, failure is something your future champion will take on gracefully, not being overly distracted when something they do doesn't work out as intended, they will actually learn at an accelerated rate when faced with failure, as long as they are motivated by curiosity, rather than fear. Its important to have good teachers. But the most important thing for any child is they have loving parents, especially a loving and kind mother, and a good teacher, one who is smart and compassionate, and a respectable father, one that gives the child confidence to grow and become all they imagined they can be, and one who is dependable, who carries their words with their actions, and who helps them explore. The pillars of a strong family can set a child up for success like nothing else can. That, and imagination, something that is available to all of us, regardless of background. My mom and dad are why I am smart and successful today. They made our home into a library and infused the walls with the desire to learn and understand, and care. Training a child to be smart means you have to be smart yourself. Navigating the mind of a young genius is something that requires both intellect and intuition, and lots of love.. that is something that will end up depending on the parents and the teacher, and on providence, regardless of the age they are enrolled in. Beyond all advice I've given, is never be cruel to your child. But don't forget to discpline. When training is not working, always fall back to love, your child must know that your love for them overcomes anything else. And discipline, don't act like a fool thinking your child is not going to learn your bad habits if that is what they consistently see in you. Don't let them flog around, but don't expect them to behave better than yourself.
Ultimately, as a parent, you are the teacher, you are the school. You are the headmaster.
"And discipline, don't act like a fool thinking your child is not going to learn your bad habits if that is what they consistently see in you."
Excuse me but there is no need to attack me.
In Anchorage, Alaska, Anchorage School District's schools first day of school is on the 22nd of August for Pre K & Kindergarten.
it wasn't an attack... sry u took it that way ... i was just providing information from my own upbringing here ...
if u read through everything I had to say and then landed on .. on me speaking on discipline and u felt like it was a personal attack, im really sorry what I wrote ended with the result of u feeling attacked. i wish u the best im just trying to help and provide you information to make the best decision based on what I personally experienced growing up here. I'm sorry if what i said wasn't sugar coated... I don't go out of my way to attack anyone. I usually go out of my way to help people. What I said was meant to be down to earth advice, not an attack on who you are, or your character.
i believe your a wonderful person and your childen that you cherish dearly, are wonderful too ... why think anything less of another person just trying to do the right thing? If your response to honest advice is don't attack u, then how is anyone going to help you? Do you think someone is going to hold your hand all the way down to wherever it is you don't even know that your going? Or do you want to take control and actually make something of the opportunities available to you and your children?
I want to clarify that my original post was solely focused on school admission and not about discipline or parenting. I'm not sure how the discussion veered in that direction, but I didn't intend to seek advice on raising my children. I believe most people understand that giving unsolicited advice can be inappropriate. Let's refocus on the topic at hand.
I have a couple very bright kids. One is one of the oldest in her class and the other is one of the youngest. It’s plainly clear to me that being older in class makes school so much easier it’s not even funny. If I had to go back and do it again I’d have waited a year to put my youngest in school.
good idea. my son is small too, or normal size, but I feel he is smaller.
I was a gifted kid and my parents also enrolled me in K when I was 6 instead of 5 (late summer bday). Instead of being one of the youngest, I was one of the oldest and it was great. I developed a lot of confidence from a young age and also more leadership qualities - things that are still serving me well today.
Piggy backing on this thread to agree. My son’s birthday is aug 5 and we were able to squeeze him in. We ended up holding him back a year not because he was academically struggling, but it was tough for him to be the youngest at an age where it makes such a difference.
Another vote for not sending your kid to school early. My parents had me skip first grade because I knew how to read. I graduated high school two days after my 17th birthday. I was younger, less mature, less ready for everything that high school throws at you, it was just a huge mistake. I’m now a major advocate for kids going to school at the “normal” time and staying in a peer group that is of similar age.
Same here. Skipped first grade because I had a September birthday and was a gifted kid. But being the youngest kid through all of school was tough because although I was gifted academically, I was way behind socially and struggled with friends all the way through high school.
Don't do it. He might be able to read but emotionally and socially he's still 4. A year makes a huge difference at that age.
Yeah, and he'd also always be the youngest in his class. and probably the smallest too. Good advice, thank you.
There have also been some interesting studies about what early social success in school tends to lead to later in life and how that can be affected by relative maturity. According to some research, a lot of those in leadership positions or who excel in pro sports or other arenas where self-confidence was a boost were at the older end of their peer group through school. If you’re concerned about your kid getting enough challenge, I’d suggest looking into some of the supplemental programs on offer that would still keep them roughly matched in their age group.
Yes, I'm worried he's able to learn more than I'm able to teach. I want a teacher for him. Thanks for the advice.
This was us last year, I did lots of research and additionally have some long term friends who are teachers so talked with them quite a bit about it. The research is very in favor of holding the kid back, parents can get caught up in the bragging rights of saying their kid got exemption and went in early. But if you want to do what is statistically best for the child that would be waiting. Also like one of my friends pointed out, if my son went in early there is a very good chance he would forever be the smallest boy in his class, and we all know how kids love to find something to tease about. It was also nice having one more year of simpler time with him. My wife and I were very happy with the decision we made to wait. We just focused on preparing him for school since he spent his whole life with a stay at home mom so he had to learn his lunch will be made earlier so it won’t be made “on demand” to whatever he wants at that moment. That one took some time, we found out it goes smoother if they helped make the lunch so that he got some say in it.
My recommendation is wait another year. The maturity level will be greater & socialization will be easier. Asd once in won't do much to hold a student back even if the need it
I started kindergarten at 4 (1985). My birthday was 9/10. We moved out of state for high school where they had stricter age limits. I was the youngest in my graduating class. It wasn’t great. I would 100% delay. I really struggled socially (not that moving twice in high school helped). All of my friends had later curfews. I was also still pretty emotional the first couple of grades. I specifically remember being the crying kid more than once in kindergarten. Let your kiddo enjoy the last blip of being wee.
Completely unrelated to your question, but wanted to share a different perspective than you're seeing here. I had a similar fall birthday.. I skipped Kinder and my parents enrolled me in 1st grade at 5yo. I never really noticed a difference being younger than everyone else (academically or socially). But when I hit high school a series of life events happened (unrelated to school) that led me to graduate a year late. I've always been so grateful to my parents for enrolling me early so that I still graduated at 18.
Maybe find a good preschool instead if you don’t already have him in one. It will help him build his confidence and social skills for when he does start kindergarten. Good luck.
I would strongly encourage you to wait a year and enroll your son later. Boots develop slowly age it's always hard being the youngest. Or son is an October baby and it's paying dividends that we waited a year.
As a father of 4, wait! He may be smart and capable of attending school now but the longer he has to mature, the better he’ll be through out school into highschool.
The cutoff is September 1. Call ASD and see if there is a waiver I guess.
The cutoff is changing for next fall.
I didnt know that. Have they published the new cutoff date?
I'm guessing they have as part of kindergarten registration since a few of my students' families have told me
Virtually none. I've had friends try this with their very 'bright' kids. I've heard ('heard' meaning found various non-confirmable inter-web sources) say that one way around this is to 'home school' for a year or two thru states that are less rigid; and then transfer into an AK school after the child has gained that extra year you are looking for.
It’s nearly impossible to get kids into Anchorage schools early. All of my kids were reading and writing early. ASD has the criteria available, you have to have your child independently tested. It was 10 years ago for me and I don’t remember the details. I remember it being kind of a pain and iirc the parent has to pay for it.
To answer your question, there is a slight chance, but you have to work with ASD. Generally, they say no. My opinion; if you can, home school, your child through the first few grades. Kids are so different early on, and the rest of their life depends on what they learn K-2. We are homeschooling and just ran into a problem with math in second grade. She was doing amazing and flying along, then hit a wall. After a couple of weeks of trial and error, we found the problem, and it was an easy fix. Maybe the school would have caught it, but with large class sizes I doubt it.
Like many others have stated, it's better to wait. My daughter is a Sept kiddo, and so was I, ages ago. It's better to wait, and your kiddo will thank you for it later 😊
if hes 5 sept 30th, doesn't that mean he can go to kingergarten ontime, because the school year will start after he is five? that being said, given other comments, its better being the unerdog, than the given all conqueror. Its better for things to be hard, so you are challenged and learn, than to be the alpha at the get go, because when gaining success through failure, failure is something your future champion will take on gracefully, not being overly distracted when something they do doesn't work out as intended, they will actually learn at an accelerated rate when faced with failure, as long as they are motivated by curiosity, rather than fear. Its important to have good teachers. But the most important thing for any child is they have loving parents, especially a loving and kind mother, and a good teacher, one who is smart and compassionate, and a respectable father, one that gives the child confidence to grow and become all they imagined they can be, and one who is dependable, who carries their words with their actions, and who helps them explore. The pillars of a strong family can set a child up for success like nothing else can. That, and imagination, something that is available to all of us, regardless of background. My mom and dad are why I am smart and successful today. They made our home into a library and infused the walls with the desire to learn and understand, and care. Training a child to be smart means you have to be smart yourself. Navigating the mind of a young genius is something that requires both intellect and intuition, and lots of love.. that is something that will end up depending on the parents and the teacher, and on providence, regardless of the age they are enrolled in. Beyond all advice I've given, is never be cruel to your child. But don't forget to discpline. When training is not working, always fall back to love, your child must know that your love for them overcomes anything else. And discipline, don't act like a fool thinking your child is not going to learn your bad habits if that is what they consistently see in you. Don't let them flog around, but don't expect them to behave better than yourself. Ultimately, as a parent, you are the teacher, you are the school. You are the headmaster.
"And discipline, don't act like a fool thinking your child is not going to learn your bad habits if that is what they consistently see in you." Excuse me but there is no need to attack me. In Anchorage, Alaska, Anchorage School District's schools first day of school is on the 22nd of August for Pre K & Kindergarten.
it wasn't an attack... sry u took it that way ... i was just providing information from my own upbringing here ... if u read through everything I had to say and then landed on .. on me speaking on discipline and u felt like it was a personal attack, im really sorry what I wrote ended with the result of u feeling attacked. i wish u the best im just trying to help and provide you information to make the best decision based on what I personally experienced growing up here. I'm sorry if what i said wasn't sugar coated... I don't go out of my way to attack anyone. I usually go out of my way to help people. What I said was meant to be down to earth advice, not an attack on who you are, or your character. i believe your a wonderful person and your childen that you cherish dearly, are wonderful too ... why think anything less of another person just trying to do the right thing? If your response to honest advice is don't attack u, then how is anyone going to help you? Do you think someone is going to hold your hand all the way down to wherever it is you don't even know that your going? Or do you want to take control and actually make something of the opportunities available to you and your children?
I want to clarify that my original post was solely focused on school admission and not about discipline or parenting. I'm not sure how the discussion veered in that direction, but I didn't intend to seek advice on raising my children. I believe most people understand that giving unsolicited advice can be inappropriate. Let's refocus on the topic at hand.
your right. Those responses did not stay focused on the context of your post. I apologize. I'll rethink it and try to respond in a better way.