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Kindergarten redshirt

cowgirl836 said:
I was always the youngest girl in class, and it was never an issue. I wasn't in public school by the pre-teen years, but I could definitely see the benefits of not being the first girl to hit puberty.....now for boys on the other hand, being one of the last ones to hit your growth spurt? Probably not much fun - especially if they want to be involved in sports. The worst part of being that young actually goes back to Bret's point. I couldn't go out to the bars until senior year, whereas most of my friends where out Jr. year as well.
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Yep, I think you nailed it. No girl WANTS to be the first one with boobs, but being the first guy with a beard is sort of a cool symbol. It's not a big deal for a girl to bum rides from her friends, but for boys some see it as a little emasculating. I can definitely see where it would suck in college, though - I was a winter birthday, so there was really zero question for me.
 
pourcyne said:
As a rule, boys are slower than girls (reading- and writing-ready) and are less ready for school at a younger age. If he were a girl, I would say go ahead. Sometimes, however, boys benefit from an extra year of growth/maturity.

Quick assessment of his current skill-set will tell you if he's ready.

Does he know the alphabet? Numbers? Is he reading or does he like to be read to? How are his verbal skills? Can he concentrate and/or sit still for several minutes at a time? Is he good at following directions? Is he social? Has he been to pre-school and was it a successful experience? Is he "ready for more"?

Remember that parents aren't always the most objective when it comes to assessing their child's readiness. His pre-school or Sunday school teacher , and/or daycare provider could also provide you with some insights. Don't hesitate to ask. That is part of an educator's job.
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Answers in the order of your questions.

Can count to 30 without issue and recognize numbers up to 100, can write the alphabet in upper case, can do simple addition (due to watching sports with the old man), hates reading (like his old man) but knows some sight words, only a few verbal pronunciation issues, very energetic/athletic kid (but not ADHD type hyper), good at following directions once settled down, very social and can make friends easily, been at a "good" daycare center since just after birth.

Daycare center says to send him since he is ready. Elementary principal says we have a tough choice, but let us know he could take college credits on the school system's dime if we held him back.
 
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I was one of the oldest in my class just because of how it broke down in those days. My neighbor across the street was almost a full year younger but in the same class. He never struggled.

Conversely - I was intellectually bored pretty much all the way through 6th grade. They didn't have anything in our small rural school in the 1960's for kids who could go faster. Physically I was never bigger, taller or stronger than the average - so in that way it was no advantage

All that being said, I'd base it strictly on his intellectual, physical, and emotional maturity in relation to the age of the kids he'd be in the same class with.
 
I have two children, both mid-September birthdays. My son went to K when he was about to turn 6. Great decision as he would have struggled tremendously if he would have been early. My daughter went to K when she was still 4. She was so ready as she was bored in pre-school. Another great decision as she is a honor roll kid and is actually in a few advanced classes. Daughter was able to go to K because she went to a parochial school, bypassing the public school deadline.
 
JoshTheCyclone said:
What's the scholarship situation look like for the class of 2026-27? This needs to be known before any decision is made. Maybe talk to Hoiberg? Also does he project as a guard or a big man?
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He'll be around 6'4, so it will have to be guard potential at the D1 level. I'll see if Fred's interested.
 
cychosis said:
My son has a summer birthday.

Do we; A) send him to kindergarten this year as a youngin' since he would do OK academically, but would always be one of the youngest in school, or B) redshirt him so he can indubitably get all kinds of academic/athletic scholarships and beat up the smaller kids for their lunch money?

I know you fanatics will point me in the right direction.
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Wait a year!
 
Rhoadhoused said:
This is what happened to me as well pretty closely. I did really well but I was a competitive ******* kid.

I do feel like I got a head start on the real world being basically a year ahead.

Sports wise it definitely worked against me. I couldn't put muscle on until I was a sophomore or junior in high school, but I wasn't very athletic anyway.
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This was me as well. I was decent at sports in jr high, sucked as freshman and sophomore since I developed late, and then after I caught up with the rest of the kids as junior and senior I was decent again.
 
I have a birthday in August and my parents chose the "send him young" route. I don't think it led to any advantage/disadvantage from a school standpoint. I was a very good student as a younger member of my grade, and probably would have done just the same if I were held back. From a social standpoint, it really sucked. In high school, it was hard watching all of my friends get licenses several months before I could. In late high school/early college it was friends going to the strip club when I couldn't get in. Later on in college, it became going to the casino or the bar without me. While I was able to find some...inventive...ways to get around these challenges it was a pain in the ***.

So if your primary concern is your child being able to eventually go to the strip club, bar or casino with his/her friends, hold him/her back.
 
Al_4_State said:
I was sent early (June birthday), because my aunt (who is a teacher) thought I would get bored, and get into trouble later down the line if I was another year older when I started. My folks took her advice. Another consideration was that my brother is only 1.5 years younger than me, and if I was held back we would have been in consecutive grades.

In hindsight I really wish they would have waited a year and sent me to Kindergarten when I was 6. I got bored and into trouble anyway, and at least I would have been bigger and that much smarter than the other kids.

I was the last one to get a driver's license, and then in college, I couldn't go to the bars until senior year, despite almost all of my buddies being eligible junior year.
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These are a lot of my worries. His sister is in kindergarten now and I don't know if I want them a year apart. We also don't want him getting bored, but I think being able to excel academically by waiting a year would lead to less worry with grades slipping due to extra curriculars. The bar, driving, R-rated movie thing ahead of peers would also be a good perk.
 
cychosis said:
These are a lot of my worries. His sister is in kindergarten now and I don't know if I want them a year apart. We also don't want him getting bored, but I think being able to excel academically by waiting a year would lead to less worry with grades slipping due to extra curriculars. The bar, driving, R-rated movie thing ahead of peers would also be a good perk.
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I'll just say this: having been sent early, I won't think twice to hold my kids back. Absolutely no debate in my mind.
 
I don't see much disadvantage in waiting (other than the extra year of day care costs). When you are competing for grades, scholarships, playing time on athletic teams, or a lead role in the school musical, it can't possibly hurt you to be among the oldest in the competition. I also think it is a pretty good deal to be among the first to get your drivers license or to turn 21.

I believe there was a book that actually measured a similar idea as it related to birthdays and professional hockey players. A quick Google search turned this up.

http://kuklaskorner.com/candb/comments/nhl_birthdays_and_their_impact_on_success

Same basic idea, by competing with those younger than you and taking advantage of that, you stand out among the group and gain access to more opportunities and coaching, which in turn allow you to develop those skills at an even higher level than your peers further increasing the gap. Once you get that leg up, the rich grow richer over time. So eventually, what started as purely an age difference develops into a true difference in skill level.
 
Angie said:
Yep, I think you nailed it. No girl WANTS to be the first one with boobs, but being the first guy with a beard is sort of a cool symbol. It's not a big deal for a girl to bum rides from her friends, but for boys some see it as a little emasculating. I can definitely see where it would suck in college, though - I was a winter birthday, so there was really zero question for me.
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I got a running a stop sign ticket on my school permit and couldn't get my full license until almost 17. I didn't mind getting rides, and still prefer riding to this day. Getting rides meant no drinking and driving in high school.

I got my school permit when for freshmen year of high school though and could still have one when I didn't have my license, I guess getting rides to school from parents might not have been as good.
 
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Find out what the kids need to know/be able to do in your kindergarten. How does he stack up with those skills? If he is ready, send him. If he isn't, don't.

The two considerations, in my opinion, are academics and the social aspect. If your child is ready for both, you won't do any harm in sending them. We sent our son, who has a mid-July birthday. He is a full year younger than one of his good friends. At first we were nervous about it but I can't imagine him sitting in a classroom back a year. He would be so bored!
 
I have a late June birthday, but we never had a choice in my day. Born before 9/15, you go. Born after 9/15 you waited until the next year. Never had any issues or struggles with school -- but I was and am brilliant!:jimlad:
 
Clonefan32 said:
I have a birthday in August and my parents chose the "send him young" route. I don't think it led to any advantage/disadvantage from a school standpoint. I was a very good student as a younger member of my grade, and probably would have done just the same if I were held back. From a social standpoint, it really sucked. In high school, it was hard watching all of my friends get licenses several months before I could. In late high school/early college it was friends going to the strip club when I couldn't get in. Later on in college, it became going to the casino or the bar without me. While I was able to find some...inventive...ways to get around these challenges it was a pain in the ***.

So if your primary concern is your child being able to eventually go to the strip club, bar or casino with his/her friends, hold him/her back.
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True meaning behind why they say hold back guys and send girls.
 
oldman said:
I have a late June birthday, but we never had a choice in my day. Born before 9/15, you go. Born after 9/15 you waited until the next year. Never had any issues or struggles with school -- but I was and am brilliant!:jimlad:
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Huh, that's my mom's birthday.........I wonder if that meant her parents got to choose! She graduated before she turned 18 though, so they must not have held her back.
 
I had a late July birthday. I didn't have any issues with either sports or academics.

With that being said, I would say just wait a year. Let the kid have another year to be a kid and enjoy life before he has to go get a job, etc. Kids grow up way too fast the way it is!

If he gets bored with school he can always get a jump on his college courses while in High School.
 
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