As parents, we have these amazing little humans in our homes and hearts, and then one day, it is time to send them off to school. But how do we know it is time? How do we know they are ready, and will continue to be ready as they grow up through the school system? Will they be mature enough to handle the social life and angst of Junior High once they start grade 7? Will they still be 17 when they graduate, expected to take on an adult life, but not yet being adults?
The school act says that a child must turn 5 before December 31 of the year they start Kindergarten. So if you are considering your child’s kindergarten start, that means they were born in 2021. However, age is not just a number. Age is maturity, speech development, social interaction readiness, height, and emotional regulation, among other factors. Many people will tell you that boys do better if they are held back and wait, but girls “will be fine”. This is not a universal rule by any means.
My own son was tall for his age, academically very capable, loved math and was super curious about the world around him in the year he could have started kindergarten. However, he was quick to anger, quick to cry and had only stopped napping the year prior. We chose to give him an extra year of preschool instead of pushing him into kindergarten when we knew he wasn’t ready. Would he have handled it at the time? Probably, but we also knew that maturity is not linear, and we did not want him to constantly be the youngest as he entered junior high and high school. These years are hard enough without being at a maturity disadvantage. He is now 20 and we have never regretted for a moment giving him another year of growing up before entering school.
As you are looking at your wee 4/almost 5 year old, I would suggest you look ahead. Imagine them entering grade 6, grade 10, university, the job world. Your parent’s gut is rarely wrong, and as an educator, I wish more parents would take the time to really assess if their child is “ready”. If your child isn’t 5 before the school year starts, I would recommend you evaluate even more closely. Will another year at home or in preschool or in daycare harm or help? If you are thinking about keeping them back, you probably already know the answer.
Would you like to talk about your child in particular and get clarity and reassurance? Email faye@clearpathednav.ca to book a free 15 minute consultation with Clear Path Education Navigation.