by Jen Thorpe

Created on: June 01, 2008

Should I hold my child back from starting Kindergarten? This is not an easy question for any parent to answer. It can be a very emotional time when your "baby" is suddenly ready to start school. Every parent hopes that their child will do well in school, will make friends, will have a wonderful time, and will develop a love of learning. On the other hand, most parents are a bit concerned that Kindergarten might prove to be too much for their child to handle. How do you figure out if you should hold your child back from starting Kindergarten this year?

There are no hard and fast rules to help you make this decision. As a former substitute teacher, who has worked with countless Kindergarten students, I can point out some things to consider as you make this difficult decision. Answering the following questions will give you a good idea if your child is ready for Kindergarten, or if you should hold your child back.

(1)Is your child completely potty trained?

Kindergarten students are expected to be able to identify when they need to use the bathroom, and to be able to do all the necessary actions involved in doing so, all by themselves. There are no changing tables in a Kindergarten classroom, and it is not part of the Kindergarten teacher's job to change diapers. Children who are still wearing diapers (or "pull-ups"), or who are having frequent "accidents" are going to be teased by the other Kindergartners, who have mastered the skills involved with potty training. Children can be mean, and they have long memories. Being called a "baby" in Kindergarten because you wet your pants is not something that is going to be forgotten about next year in first grade, or years from now when everyone starts high school. Some schools will ask parents to remove their child from Kindergarten is the child is not fully potty trained. Is your child still in diapers, or very reliant on "pull-ups" right now? Does your child have "accidents" on a weekly basis? Is your child still unsure about all the necessary steps involved in using the bathroom? If the answers to these questions is yes, and it is less than a month before the first day of Kindergarten, I would suggest holding your child back. However, if your child is fully potty trained, but sometimes struggles with the buttons or zippers on his or her clothing, then I would suggest sending your child to Kindergarten this fall. Just send him or her in sweatpants for a while.

(2)Has your child been to some sort of preschool program?

Teachers

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>