by Bernadette Jasmin

Created on: January 31, 2007   Last Updated: April 04, 2007

At the age of four or five a child is ready for kindergarten in the United States. This time can be very difficult. Sometimes the school district lines can affect which school your child attends and their policies. Some schools require that kindergarteners go a full day while some half a day. Making the decision for your child to attend full day or half a day depends on the following factors. Some children mature faster than others and therefore are prepared for longer hours. On the other hand some children need just a little bit more time for growth and adjustment to being away from home. So sending a child off to school half a day or full day would depend on the child's maturity.

By the age of five many children have matured physically and emotionally enough to attend school a full day. Some school have a mandatory naptime which usually give the child a short time to overcome the arduous day without ill effect. Many teachers prepare children for the full day and do not overtask them. The day is broken up into short segments to adapt for the childrens attention span.

On the other hand the child that does not adapt readily to change may have a difficult time adjusting to a full day. Usually a parent can make some observations of their children to see how ready a child is to go full time. Some children have a hard time following directions and sustaining the amount of energy that is needed for a full day of classes. For example, my first child was a young student for kindergarten. I noticed that by the time he came home from school the first half of the year he fell asleep on the bus each afternoon. Although this may be indicative of difficulty he adapted and was able to keep up with the other children in his mental abilities. Nevertheless not all children can keep up. It is sometimes critical period in how a child is affected in how he or she adapts to school.

In the end sending a child off to school depends on a parents intuition and conclusions as to whether a parent allows their children to go half a day or not. A parent is the best judge of a child's readiness.

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