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Different areas have different rules when it comes to age requirements for entering your child in kindergarten. Usually children enroll in kindergarten in the fall after they turn five years old. But you can still hold your child back usually if you want to wait another year. Perhaps your child just turned five in the late summer and you want your child to wait another year to develop some skills.
This is an important decision to make from a social standpoint. The class in which you enroll your children may be the same group of children your child grows up with through elementary, middle and high school. Typically it is recommended that your child be placed in a class with other children his or her age. That’s so your child develops physically and emotionally with children of his or her similar age group. Your child will typically find more in common with these children than those who are older or younger. But at the same time, if your child is not ready for kindergarten at the age when other children are ready, perhaps it’s still a smart decision to wait a year or enroll a year earlier.
Before your child enters kindergarten, you’ll want your child to have certain skills. Your child should have a certain level of motor skills to start with. You’ll want your child to be able to button a button and zip a zipper. You’ll want her to be able to be toilet trained and be able to wash her own hands. And you’ll want her to be able to have a certain level of physical ability by jumping or hopping.
You’ll also want to make sure your child is emotionally ready for kindergarten. You’ll want your child to be able to make friends easily and have friends. You’ll want her to be able to communicate with other adults, so she can talk openly with her teachers. You’ll want your child to be able to handle tasks around the house, so she can follow proper instructions in the classroom. You’ll want her to be able to behave properly most of the time.
In addition, your child should have some knowledge like the ability to talk reasonably well, be able to sing a few songs, and be able to follow a story when you read it to her. You want your child to be able to know a few numbers and be able to distinguish some colors. You’ll want your child to be able to learn new games easily. After all, in kindergarten, kids do a lot of playing!
When determining at what age your child is ready for kindergarten, you need to decide what’s best for your child. While most educators will tell you that keeping your child in the same class as other children his or her age is the best way to go for your child from a social standpoint, you need to do what your child is capable of. If your child is able to learn at the rate of a kindergartner, perhaps it’s time to enroll your child in school. It’s ultimately up to you to make the right decision. Take in as much information as you can and weigh the costs and benefits.
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