Do I hold my June Baby Back for Kindergarten?
-
I know it depends on the kid but I'm really conflicted. I feel like he's ready but everyone holds their kids back these days, I don't want him to be behind just by default of everyone else's choices.
-
I’m in the same boat but my son is a year younger than yours. We plan to send in august 2025 and will have him repeat kinder if necessary! He is academically and socially ready though a bit emotional.
-
I have a June boy and I had SO many people tell me to hold him back and I’m SO glad I didn’t. I knew in my gut he was ready and now he’s entering high school and so ready. He’s also HUGE now and I can’t imagine him going into 8th grade this year 🫣
Don’t listen to others. You know your boy. Go with your mama gut.
-
I say send them. The “hold back” culture is getting a little out of hand. I have 4 summer babies and they have or will start all with their appropriate year. There has been zero issues and even if behind in the beginning academically or socially they have all evened out and are thriving.
-
Similar sentiments as above. It’s getting out of hand. Unless there is a real reason to hold them back(that’s different), send them in the grade they are aligned to. It’s causing misalignments in the classroom and it’s not fair to the teacher to expect them to teach to kids that aren’t in the appropriate grade. Also, challenges shouldn't be feared for kids, it builds grit and resiliency (again within reason assuming there's no real reason to hold back). It's not a good thing to have everything come easy as a kid, to always get the awards, always make the team, etc
-
Former teacher with a June boy… send him! Def collect opinions from their preschool teachers and seasoned friends if you want…. But whatever you think is best is best!!! You know your kid better than anyone else! Just remember a KG teacher’s job is to teach KG… not 1st grade bc some ppl choose to hold their child. Of course all teachers meet their kids where they’re at, but they are beholden to KG curriculum, not kids who’ve been red-shirted. Also… it’s REALLY hard to fail KG!!!!!!! Most kids who repeat kinder do so bc of a lack emotional maturity rather than academic… keep in mind that even if your child is being held back bc of a late birthday they can still struggle academically. One does not cancel out the other. Listen to your momma heart… it knows!!!!
-
I am a May baby and was held back and I don't think it was the best choice for me. I excelled as a child, was mature, teachers loved me etc but as an adult i've had to learn skills that I missed learning as a kid because I never had to. So childhood was easier but adulthood was harder.
This may not be everyone's experience but it's mine
These things might be impossible to predict and we are all just making the best decisions that we can for our kids! -
I’m going to be the voice of dissent here! I have a daughter who is a late July bday. We put her in school and didn’t worry about it. We’re not super into sports or overly worried about achievement. We thought, “She can go. She should go.” Big mistake. We had to hold her back in 3rd and it was way more painful than if we’d just waited to send her. She was having a really hard time and it was all developmental. We had her tested by a neuropsychologist and confirmed there are no learning disabilities involved. As a mom, I could tell it was the age difference. By the end of the year she would be “getting” the concepts the older kids were learning at the beginning of the year. Learning to read, certain math skills… it was taking her brain longer to catch up. Developmentally, she just wasn’t there yet. It affected her self esteem and self image. Holding her back helped SO MUCH. Suddenly, her grades shot up and she felt much better about herself. My daughter is in 7th now and doing great. It’s important to remember that the problems that come up won’t present for a while. In other words, you won’t know your kid is behind the other kids until around 3rd, when the curriculum gets difficult. By then, they’ll know they’re being held back and it’s painful.
-
I did not hold my son back and he is May, looking back I wish I would have!! Not only for sports since everyone in Texas holds them back, but also just for emotional maturity which I feel like boys already lack/ are delayed with!
-
I have two summer birthdays and decided to hold them back. No regrets. Someone told me, do you want to gift your kid an extra year of childhood or an extra year of adulthood? Childhood all the way! I know it’s “getting out of hand” but in Texas it’s been this way for a while. Growing up, I can remember lots of boy in high school who had a spring/summer birthdays - they seemed so immature and were physically smaller!
For girls it’s a different bc they mature faster.
-
Our son is born in May and we decided not to hold back. He's currently in first grade now, and doing just find academically! I had a teacher tell me that if I held him back he would be bored and get himself into trouble. IF he was not right on track academically I would feel different, but he's not lagging behind at all. That being said, you will notice the difference in sports at the young ages, but it will all even out eventually! Lastly, I feel like in today's society a challenge and not being the oldest, tallest, fastest etc. will prepare him for the real world. ALL of this to say, that academics were NOT an issue at all so that helped our decision.
-
Busy toddler wrote a great article about this: https://busytoddler.com/delay-kindergarten/
