Question: I'm a single parent and have a total of five children: ages 15, 12 and 5-year-old triplets. The triplets will be attending kindergarten this September. Is postponing Primary 1 entrance right for some children?

Answer: Each spring I receive several questions about the advisability of postponing kindergarten. For most children, it's wise to follow the kindergarten entrance guidelines because they've been written in consideration for typical child development. They recognise this is an ideal time for children to join a classroom for the academic and social-emotional development that should be taking place. If your triplets are developmentally and intellectually behind other children, it may be appropriate for them to attend a good academic preschool instead of attending kindergarten with their age peers.

Postponing kindergarten without preschool attendance is counterproductive. Children who are behind in development absolutely need academic and social stimulation. However, if children are average or above in their abilities, there is absolutely no reason for them to wait another year. It's also true that if they're in the gifted range of abilities and are far ahead in their cognitive skills, early entrance to kindergarten has proven to be more effective than waiting for age-mates.

Sometimes it's hard for parents to judge the cognitive or emotional maturity of their own children, and even more so when they have three same-aged children (I expect you probably feel reasonably overwhelmed much of the time). School or private psychologists can test your triplets to determine their emotional and academic readiness for kindergarten and guide you in your decision making. I've included some typical guidelines for readiness for kindergarten in my column and you can read more in my newsletter. If your triplets meet most of these standards, you can feel more comfortable about their entering school next fall.

Typical Readiness Skills for Kindergarten:

READING READINESS

Knows letters of the alphabet

Knows some nursery rhymes

Prints and recognises own first name

Can tell a story from pictures

LISTENING

Pays attention

Follows simple directions

Retells a simple story in sequence

SIMPLE RELATIONAL CONCEPTS

Understands big, little; long, short; more, less; in, out; top, bottom; front, back; hot, cold; over, under

COLOURS AND SHAPES

Recognises primary colors

Knows triangles, circles, squares, rectangles

NUMBERS

Counts to 10

Counts objects

MOTOR SKILLS

Walks a straight line

Hops, jumps and marches

Throws a ball

Pastes pictures on paper

Completes simple puzzles (five pieces)

Handles scissors

Cuts and draws simple shapes

Controls pencil and crayons

SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Knows first and last name, parents' names, home address, and telephone number

Expresses self verbally

Can be away from parents for three hours

Looks forward to going to school

Knows body parts

Can take care of toilet needs independently

Dresses self

Gets along with other children

Shares with others

Works independently

Maintains self-control

Recognises authority

Dr. Sylvia B. Rimm is the director of the Family Achievement Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio, a clinical professor of psychiatry and pediatrics at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, and the author of many books on parenting. More information on raising kids is available at www.sylviarimm.com.

Please send questions to: Sylvia B. Rimm on Raising Kids, P.O. Box 32, Watertown, WI 53094 or srimmsylviarimm.com. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.