Postponing Primary 1 a tough call
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.