My daughter is a June baby and started prep when she was 4.5 yo. She was little but socially confident and everyone said she was 'ready'. She loved kindy too.
But once she started she struggled and cried about going most days. She still does. Teacher says she is on reading level 8, almost done all the sight words, answers in class, has a group of friends, is social and confident. She is average - not excelling but keeping up. There is no sign to them that she doesn't like prep. BUT often still cries she doesn't want to go. She says she wants to be with me and completely loathes homework and flat out refuses to even open a book with us. The teachers say it could be because she has a young sibling at home so she feels like she is missing out (which my daughter did mention). The school is totally against repeating prep as she would be bored as she has kept up. But my concern is that she doesn't love learning or school and it's only going to get harder and will she always be struggling especially as she is the youngest. My gut says she would hate to repeat (and all her friends moving up would effect her) but my fear is a lifelong struggle at school. My best friend has an 8 yo and she still regrets not repeating prep as her daughter is really struggling with constant tutoring to keep up. They don't encourage repeating at all as apparently research says it can be damaging even in prep. Would love to hear any positive advice from those who were in a similiar position.
Should we repeat prep?
Friday, 20 October 2017 - 07:22
5 Replies
I wish i had ignored the teacher and sschool and listened to my gut and repeated my June girl. Now in year 3 she is struggling to keep up. If YOU feel the need for her to repeat and the fact that you have thought it then I would do it.
Socially and accedemically it sounds like she's doing well, to me it seems she's struggling emotionally. Going from kinder to prep is a big adjustment for some children.
I'd give it to closer to the end of the year to see if things improve and then make your decision.
Take on board the teachers advice, weigh up the pros and cons and even take your daughters feelings into consideration.
At the end of the day though the decision is yours, you know her best.
Good luck
I would have kept her home this year but now its done theres no benefit to repeating, she'll still miss you and not like learning no matter what year shes in shes still at school.
In saying that theres always benefit to letting a 5 ywar old play over being in a classroom. Maybe find a steiner school for her for, she would be a little kid there, until shes closer to 7 and more ready for academics. And it would be new so not boring or like repeating, just meeting her needs.
my experience is also that teachers are more concerned with reading levels and the chils complying and aa long as they do that theyre happy and will tell you its all fine, but you know your daughter and how she is actually doing, if shes hating it then her reading level at 4 years old really is beside the point, but a teacher will never say that to you.
Sounds more like feeling like she's missing out on you now that she's at school and her younger sibling is at home. I'd be more inclined to work on that than repeat her, since she's keeping up with the work at school. Maybe try some special big kid dates and make sure you point out how special she is to get to go to school while little bro/sis doesn't get to do that yet.
I’m a teacher and I always suggest people send their kids to school as late as possible. My son is April baby so I could have sent him last year but didn’t cause I wanted him to have the best chance of success.
I understand the school not wanting her to repeat as there is no guarantee she will do better if she does.
If I were you I would repeat her at another school if possible or at the same school if not.
I have had one of my students repeat kindy it was hard at first he kept going to the yr 1 classroom in the morning but he got used to it and was better of for it. He still wasn’t excelling but he was more mature and did better.
8 is sort of on target 10 is what we hope for at the end of kindy, although when I have taught kindy more then half the class were over level 10.