Hi all, I am just after some advice. My daughter is 4 and will be 4 when she starts school. I feel like it’s to young and will effect her later in high school ect. Did you send your child at 4 turning 5 or wait till the following year and why? Pls help
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My 4 year old is right on the cut off (end of June baby). We've kept her back. In my personal opinion 4 years old is to young, all prep teachers I have spoken to have agreed. I am yet to hear from a person who has regretted sending there child later but have heard plenty who regret sending there child at 4 years old.
I'm in Tasmania, we have 3 day a week kinder that kids attend the year they turn 5 - which I believe is non compulsory but the child will still be placed in prep the following year if you choose not to enrol for kinder. Then kids move down to the Big school for prep the following year (5 turning 6).
None of my kids would have been ready for 5 day a week school at 4, even my very outgoing and socially confident daughter.
I find the system in other states really baffling.
Most kids in SA don’t start school until 5, and many are 6 now.
Personally I think there is zero risk when you wait a year. Going to school once a child has already turned 5 is so much better. They grow up a lot in 12 months.
It’s really hard to remove a child from school once they have started and education departments make you jump through a huge number of hoops to let a child repeat a year because of the psychological impacts. So far better to wait a year.
Even my sister held her daughter home that bit longer and she could already read and write at a year 2 level (self taught) because emotionally and developmentally in other areas she just wasn’t there yet.
Flip side... If she has no behaviour issues/delays, she'll cope and it means come year 12 she will finish at 17. That will be my daughter next year. My son started at 5 because he's a July bub so the oldest in the year. For the final half of year 12 he will be 18 and wanting to go clubbing etc. That will impact on study too no doubt
My daughter is older, and at Uni she notices how immature the ones like your daughter are. Your argument is totally flawed and why assume your son will want to go clubbing? My 21 and 18 year old don’t
It’s also a social factor by sending them at 4 turning 5, as quite often kids are turning 6 or I have even had a few kids each year turn 7. The difference in maturity from 5-7 is huge and it’s often socially they struggle more than academically.
Will wait until 5 turning 6. 4 is just too little for school. When she stays home youll realiaw just how little they still are, its time that really shouldnt be spent in school. Even 5 to 6 is so young,but old enough to start to learn and want the independence they are given at school.
Re social maturity, if you're in qld, half the class will be 4 turning 5 so she will be the same as everyone else.
Thats not true. There are generally a few that start at 4 and turn 5 soon after. Very few are 4 for long and theyre easy to spot.
I work in a school and half the kids in prep are actually 4 turning 5 so it is true in some schools.
My son is 4 and started kindy this year, he will be 5 in Dec he was ready to start school last year and it was really hard to keep him home that extra 6 mths. I think it really depends on the child since he has started school he has flourished.
Yep. My son is the eldest in his grade and has found school so challenging while lots of younger kids have taken to it brilliantly. And really, what my son struggled with I never would have predicted. What I was concerned about wasn't a problem at all.
While people say their child has done well, the point people are making is that school is not ideal for most four year olds (depending on what their alternative looks like of course, safety, nutrition, care, opportunity, interaction etc.) Unfortunately early years of schooling goes against what the research tells us about child development and education. If theres ever a choice between school or play for a 4 year old, give them play.
I sent mine 3 turning 4 to Kindy and 2 of them 4 turning 5 to Kindy it's only a few days a week and it's usually a lot of fun.
This is talking about the first year of primary school. Some states call it kindy, some prep.
In the state I live in Kindy/Kindergarten is the year before prep/pre-primary and year 1 is the first year of proper primary school and I grew up in Victoria which was also the same. I started Kindy/Kindergarten at 3.5 and finished it at 4.5 and started Prep/Pre-Primary which is the first compulsory year of primary school in WA and Victoria at 4.5. I sent mine to Kindy because they needed it and having Autism the EA could also help with their therapies. This is also the case for my Daughter who is born in the same month as me.
In WA pre-primary is compulsary and they're even attempting to make Kindy compulsary. I'm just going by my own personal experience and the experience my children are now going through. I'm assuming it'd be the same all over the place seeing as now in WA year 7 is now high school and not primary school. We have a cut off though. Those who turn 4 after June 30 have to wait until the next year to go to Kindy and those who turn 4 before then can go to Kindy. Pre-primary is the same except you have to either be 5 or be turning 5 before June 30 to attend pre-primary. The choice is this mums and her partners alone and it's foolish to ask advice on weather you should send them or not unless you outline what your child can and can't do in your original post. I find that they are expecting Children to go into year one with knowledge of the alphabet and all the sounds, be able to count to 100 and know basic Math, ie 1+1 etc which is more than what they expected from me back in the day.
My daughter is end of April. Here in SA if they turn 5 before April 30, they can start school.
Our situation specifically: BIG MISTAKE.
My daughter is the youngest in the class by 2 months. I saw so many people last year saying how they kept their child home another year and I (selfishly) considered how much cheaper school is than full time child care. So many regrets.
My daughter is so behind the other kids. One of them turned 6 two weeks after she turned 5. I am pushing for her to do another year of reception (other states call it prep I believe?) But the school is "not keen on holding kids back". I fear she's going to be behind forever if she doesn't. This is my personal situation though. It's been a tough year so far.
If they don’t let you hold her back, please take heart in knowing just because she had a rough start, doesn’t mean she’ll be behind forever. Being younger might mean it has been a bigger transition for her, maturity wise, but things will likely click with her, don’t judge her whole academic life on the first three terms of school. I sincerely hope everything works out.
Listen to your gut, you know best. Push to have her repeat. You’d regret it as I did.
I was seventeen finishing high school, didn’t effect me at all, also did very well academically and went on to get two degrees. However, each child is different, please talk to her kindy teacher, they are the only ones who can tell you with certainty if she is ready, plus you know her, trust your gut. You also don’t say when she turns 5, big difference turning 5 in Feb versus June (where in qld they are still eligible for prep).
It’s too young. She will struggle socially. Being in the yard with older and bigger kids will be daunting and sometimes physically scary.
TBH the countries that do it well don’t let kids start until they’re 6.
I was too young when I went to school. Academically no problem. But the first two years I was miserable and alone as none of the older girls would accept me into their groups. I spent recesses and lunchtimes in the library or alone in corridors. Just horrible.
Also a side note that being 17 for the first few months of uni really sucked. 🤣
Yes exactly! Look to the research. As a country we are rated very low for good outcomes. We push our kids too much too soon.
They should be learning through play at 4 and 5
Only you and your child’s preschool can answer this question.
No one on here knows your child and her social, mental, and emotional development. Ask a professional!
My first started at 4 turning 5, second at 5 turning 6, and third at 5 turning 6.
Every child is different, talk to the school principal as well about the expectations for a child starting school.
In tas , kids start the year they turn 5, my son is a end of December baby and was only just 4 when he was supposed to start kinder, we kept him back and he started when he was 5. So glad we did! I researched so much and especially for boys it was always a positive thing to keep them back. You know your child , some are ready where others are not xx
100%keep her back. Starting school at 5. Alot of kids are even starting school having turned 6 late in the year or in the Jan before school. 4 would make her so much younger than those kids.
Good luck mumma. You know what's best!!
My Daughter started school when she was 4 her birthday is in March. she is also a premiere born 7 weeks early she is now 6 and doing great but she would have started at 3 if she could of lol.
it all depends on her if you think she is ready send her but if you think she will not cope hold her back.