For many years I have been encouraging parents whose kids are born in summer or later to start school with their older peers.
I recall a study some years ago showing that kids who are old for grade have a higher risk of drugs, alcohol, and pregnancy than their younger classmates.
A study released today shows that kids who are “old for grade” do not do as well as their classmates when they get to third grade.
Many parents demand that children who were born in the summer be held back. The hope is that the delay will give these children more time to mature, and that waiting will help them do better in school.
However, a study of 1,000 kids in Germany shows just the opposite. Kids who were older were equal to their classmates in first grade, but by third grade they were behind their peers in math, reading, writing and attention span.
This flies in the face of many school officials especially here in the South. Last century I started school is September even though my birthday isn’t until mid October. My second son’s birthday is late October and our daughter’s is early November. We all started first grade long before we were six. We all did OK. Some of my grand kids started early too. If a kid is not ready for school, one parent told, me where is the best place for them to get ready, school or home. Where will they learn the most?
I agreed with his decision, and his son started early. Now he has done great and is a young man ready to graduate from college and get on with his life. He is happy, he doesn’t have another year in school!
We all want the best for our kids, and perhaps this study will help kids get off to a better start. Let’s hope so!