Question
What should we be looking for to know if my 4yo son would be ready for kindergarten or if he should repeat Pre-k 4 at a different school? He is currently doing pre-k 4 at his current school but I worry about him being the youngest but also the oldest. Thoughts?
Answer
As it pertains to Elementary school it's always good to be the oldest. This is especially true in K-2.
A 6 month difference in those years is a huge difference. So much so that if I owned a school I would split PK2-2nd grade based on their ages: Aug-Dec in one classroom and Jan-June in another but alas I do not own a school.
This is what he needs to be able to do socially and emotionally for us to know he is ready for kindergarten:
1. Balancing attachment/relationship with their parent and autonomy from parent.
2. Understanding and recognition of values and standards of parent/school.
3. Being able to settle their emotional states more times than not (doing this 100% of the time does not happen until early adulthood).
4. Ability to imagine and anticipate consequences of their behavior.
5. Ability to move from being ego-centric and using magical thinking to logical and concrete thinking views of their environment/relationships.
6. Sense of self and able to handle autonomous tasks:
Making choices/plans.
Solving problems.
Taking care of personal needs (i.e. wiping after potty, dressing themselves, feeding themselves).
7. Regulate their emotions most of the time (4 out of 10 times) – by being able to have:
Social reciprocity - knowing how to manage back and forth of relationship
Impulse control
Emotional intelligence - labeling and tolerating feelings