Starting school

[Antheia]

I was having a discussion with family and they seem to think i should send Lily to school next year. I'm not sure what to think. She is 4 this December. DH started school when he was 4 and i started when i was 5 so really she could go either way. How do you tell?

[Muppity]

So she will be 4 and 2 months when she starts? To me that sounds a bit young.

This is from the NSW Dept fo Education web site - by my reading of it Lily would be too young to start next year.

What is the right age?
Children may enter Kindergarten at the beginning of the school year in NSW government schools if they turn five on or before 31 July in that year.

Some gifted or talented children may be ready to start school at an earlier age while others may benefit from being a little older. By law, all children must start school by their sixth birthday.

[BeautifulMadness]

i personally wouldnt be sending her not @ 4, id wait till she is 5

[Antheia]

Yeah see that is what confuses me because i went to school with people who were still 4 after July and they weren;t gifted or talented. I thought it was young too but they have all got me thinking.

[Kitt3n]

Antheia I think it really depends on the child.

Most parents these days are actually holding the kids back till they are 5 turning 6.

I put DD in when she was 4 turning 5, but she was turning 5 that March, so it was only a few months.

Personally i think having just turned 5 is a little early - how strong is she socially? If she is a fairly bright and adaptable kid it might be the best thing for her - however if she isnt wuite ready it could inhibit her progress.

I think its really up to you to decide if she is ready or not - 4 turning 5 or 5 turning 6 doesnt matter, its really how she will cope. Most schools also offer an interview with the child if they are a little young.

Hope you find the best solution for your little one hun!

[Phteven]

If she has got most of these skills down pat then she might be ready but there's no rush - once she starts she can't unstart.

Preparing for Kindergarten

Parents/caregivers can do a lot to help prepare their child for Kindergarten before the big 'first day'. Below is a list of skills that will be useful for children starting Kindergarten. We recognise that not all children will have these skills as everyone develops at a different pace, so this is intended only as a guide so that starting school may be just a little easier.

Encourage your child to attempt the things mentioned below, but don't worry if your child can't do all of them. Talk to the Kindergarten teacher, and together you can support and assist your child's learning.
Language

* talks to other people about familiar objects and events
* answers and asks simple questions
* makes needs known
* follows simple instructions
* uses books for enjoyment or for looking at pictures
* identifies pictures in books, magazines, on television or video
* uses a variety of things (pens, pencils, textas, paintbrushes, sticks in the dirt) to draw, to scribble or to write
* joins in singing familiar songs


Mathematics

* recognises that numbers can be used to count
* uses words such as many, a lot, more, less
* identifies things in a group that are different
* sees differences in shapes
* differentiates between opposites - up and down, under and over, in front and behind, day and night


Personal/Social Skills

* uses the toilet independently
* can say own name and address
* adapts to unfamiliar settings and new experiences
* can finish a task, and tidies up afterwards
* plays cooperatively with other children - shares and takes turns
* can sit still to listen to a story for a few minutes
* is curious about the world
* can share an adult's attention with several other children
* participates in imaginative play


Physical Skills

* uses scissors to cut along a straight line
* enjoys a variety of indoor and outdoor play
* can put on and take off jumpers, shoes, socks independently
* makes and designs things using a variety of materials

[~clover~]

If she was 5 before July you could think about it, but since she won't be 5 til the end of the year wait.
The guide lines are if they turn 5 before July 31, or 6 after.
DD was 4 til April last year in Kinder.
DD2 will be 5 in June, so I'll have to wait & see how she is before I send her. See if she's ready.
Its up to the child, but I think she's too young yet.

[ll80]

I held my DD back a year from starting Kindergarten.
She could have started this year being 3 turning 4 in March.
I decided to hold her back so she would be 4 turning 5 and then 5 turning 6 for prep.

I've found with my DD in the last 6 months since she turned 4 that she has developed so much more socially, emotionally and has a lot more of the skills fine tuned that dachlostar posted.

I also took into consideration that if I had have started her at 3 turning 4 by the time she got to yr 12 all the kids would be 17 turning 18 and she would be 16 turning 17. She'd want to be going out etc with her friends but still be underage when some of her friends might not be.

[{sarah}]

They're changing it pretty soon to turning five by the end of May the year they start.

[Phteven]

ll80, I think that here in NSW kindergarten is the equivilant of prep.


It would be so much easier if it was standarised between the states wouldn't it.

[~Serenity~]

my son is stting kindy next year 09 he will be 5 in july i dont think they are alowed to start(atleast wa) until they are atleast4.5 yrs old so 09 is for kids born 1 july 04 to 30 june 05 atleast thats here anyway

[mrsmac]

Unfortunately it varies from state to state which makes it awkward for people who move interstate.
To start kindergarten (school) in NSW next year a child MUST turn 5 by 31st July 2009.