A recent study reveals that postponing kindergarten until the year children turn seven can yield significant advantages. Researchers found that this delay aids in helping children “self-regulate their attention and hyperactivity levels” once they begin school. The study, titled “The Gift of Time? School Starting Age and Mental Health,” indicates that a one-year postponement in starting school considerably diminishes inattention and hyperactivity rates by 73 percent for an average child by age 11. Data analyzed included tens of thousands of students from Denmark, encompassing both genders.
The topic of holding children back, often referred to as “redshirting,” has sparked considerable debate. Many early childhood experts voice concerns about the pressure placed on young children to engage in academic work, suggesting that children thrive best through structured play. One expert remarked, “It’s not just about when to start kindergarten, but what happens in those kindergarten classes. If we transform kindergarten into an extension of first grade, parents may understandably choose to delay entry.”
Conflicting studies exist, leading to differing opinions on whether to hold children back. Personally, I hadn’t formed a strong opinion until my son began kindergarten this year at the age of four. We recently relocated from Florida to New York, and due to the move, he missed pre-K entirely. The cutoff date for kindergarten admission here is three months later than it was in Florida, suddenly making him eligible for enrollment. I was apprehensive about his age but complied with the state’s guidelines.
Transitioning from a part-time daycare to a six-hour classroom with only one twenty-minute recess has proven challenging for him, as I feared it would be. Just yesterday, I received a call from the school psychologist, who expressed concerns about his attention span in class: “He reads exceptionally well, but his comprehension seems off. Have you noticed he speaks about himself in the third person?” My immediate thought was, “He’s not even five yet! He’s accustomed to napping. Is this really a matter requiring a school psychologist’s intervention?”
Since he was three and a half, he has been reading independently and is quite social. However, his attention span remains limited, and he’s still just four years old. The kindergarten curriculum has left me bewildered. I anticipated more playtime and breaks, not the homework that seems to accompany a kindergartener today. It’s concerning that I now worry about his apparent fatigue and difficulties focusing throughout the day.
He returns home with numerous worksheets, starkly contrasting the doodles and crafts he brought home just a few months ago. Kindergarten appears to have morphed into what first grade once was. Given the findings of this recent study advocating for later starts, perhaps it’s time to reconsider a kindergarten curriculum that emphasizes play over academic performance expectations for children who are not yet ready. Meanwhile, I find myself in discussions with school administrators who, while lacking familiarity with my son, are convinced he’s ready for kindergarten—if only he had a range of interventions to support him.
To me, he’s still a young boy of not even five. My hope is for him to learn basic skills like holding a pencil, coloring, and nurturing his passion for learning—qualities that led him to teach himself to read before he even turned four. If interventions are necessary, I would prefer them to be implemented when his inability to focus is not linked to missing his afternoon nap.
This article was first published on October 9, 2015.
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In summary, the transition into kindergarten can be complex, particularly when the curriculum resembles that of first grade. Delaying entry may offer benefits, allowing children time to develop essential skills at their own pace rather than being pressured into early academic performance.