Would you hold your child back in school?

Hi mommas, I was wondering if anyone else held their kiddos back from school because of COVID? My oldest turns 6 in August, and he is going to be going to preschool, meaning he will be 7 in kindergarten. My youngest is immunocompromised, and when COVID first began and everything was so uncertain, I kept them home; and also, I didn’t want his first year to be so stressful with in-person and virtual classes and decided to just wait. Now though, I fear he will be picked on for being the oldest in kindergarten and then in every other grade from there…did any other mommas hold their kiddos back?? Thanks!!

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Help a mama out and respond anonymously on our forum. Would you hold your child back in school? - Mamas Uncut

Why not just start him in kindergarten? Nothing says preschool is required

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I’m holding my daughter back in 3rd grade. I know shes not a beginner 3rd grade level but I also know shes not up to a 4th grade level because of covid. It is what’s best for her to get the education she needs. Do what’s best for you baby :), deal with the teasing if it comes. There also tends to be different ages in grades anyway because they normally have a cut off birthdate.

I held two of my grandkids back in kindergarten. They was not ready for frist grade. This was a LONG time ago. One graduated, in 2019. the other one did not. She quit this year 21 to 22. She will regret it. And im so hurt.

I held my youngest back in Kindergarten due to her having a learning disability not bc of COVID. She still gets made fun of or questioned by kids from her original class why she git held back, if she’s stupid, etc. We did what we thought was best for her, but kids are cruel and no kid should have to deal with that kind of meaness.
With that said in my opinion you should just start him in Kindergarten and not pre-k. However, do what you feel is best for your son.

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Help a mama out and respond anonymously on our forum. Would you hold your child back in school? - Mamas Uncut

My daughter is 5. We kept her out of preschool last year too but will be doing kindergarten this fall half days. It’s really your choice. I suspect we will have a lot of kids older in kindergarten next year.

Why do we worry so much about things that are not going to matter children don’t think about things like how much older you are than them just send your child to school an don’t worry so much!!! It will all work out!!!

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We did my little sister she will be older in kindergarten. he be fine :blush: I was always the youngest kid in class I start kindergarten when I was 4 I never went to preschool. The older kids were always so cool everyone wanted to be their friend when I was in school

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Held both my sons. They had no problems. Being the oldest instead of youngest is an advantage. Never made fun of. Both excelled academically. One repeated first grade and raised his grade average being a year older .

We did and it was the best thing we ever done! He turned 7 in kindergarten

Help a mama out and respond anonymously on our forum. Would you hold your child back in school? - Mamas Uncut

Does he need to go into preschool? Maybe think about putting him right into kindergarten and see how he does instead of pre-k.

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My son missed summer VPK because of COVID. I just started him in kindergarten. I was a little nervous, bc he had been in speech therapy in the past. I wasn’t sure if he was where he needed to be. They offered him tutoring for reading. He finished the year with mostly As and a few Bs.

My kindergartner definitely didn’t get enough this year so when they offered a month of summer school I was so happy! But he will be good to move on the 1st grade in the fall .

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Preschool is not mandatory nor necessary. Your child will be just fine in kindergarten.

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Does he know letters, sounds, numbers, can count, can write his name? As a kindergarten teacher and mom I would say skip preschool. I’m not sure what state you’re in but in most states I know about preschool is not a requirement and only serves as preparation for kindergarten however every year kids come to my class that have never been in preschool so kindergarten still has to begin with all the skills that preschool would have covered. For kids that attended preschool this would be a review and the kids that did not attend usually catch on really quickly unless their is a true learning disability. My suggestion would be to let him start kindergarten and spend the summer reviewing letters, sounds, numbers, counting, rhyming, shapes, and maybe basic sight words. If he is getting all of this you can move on to blending and reading simple words. Also in my experience it would be way better to repeat kindergarten or first grade than to start in preschool because it tends to be more structured and they will get more out of a repeated grade than preschool.

I would allow him to go to kindergarten this yr no reason to put him in preschool he is to old for that

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Send him to school!!!

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My son started in kindergarten, not preschool, and at his old school they held him back in first grade due to his communication issues. Them holding him back did more harm to his learning than helping him. I, personally, would just send him straight to kindergarten bc they learn the same things in Pre-K, kindergarten and first grade and it leaves room for if he doesn’t do so well and the school holds him back he won’t be that much older than the other kids.

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I have August and September teenagers now and I’ve always wished I kept them back in pre-k or kindergarten because they’ve always struggled.

My daughter is doing another year of prek she turned 5 last week.
I want her to be ready and she missed alot of Prek the past 2 school years with covid :confused:
It was a hard choice but I think will pay off!

I personally wouldn’t put him in preschool at all considering his age. If I’m doing my math correct that’d make him 20 when he graduates high school. Send him to kindergarten and then reassess for next school year and consider holding him back if necessary. I kept my child home also and he was supposed to start kindergarten last fall but I homeschooled him so he will be going into 1st grade this fall and will turn 6 this august as well. I’d rather him stick to the grade he’s supposed to be in with the option to hold him back later.

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Omg goodness hold kid back if you want to-As someone who works with literacy for kids in K-3 it is actually important that a kid gets the most out of grade K. It’s not a big deal how old the child is. I’ve never seen kids care about age. You are going to want your child to learn.

My oldest started kindergarten at 5. We pulled him out halfway through the year due to some issues with the school.
We moved. They tested him and placed him in kindergarten instead of first grade. So he was 6 turning 7 (birthday in June…he barely made the cutoff). And he’ll be 8 turning 9 for second grade.

My youngest kiddos birthday is begining of September. He misses the cutoff.
So he’ll start kindergarten at almost 6.

If you’re worried about which is right for him, have him tested to see which grade he’d be better suited for.

Neither of my kids went to preschool. Preschool isn’t necessary. Usually they look and see if the kid is ready for kindergarten before actually putting them in anyways.

They dont need preschool send him to kindergarten if he struggles they will get him help and if still struggling he can repeat kindergarten. But alot of kids start at 5.

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My son didn’t do pre k. But I could tell the 1st year through kindergarten he was not ready to go to first grade. So he did a 2nd year of kindergarten. He will be 7 next month and he’s starting 1st grade this year.Id rather him not struggle than worry that’s he’s a little older than everyone else. My daughter couldn’t start school the year she should have bc her b-day is September 13th and the cut off was the 1st, so she has always been 9months to a year older than the kids in her class. She doesn’t seem to care much, she’s going in to 7th grade and she’ll be 13 in September.

My son was held back in kindergarten, not because of Covid. There was never any issues with him being made fun of because he’s older than his classmates. Do what you think is best.

I would just put him in Kindergarten. My son started the year behind because of Covid eating the second half of his preschool year but he caught up and accelerated past expectations by the end of Kindergarten.

My daughter turned 5 July 15th started kindergarten a month later she is one of the youngest in her class but had no issues she is now going into 5th grade this august right after she turns 10 & her grades a excellent has no issues

I had to hold my son back in 1st grade and it was the best thing I ever did. When he got to high school I asked him if he wanted to do virtual school along with regular school so he could move up a grade snd he said no. He said that just means I get to play football one more year. Lol.

My mom held me back in 1st an 3rd grade an when I got to 7th grade I was tested an I skipped 8th grade an went straight to high school

He doesn’t have to go to preschool. But the covid threat is still real.

Have him tested for kindergarten. If he tests appropriately then send him to school. If he tests behind then keep him in preschool.

I had a kiddo who had to stay back in first grade and my kindergartener stayed back because when they closed school last year in the beginning of covid he refused work. It didn’t bother my boys any and both have excelled because of the choice that was made

Half of the kids in the country will be a tad behind. If he is emotionally ready, start Kindergarten and skip preK altogether.

Just put him in Kindergarten. I am sure (well hopeful) you taught him well to know his abcs, numbers and shapes. He is too old for prek… It doesnt matter if he is the oldest tho, kids will pick on kids unless you teach them right from wrong. My son is about to be 7 and hes going into the 2nd grade…

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sounds like you already held him back. send him to school.

My 5 yr old should have done preschool last year… but she’s going this year

I didn’t send my daughter either last year, she turned 6 in March, and she will be headed to kindergarten this year so she will turn 7 as well. I think a lot of kids will be this age this up coming year in kindergarten, thanks covid… If he knows his abcs , 123 , and shapes , I would go ahead and send him to kindergarten and skip pre-k.

Non of my children went to preschool!!! Preschool is not necessary!!!
Go and register that child for 1st grade, based on age that is where he should be. He will be assessed and placed where he will get the most help to grow.

I wanted my son to stay another year in kinder but the teacher said she wasn’t going to retain him. Once he got to 1st, COVID hit mid school year so all kids passed to the next grade. I felt like most kids didn’t learn anything with online classes. Now for 2nd grade I talked to my sons teacher and the school set up a meeting to see if he qualified to get retained. He did so now he will stay another year in 2nd grade. My son will be going to a closer school next school year so I won’t be worried about him getting bullied. You should ask if you can move him schools just so you won’t worry about him being bullied.

Has he already been held back? Preschool isn’t necessary. But everywhere local to me is 3-5 for preschool, and kindergarten is 6-7. I would send him.

He doesn’t have to go to pre k. He can go straight to kindergarten. A lot of kids don’t go to pre k. No big deal.

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Why preschool??

Just start kindergarten :tipping_hand_woman:t3:

Not unless there is something really wrong. 7 is very old for kindergarten. The child my seem out of place all threw out school and if he has problems and has to repeat a year. The child will be 3 years older than his peers. That’s too much. While his peers graduate at 17 he will be 20 or 21.

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My granddaughter is 7 will be 8 in July she just finished 2 nd. grade she is going into 3rd. grade next year. Is your child up to date with learning. Have you been home schooling him? If so he can take a test and if he does well he can be placed in class with the other kids his age. I wish you both well and happy learning for your child.

At 6 your child can start kindergarten, not sure why you’d send them to preschool with 3 and 4 year olds. Does your community do screenings for kindergarten? I’d find out and take your child.

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My daughter just turned six and she is repeating kindergarten in the fall. She had a really hard time with the online stuff they started with last year. She started to do better once they went back but that didn’t give her much time to catch up with the rest of the class. Her teacher recommended that she stay back and I agreed. There was alot my daughter was unsure of and I didn’t want to throw her into more that she may not be ready to handle. I’m hoping this year will be better for her and that they won’t have to go back to the online stuff.

I’d talk to someone at the school and get their opinion. The schools prefer to keep agemates together, but if a child is substantially behind their peers academically or socially, the school may recommend retaining a student.
That being said, most students have fallen behind in the last few years with the patchwork of instructional approaches schools have been forced to use.

In Canada it doesn’t matter unless in 12th grade. Last year and this year, no kids will be held back, even if requested and no matter the students progress…because covid is beyond their control.
We are setting up this generation for loads of b.s. as they go through the rest of school. It’s like skipping 2 layers of brick and expecting the structure to just know how to hold up.

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Your childs education is more important than his age. Kids will find other things to pick on rather than how old he was. I went to school with a boy who was 9 in the second grade. Nobody cared how old he was. They didn’t like him because he smelled like pee

You might look it up for legal reasons. Some states in the US have it written that they must be 5 by a specific date to enroll for kindergarten the upcoming school year. They must be enrolled by age 6.

I held mine back in 3rd grade because with the teacher he had that year he regressed. He is now 13 and nobody in his grade has cared about his age. Best decision I made for him.

Is preschool necessary? I’d send him straight 2 kindergarten if it’s not absolutely necessary 2 keep him from struggling. but I was 6 when I started kindergarten had 2 have an intermittent grade between k and 1st because I didnt quit hit all milestones 4 first then when into 1st at 8 so I was a year or 2 older than most kids my birthday is in September. It’s only a big deal if u make it a big deal honestly. There are kids who have crazy birthdays that either make them the older kids in class or the youngest. There are kids who fail and end up being older it just happens sometimes. Do whatsbest 4 u and the family it will all work out.

Just send him to kindergarten most kindergartners are age 5 and 6

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I held my daughter back in the 20-21 school year due to covid. She turned 5 that year, and should have been in either Pre-K or kindergarten. We delayed due to confusion about covid. We sent her to summer school this year cuz we wanted to make sure she was where she needed to be before she will start kindergarten this 21-22 school year. My daughter will be 6 going into kindergarten

Same situation here… Bcuz of my sons health probs n Covid he didnt attend in school much. Buuut we did alot of home school work. And i evn got him extra grade 2 books. Now i went to the school nd they said technically he didnt pass gr2. But they know he can do the work nd if i want can put him in gr3. I said yes Gr 3 bcuz he know all the work and he is a big kid. Keepin him back he will be so outta place.

I’d talk to the school. My son is 7 and just finished 1st grade. That’s really far behind and might affect him more. They don’t really have to know anything to go to kindergarten.

Start him in kindergarten. Preschool is not mandated. All of the children his age, this year, have been home because of covid. If there is a problem, the teacher will let you know. If your concerned that he is behind, get some pre-school work books at your local Wal-Mart, and start teaching the basics. Colors, shapes, numbers, etc. He will be just fine.

Preschool isn’t really needed you can just send them to Kindergarten.

Where I live they have to be in school b4 a certain age. We held my soon to be 6 ur old back last year because of speech issues. So turned 5 a month before pre-k. One of her speech classmates turned 6 last October and wasn’t in kindergarten yet. He had to leave the speech classes mid year to go to kindergarten. He will be held back because he didn’t start until April and had no pre-k classes. His parents had no choice but to enroll him because of his age.

My daughter is 4 and going to her 2nd year of preschool. I would contact the elementary school and ask them if your child can test out.

I put my daughter in a program that was called TK1 (harder than kindergarten but not as hard as 1st grade). Best thing I did. She is has been an honor student since 1st grade. She going into 7th grade and is considered gifted.

My son was 6 and in kindergarten he was held back a year in kindergarten he’s now 7 going in to 1st. I don’t see anything wrong with it.

My son was 7 years old when he started kindergarten. He is going into 1st grade this upcoming school year. I held him back because I knew he wasnt ready at the age of 6 years old.

My son 6 he never went preschool right kindergarden

Send him straight to kindergarten. Skip pre k

Start in kindergarten, and see how it goes. Hold back if needed in kindergarten. From my experience boys often need that extra yearin kindergarten. But, he may surprise you and do great and be ready for first grade. My son did first grade twice. Never bothered him age wise growing up through school.

My daughter has a sept 3 birthday and just finished kindergarten, the majority of her classmates are just turning 6 and she will be 7 in September. There is nothing wrong with it at all.
There is a lot of benefit of being the oldest in class

My son is 7 and was virtual the whole year im holding him back in first grade since this past year was so stressful to ensure he understood all the material to help him move on

As an educator and mom, I held my son back and he will be six starting kindergarten. If he can sound out letters and start developing cvc words, he is fine to go to kindergarten… It is better to hold back early rather than wait and have them struggling later on and hold him back if he doesn’t pass. Ultimately you know your child and his ability to grasp concepts. He could go through to 5k and have you give him additional help through the year to catch up. The choice is Ultimately yours. Based on bullying, if there is a bully it doesn’t matter younger or older they will find a way to pick on someone. That should not be a base to your decision.

I held my oldest out an extra year before kindergarten. He went in at 6 last year. He will be going into 1st as a 7 year old.

To old for preschool. Kids go to preschool at 3 and 4 he wouldn’t get anything from it. Plenty of kids never go to preschool and start kindergarten just fine. Just keep on top of him and if he needs help offer it. He’ll be fine. I would not stick him in a class of 4 year olds personally.

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Our city, because of Covid and so many people choosing to keep their Kindergarten age child home for an extra year, they mandated that any child above the 6 year age cutoff which is a September birthday, automatically starts in 1st grade instead of Kindergarten. The parents who chose to keep kids out are in an outrage and furious now their child is completely missed the kindergarten experience and introduction to school and now my 1st grader who attended last year will have kids who have never been in school before joining his class.