Most of the time a child is technically able to go to kindergarten at the age of 5 as long as he or she turns 5 by September. There are different rules for different states and school districts, but this is the standard for most. Just because a child is old enough for kindergarten doesn’t always mean that the child is ready. Learn what to look for before heading to kindergarten with your child.
Generally speaking there needs to be some physical and emotional maturity for a child to be able to make it on their own in the classroom at this age. If they are still immature for their age or having attachment issues, kindergarten can be a tough thing for the child to adjust to.
If there are some language barriers because of poor skills, the child might not be able to understand what is going on and might not be able to properly ask for help. It’s important that basic language skills are developed before going off to school.
One good strategy is to send your child to preschool. Many of these developmental and maturity issues will be found out while in the preschool environment. The teacher and you can talk about what issues there might be so that they can be worked on.
Make sure your child can follow basic instructions and have some respect for authority.
It’s important by this age to be able to use the restroom properly without too many accidents or issues.
The temper and crying issues should be under control. While there are still going to be a bit of immaturity at this age, it shouldn’t be too much to the point where it will disrupt learning.
Make sure your child can get along with other kids. This is important to avoid some issues with the other children in the classroom.
