Is it better to repeat the 3s or 4s in preschool?

mha3484

Sun, Sep 17 2017, 11:49 am

I have a child who will be three after sukkos. His birthday is 3 weeks before the school deadline. He could in theory go to Nursery (4 year olds) next year in the big school. He will likely be the baby in his class. Its a full curriculum from 8:30-2pm. Pre1a the following year is 6 days a week and they cover a lot of material. I really dont think that he is ready for that. I have two choices and I am really conflicted maybe you can help me:

He can go to an older 3s group where he will be the oldest. The teacher said I can sign him up and someone has to the oldest but she felt like maybe its limiting.

The other option is doing a 4 year old class in someones home which will be much smaller and then I have the choice of repeating nursery in the big school the year after or sending to pre 1a if I think he can handle that.

Where I live people start going playgroup crazy in November time so I want to get an idea of which option is better.

Thanks!

amother

Blue

Sun, Sep 17 2017, 12:15 pm

Honestly at that age, with all else equal, I most likely would just choose the cheaper, more convenient hours for you option if there is any difference in that respect.

amother

Lilac

Sun, Sep 17 2017, 3:48 pm

We just had to make a similar decision for our daughter

It depends on skills and abilities in the following areas:
- Motor skills
- Verbal skills
- Social skills
- Emotional regulation (e.g. how much crying / tantruming over small things)
- Self-confidence

If your child is at age level / age appropriate or above for all these, he will be fine being the youngest by a bit, especially in a smaller setting, since he won't feel like he is behind. If he is below age level or below age appropriate for any of them, he would benefit more from being the oldest in a group to help build his confidence and not leave him feeling like he can't keep up.