Is my boy ready to go to school?
by Dr. Bradley Hannigan
All children are unique. This is a fact that should not be overlooked when making any decision that effects children, whether it is supported by research or not. Another fact that is equally important is that you know your child best. You know more about him than any researcher could ever know.
Your son’s transition to school will be one of the most important transitions of his life. From it he will learn what he is good at, and what he is not so good at, what is fun, and what he will try to avoid.
In New Zealand we have a cultural ritual of sending children to school on their 5th birthday, this is a ritual because New Zealand law says that all children must attend school by the age of 6. For some children, and most often they are boys, 5 is too early to make this important transition, often they need a bit longer to develop the skills that go.
It must also be said that many boys will be ready for school on their 5th birthday, and that is great, but research shows that there are many more that are not. New Zealand researcher Michael Irwin showed that in the average new entrant classroom there will be a large group of girls and small group of boys that are achieving well in classroom lessons, and also that there is a large group of boys and small group of girls who are not. The issue here is around what this last group is learning about themselves as learners and what they are learning about school. The danger is that they learn all too quickly that school is not for them.
Over the page are some snippits of research that suggest that for some children, and particularly boys there is more benefit than harm in waiting a bit longer before transitioning to school.
The key point here is that you know your child best and you want what is best for him. If you feel that your child is not yet ready – then it is alright to wait a bit longer. For some children this will be a matter of weeks, for others it will be a matter of months.
The important thing is that you are doing the best for your child and not just following a cultural ritual simply because it is what everyone else does. With a focus on individual readiness we might just find that our cultural ritual can change. Your child is unique and a one size fits all approach will not always work.
Here is some information that can help you in making your decision:
Readiness – You will know if your child is ready if he is showing an interest in numbers, words and letters, if he is able to sit still for several minutes at a time and can follow simple instruction, and if he has well developed social skills that enable him to get on with others.
Steven Biddulph, through his extensive study of boys, has found that in general boys are about a year behind girls when
it comes to developing the skills that will make them successful at school.
The part of the brain that controls language use, memory, understanding of rules and symbols develops slower in boys than in girls – in fact, these areas mature in girls around six years earlier than in boys. It is such a pity that success at school depends heavily on those areas of the brain.
On average, boys in New Zealand achieve 14 points behind girls in National Standards on writing, 8 points behind girls in
reading and 1 point behind girls in mathematics. Perhaps there is some wisdom in waiting a little longer until your boy is ready. But that is up to you to decide.
All children are unique. This is a fact that should not be overlooked when making any decision that effects children, whether it is supported by research or not. Another fact that is equally important is that you know your child best. You know more about him than any researcher could ever know.
Your son’s transition to school will be one of the most important transitions of his life. From it he will learn what he is good at, and what he is not so good at, what is fun, and what he will try to avoid.
In New Zealand we have a cultural ritual of sending children to school on their 5th birthday, this is a ritual because New Zealand law says that all children must attend school by the age of 6. For some children, and most often they are boys, 5 is too early to make this important transition, often they need a bit longer to develop the skills that go.
It must also be said that many boys will be ready for school on their 5th birthday, and that is great, but research shows that there are many more that are not. New Zealand researcher Michael Irwin showed that in the average new entrant classroom there will be a large group of girls and small group of boys that are achieving well in classroom lessons, and also that there is a large group of boys and small group of girls who are not. The issue here is around what this last group is learning about themselves as learners and what they are learning about school. The danger is that they learn all too quickly that school is not for them.
Over the page are some snippits of research that suggest that for some children, and particularly boys there is more benefit than harm in waiting a bit longer before transitioning to school.
The key point here is that you know your child best and you want what is best for him. If you feel that your child is not yet ready – then it is alright to wait a bit longer. For some children this will be a matter of weeks, for others it will be a matter of months.
The important thing is that you are doing the best for your child and not just following a cultural ritual simply because it is what everyone else does. With a focus on individual readiness we might just find that our cultural ritual can change. Your child is unique and a one size fits all approach will not always work.
Here is some information that can help you in making your decision:
Readiness – You will know if your child is ready if he is showing an interest in numbers, words and letters, if he is able to sit still for several minutes at a time and can follow simple instruction, and if he has well developed social skills that enable him to get on with others.
Steven Biddulph, through his extensive study of boys, has found that in general boys are about a year behind girls when
it comes to developing the skills that will make them successful at school.
The part of the brain that controls language use, memory, understanding of rules and symbols develops slower in boys than in girls – in fact, these areas mature in girls around six years earlier than in boys. It is such a pity that success at school depends heavily on those areas of the brain.
On average, boys in New Zealand achieve 14 points behind girls in National Standards on writing, 8 points behind girls in
reading and 1 point behind girls in mathematics. Perhaps there is some wisdom in waiting a little longer until your boy is ready. But that is up to you to decide.