She is too young. Most prudent decision is to wait a year. I taught pre-school for many years, and predictably, the youngest were not as successful.

She may be intellectually ready for kindergarten now but she will always be the youngest in her class. Not a big deal in early grades but have you considered how it will be when she is starting the 10th grade, just turning 15 as her classmates are turning 16 (and all that goes along with that!)? Find a pre-k program that will keep her engaged and wait the year. It may be too difficult to hold her back later if you change your mind.

For what it's worth, I skipped 2nd grade, and the hardest part was the initial jump - after the first year I was never anything but grateful I was put where I belonged academically. If you start her now, she never has to make that adjustment, and at that age kids vary so much emotionally - she will undoubtedly be ahead of older kids and behind younger kids in any scenario. I never minded being youngest - it did feel like forever until I got my license but I still preferred that to another year of school. I was proud I could hold my own in tough classes when I was a year younger than everyone else.

"She might run off to a corner and throw a tantrum because things don’t go her way".
Sounds like some of our politicians..........

When I was a kid, (I'm 37,) we were allowed to skip kindergarten altogether if we passed a screening. I did so, and was always several months (and in some cases, an entire year) younger than my classmates.

I was faced with the same decision that you were with my son. His 5th birthday is September 11th. He went through two more screenings than kids whose birthdays fall before Sept 1st, and an interview with the principal to clear him to attend kindergarten at a Minneapolis public school this year.

I feel he is ready both emotionally and intellectually. He has been reading fluently for over six months now, and has never really been a tantrum thrower. That being said, he's a sensitive kid and may sometimes break out in tears, but, as you wrote, many of us still do that! I'm sure you made the right decision for your daughter. You know her best. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

It's always better wait that extra year. It's a year you can't have back. PLease parents, don't rush a child that young. Yes, it's rushing.

My daughter was born in late October, so she's almost always the oldest in her class. She'll be 8 throughout most of the 2nd grade she's entering this year. I like her maturity level compared to her classmates, but worry about her being a legal adult throughout most of her senior year in high school!

My daughter was intellectually ready when she was 4/5 as well, but we decided to wait and enroll her in Kinder when the law suggested. She taught herself to read at age 4 and had the math and vocabulary skills you discussed in your child. She is one of the older kids in her class, and I'm thankful for many reasons. One: she was emotionally and developmentally ready to enter Kinder when we sent her. We felt that any younger and she would have not been. We also looked ahead to when she was in high school and I realized that we would much rather have her be on the older side than the younger (driving, dating, etc etc). Another thing to think about is sending her to college when she is 16/17. I think that's a dangerous endeavor. I would much rather send my child when she is 18. If your child still has the behavioral traits of a preschooler, my advice is to keep her enrolled in pre-k for another year. My daughter went to First Steps IB program at Aquila. She loved it and was challenged and happy. You can send her to before and after care that does not require napping. It may be cheaper to push your child ahead one year but I don't think that's a sufficient reason to do it.

Napolean Bonaparte said a child's education should begin twenty years before birth. My wife and I read and played games that encouraged early reading and math at home. Our son went to a Montessori Pre-School at three years of age, on a half day schedule. We did some volunteer work as classroom assistants. He really looked forward to his time with friends and his classes. He was annoyed if we took vacations that kept him away from his school. My point is that much of the early education or prep is best done at home, to make education fun. There were no children his age nearby and to develop social skills with kids his own age, my wife suggested the school. It was great. We all benefited. I really believe, when possible, it is good for parents to spend some volunteer classroom time and become part of your child's education not be just an observer.

It might be interesting to get a (non-identifying) list of the birthdays for the kids in her class. Then chart it out. You might be surprised by the number of kids in the class who are a lot older than her. Remember that everyone with a summer birthday has a choice, and I have found that the vast majority of those parents are choosing to wait the extra year. Those 6-year-old classmates will be in a very different place than your kid. But maybe it's not that way in your kid's class; that's why I think it would be worth finding out.

i was an early first grader, and it was difficult academically, not because I wasn't smart - but because I lacked the emotional intelligence to keep up. Early childhood is a precioius time -- no need to rush it. Enjoy.... school is a long commitment, but the memories of spending time with mommy and daddy are forever :)

It is a tough decision and I have two children that prove that it does depend on the individual child. My daughter has a late August birthday and my son has an early September birthday. They are just about three years apart yet four grades apart in school. My daughter showed strong academic potential and seemed ready to go to school so we sent her when she'd only been five for about a week. It has proven to be the right decision. For my son, we waited until he was five going on six and that was the best decision for him. Hopefully your daughter will thrive and have the support and opportunities that will maintain her confidence and love of learning so the age difference won't matter.