Redshirting in Kindergarten?

Have you heard of the new terminology of kindergarten "redshirting"?  I have just recently come acrossed many articles as well as a news segment on 60 minutes that referred to this and it has certainly caught my eyes and ears because, not only am I a kindergarten teacher, but also the mom of a just-turned 5 year old boy getting ready to register for kindergarten.  Redshirting in kindergarten is parents keeping their 5 year old home or providing them with another year of preschool in order to give their child an academic and/or athletic advantage over other children in their class.
The Huffington Post provided an article written by Meryl Ain, Ed.D entitled Kindergarten Redshirting: Smart Strategy or Educational Quackery?  In this article, parents suggested that redshirting, "gives their child a competitive advantage over their younger classmates -- both academically and on the sports field." 
Parents know best whether their child is ready to begin kindergarten or not and it will vary from child to child regardless of their age.  Ain states that, "Sending your child to kindergarten is an important milestone for you and your child," and goes on to list some ways you can help prepare your child for kindergarten or even affirm that what you have done has made your child a perfect candidate to start kindergarten:

• While teachers are happy when children enter kindergarten knowing letters and numbers, they do not want you to drill your child. Kindergarten teachers look for their students to have readiness skills; these are the building blocks that will enable your child to love learning and to succeed in school. You can prepare your child with readiness skills through his/her daily activities and during bedtime stories.

• Does your child approach learning enthusiastically and is he curious? Is she eager to explore, discover, and ask questions? Point out your child's surroundings, including flowers, trees, birds, people, etc., and take time to encourage and answer her questions.  If not, you can help encourage this by asking your child open ended questions and provoke their thoughts and feelings of their surroundings. 

• Hand-in-hand with curiosity and discovery go language skills. Help your child build his vocabulary by giving him words and descriptions as he observes and experiences his surroundings. Additionally, activities, such as visits to the beach, park, beach, children's museum, or zoo, present many opportunities for you to help him develop language skills.  Obviously hands-on experiences are the best, but reading about and exploring the internet can also build childrens' background knowledge.

• Kindergarten teachers will be pleased if your child has the ability to listen. Read to your child every day, and engage her by asking questions about the book. Besides nurturing vocabulary and comprehension, reading develops the listening skills necessary in a kindergarten classroom. 

• Encouraging your child to take care of himself will prepare him for kindergarten. For example, although it's easier to hang up your son's coat yourself, his kindergarten teacher will want your child to do it. She cannot take off the boots and hang up the coats of 25 students. Help your child to become ready for school by teaching him to do such tasks as going to the bathroom himself and washing his hands, and opening up a juice box and putting the straw in. Perhaps if he attends pre-school, he has already mastered these skills.

• Kindergarten is about socialization, so help your child get ready by encouraging him to share, take turns, and understand the rights, space, and feelings of others.  These skills are easily developed and practiced in group settings whether it is a daycare, preschool or even play groups prior to beginning school.  These types of situations are vital to a child's success amongst a group of many children.

• It's important for kindergarten students to have good eye-hand coordination. Many kindergarten activities involve coloring, cutting, pasting, and writing with a pencil. Playing with clay or Play-Doh, writing, coloring, painting, pasting, and stringing beads are examples of activities that will get your child ready for kindergarten.

• Kindergarten teachers will teach their students how to write and recognize letter sounds. But they are happy when their students come to school knowing how to count to 10, and know shapes and colors. If your child attends pre-school, this is usually well covered there, but can easily be learned naturally in a home setting as well. 

In the end, if your child makes your local school's cut off date, it is a parent's decision whether you will start him when he is 5 or when she is 6.  There are certainly advantages and disadvantages to both and it can be a very difficult decision for parents to make, but there are people to talk with and get more direction with your decision. 

Krissy Miner is a long time kindergarten teacher and the owner of Mrs. Miner's Monkey Business.