Posted by:
Summer
(
)
Date: February 04, 2011 05:26PM
I taught first grade in a public school for five years (and other grades as well.) Repeating a grade at a very young age is almost always a good thing. The question is where to repeat it, which I'll get to later. It's critical that you get the teacher's opinion about what the issue might be. In most cases at that age, it's a maturity issue. A lot of what goes on academically at that age is developmental in nature. This doesn't mean that your child is lacking in intelligence, it just means that he or she is a late bloomer. Particularly if your child is one of the youngest in the class, this is the most likely cause. Hopefully the teacher has lots of experience. If you have a new teacher, you will want the principal or school counselor to observe your child in class to get his or her opinion as well.
Kindergarten has been called "the new first grade." Back when I entered the profession, if a child knew his or her letters, numbers, colors, etc. the child was good to go for the first grade. Now children are expected to be reading in kindergarten.
First grade is probably the most stressful year for elementary age kids. I always say that first grade takes them the furthest academically the fastest. If your child does not repeat kindergarten, the chances are overwhelming that he or she will have to repeat first grade. As to where the repeat should happen, it's a toss-up. I would talk with both the kindergarten teacher, the first grade teacher and the principal to get their opinions.
There is a small possibility that your child has another possible issue such as a learning disability. Again, discuss this with your child's teacher to get her opinion. You can request testing by putting your request to your school's child study team in writing, but testing is often inconclusive at such a young age.
Most kids who repeat are at the top of their group the next year, and do quite well in school thereafter. They enjoy being successful. If there continues to be an issue after repeating, then you are most likely looking at a more serious problem.
Generally there are few social consequences for very young repeaters. That changes as students get older.
The best way to help your child at home is be reading to him or her every day. Read picture books from the public library, wordless picture books such as the "Arthur" series (ask your child to tell you what is happening on each page,) Dr. Seuss books, fairy tales and folk tales. It's okay to read the same stories over and over. Point to the words as you are reading them. Reading a book right before a child goes to bed is a nice way to finish off the day.
Make sure that your child has one-to-one correspondance. Ask him or her to count a set of like objects, i.e. Cheerios or M&M's, pointing to each object as it is counted. Make sure that your child knows his/her shapes and colors. Practice recognizing and writing letters and numbers (the teacher can give you lined paper.) Also have your child do lots of cutting and pasting activities -- maybe make collages of pictures from magazines around a theme, i.e. pets, friends, plants, etc.
Good luck to you, and give a shout-out if you have any questions. Don't be afraid if your child has to repeat -- it will be for the best, trust me!