Home
>
Parenting
>
Starting School - What Age Should Children Begin School?

Starting School - What Age Should Children Begin School?

"What age should my child start school?"

This is a common question that concerns many parents. It is complicated if your child's birthday happens to fall near a closing date for new school enrolments.

There are many factors to consider including: a child's gender, his or her general readiness and maturity and also family circumstances such as sibling proximity.

However as a general rule I advise parents not to rush children down the academic track. It is tempting to get children off to Pre School or school at the earliest possible age, particularly if your child is socially aware and generally a bright spark.

It is a mistake to assume that an early start in any area is a good start. The Finnish experience stands out as a beacon for parents and educators all over the world. Even though Finnish education authorities have delayed the start of school until as late as seven years there appears little or no gap between educational performances at the later end of school. In fact, in terms of dropout rates and readiness for further education those kids seem streets ahead.

Currently, in many Western countries we seem to hell-bent in shaping environments for kids from the earliest possible ages to maximise learning and child development. Nothing wrong with that per se but we must keep it in perspective and remember that kids need time, space and opportunity to be kids. That means that they shouldn't always be in an adult-structured environment or live in a childhood that is an adults' version of what a childhood should be. They need space and time to explore, climb, hide, balance, bounce, and use their imaginations. And adults don't have to do all that much to allow this to happen. Kids will climb and bounce on furniture, hide behind chairs and turn a living room into a space ship given half a chance and the television off.

It is tempting to underestimate the importance of parents' as a child's first early teacher. Pick up a parenting magazine and you will see all sorts of advertisements for early childhood classes ranging from movement through to music classes. Okay, there are some experiences a parent can't provide but I am unsure of the wisdom of cluttering child's early lives with music, ballet and tennis lesson and neglecting the chance of giving them a chance to daydream, explore and just muck around.

Children's basic needs don't change. The foundations of early social, physical and mental needs are laid in the first seven years ? and it is through play that children develop most.

What has changed is the amount of time a child spends sitting rather than being active, the ever-shrinking age that stress can kick in and how some kids barely have time to be kids.

Providing opportunities for outside play and activity at home is important. One-to-one interaction with a parent is important to boost confidence, promote language development and teach problem solving and perseverance.

The best start for a child is to have the chance to grow up in a relaxed atmosphere with the time and space to explore his physical and social environment; to mix with his peers in a mixture of structured and unstructured environments and plenty of language and experiential rich one-on-one time with a trusted and caring adult. It sounds a lot like home!

Michael Grose is The Parent Coach. For seventeen years he has been helping parents deal with the rigours of raising kids and survive!! For information about Michael's Parent Coaching programs or just some fine advice and ideas to help you raise confident kids and resilient teenagers visit http://www.parentingideas.com.au

family-safe home cleaners Northbrook ..

In The News:

FBI warns cybercriminals are stealing family photos from social media to create fake proof of life images in virtual kidnapping scams targeting victims.

Instagram's new 'Your Algorithm' tool lets you control your Reels feed in real time. The app now gives you power to customize what videos you see.

Major Marquis fintech breach exposes 400,000-plus Americans' data through unpatched SonicWall vulnerability, with Texas hardest hit at 354,000 affected.

Free up iPhone storage fast by clearing large photos and videos from Messages app. Simple steps for iOS users to delete attachments without losing chats.

Scammers are flooding inboxes with fake tracking alerts that mimic real carriers, exploiting the holiday rush to steal logins and personal data.

The Fox News AI Newsletter brings you the latest news on AI technology advancements and the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

Texas family reunites with missing 11-year-old cat Grayson after 103 days using Petco Love Lost's AI photo matching technology and community help.

Tired of AI customer service loops? These insider tricks help you escape "frustration AI" and get real human help when you need it most for urgent issues.

Unlock richer audio from your streaming apps with simple tweaks to volume normalization, equalizer settings, and quality preferences for cleaner sound.

Scammers are sending fake Facebook settlement payout emails that mimic legitimate notices from the privacy settlement administrator to deceive users.

Holiday shopping scams surge as fake refund emails target distracted consumers during Black Friday and holiday seasons, costing Americans billions annually.

The AI-powered IRMO M1 exoskeleton features four modes, including turbo, eco, training and rest for hiking, running, cycling and sports with eight-hour battery life.

OpenAI announced upgrades for its ChatGPT Images platform on Tuesday, saying the program can now make more precise edits and produce images more quickly.

Chrome for Android now turns web articles into AI-powered podcast conversations. Get hands-free browsing with Google Gemini's natural audio summaries.

LastPass faces $1.6 million fine from U.K. regulators after 2022 data breach exposed 1.6 million users. Password manager failed proper security controls.

Petco disclosed a data breach exposing customer Social Security numbers, financial account details, and driver's license information due to a software error.

Baseball teams can now analyze complete swing mechanics in normal training environments using Theia's markerless AI system that processes standard high-speed footage.

Smart home hacking fears overblown? Expert reveals real cybersecurity risks and simple protection tips to keep your connected devices safe from hackers.

MIT develops needle-free glucose monitor using light technology. Revolutionary device could replace painful finger pricks for diabetes management.

The ClickFix campaign disguises malware as legitimate Windows updates, using steganography to hide shellcode in PNG files and bypass security detection systems.

Researchers from Osaka Metropolitan University designed a 21-foot dome that combines aquaculture and hydroponics to create a self-sustaining urban food system.

The Fox News AI Newsletter gives readers the latest AI technology advancements, covering the challenges and opportunities AI presents.

ChatGPT data breach exposes personal info of users through partner Mixpanel. OpenAI confirms names, emails compromised in security incident.

Android rolls out Emergency Live Video for 911 calls, letting dispatchers see real-time scenes during emergencies. Great for holiday travel safety.

Malicious Chrome and Edge extensions collected browsing history, keystrokes and personal data from millions of users before Google and Microsoft removed them.

Starting School - What Age Should Children Begin School?

Parenting