Discussions

That's great that he's already learned so much!! I'm not sure if 4 year olds can start Kdgtn early as I thought they had to be at least 5 but definitely check and report back as I'd be curious to know.  
 
On the other hand though, do you think he will be emotionally ready and mature enough to start high school early as a result of starting kdgtn early? He could potentially be 16/17 in grade 12 right? That can be a lot of pressure and stress on a child even a year younger than their peers. Just something to consider?

To enter kindergarten they must be 5 on or before December 31st.  
 
Keep doing what your doing and by the time he is in grade 1 the teacher will be ready to adapt his program to meet his needs and continue his growth academically, while meeting his social/ emotional needs.

I believe that full-time pre-Kindergarten is available in DSFM schools, so you could inquire in Shilo if you are interested in that. That way you could offer him new challenges without putting him in a class with children a full year (or more) older than he is.  
 
I would actually prefer to see the Kindergarten cut-off moved back to September or October. I am sure many kids are just fine starting school at four but I think ages 4-5 is not really the best time to determine whether or not they are advanced for their age. Lots of children learn to read quite early and that is fantastic for fostering a lifelong love of reading, but it doesn't mean they will be significantly ahead of their peers academically.

My child would have been 4 entering kindergarten having a late in the year birthday. We actually discussed/researched heavily talking to teachers, preschool teachers, and resources at Elspeth Reid. All recommended holding our child back a year. It was for academic it was for social/emotional reasons. The reasoning was it wasn't at younger ages but more at middle and jr high ages, and into high school they would not be as emotionally ready for social situations as their friends. My child is now a grade 7 age and it was the best decision we ever made.  
 
Clearly this is just my child and every child is different. But just another perspective to think about.

At this age, you are better to leave them in their age appropriate grade. We experienced the same thing with one of our kids, and half way through her kinder year, the teacher had talked about skipping her to grade 1, as she was already academically beyond that even, however, socially and emotionally, it was better to keep her where she was at. We are glad we did that, because as they get in to higher grades, teacher can adapt work easier to suit the child's academic ability. There is still a chance, she may get moved ahead, as she works at least 2 grade levels beyond her age, but for now, the teacher's challenge her, and socially she is fitting in with her age group very well.  
 
Keep your child where he is at, register him in kinder at the appropriate age, and then let the schools guide you to what is appropriate.

Academics are not the only benchmark for kindergarten readiness. Social maturity is a big factor as well.  
 
My cousin was like your child, and "skipped" kinder, entering grade 1 part way through what would have been his kinder year because he wasn't being challenged/was bored. By the time he was in grade 4, the wheels had completely come off the bus and ultimately he only went to school until grade 8 and then dropped out (after his 4th repeat). I know a few other kids like that too, and emotional maturity is almost always THE issue.  
 
As parents, we sometimes tend to overestimate our children's abilities. Like my cousin, I was reading fluently by age 4, but after seeing her nephew struggle my mom made the choice to put me in French Immersion so that I would be challenged but I would remain with my peer group. Best choice ever, and I'm grateful to her for making that choice for me.  
 
I have a child in public school, but I also homeschool some of my children. I can tell you, it's not uncommon for a child to be several grades above the norm for their age in at least a couple of subjects. Remember that in school, academics is actually a relatively small part of the experience; the process of socialization and conformity is also a very large part of it (by socialization, I mean the application of social norms and conditioning that occurs in that setting - see the writings of John Holt and John Taylor Gatto).  
 
If you're worried about your child being challenged, why not take the time to put them in something like music classes? I also had that as an outlet, again to tremendous benefit to me as an adult. You also have the option of homeschool them.

There was screening in the spring. It was announced on the radio. You could probably meet with the kindergarten teacher of your assigned school if you phone the school. My advice would be to think is this good for your child and are they really that exceptional. To what end basically. If a person is truly exceptional it won't matter what age they start kindergarten at.

I entered kindergarten at 4, as my birthday was in December. do not do it, do not push the child. I did well enough in school, it was all the social, sports aspects of maybe not being on the same team as my school friends. (I know it sounds silly but it is true, this is a child, not an adult who can adjust. We also lived in a small town and I came to ACC. So I moved out own my own at 17, to a place where I knew no one.  
 
the worst - your friends can all get in the bar before you!~!

I entered kindergarten at age 4 (had a grade 12 reading level by grade 3).  
 
I so wish my parents hadn't put me in early. It meant i had to start junior high at a younger age, start high school at a younger age, start university at a younger age.  
 
The academics were fine but daily life was hard because i was one or two years younger than everyone. That makes a big difference in school, so it was difficult to stay friends while transitioning through stages like puberty & dating.  
 
I think this leads to more bullying from older kids and it was probably not good that i was two years younger than all the guys as a teenager.  
 
But anyway, I'm sure if you call the normal contact they'll let you know if there are screenings.

The school division will not let your child start early.

Usually the school division is pretty strict about those kind of things. If it's really what you're wanting to do I would recommend calling the school division office and asking.  
If not, I would suggest putting your child in french immersion. I was the same way as a kid, reading chapter books in the first grade, and I was bored out of my mind at school because everything was too easy for me. I got moved to french immersion and it made a world of difference.

I too had a brilliant daughter that was reading at an early age. I asked that she be put directly in grade 1 as her birthday was in the early part of the year and she would be only a couple of months younger than those with November and December birthdates, but no dice.  
 
I feared she would be bored in a regular school so I put her in the French Immersion program just to challenge her.  
 
The various gifted student programs are hit and miss with funding and teachers being bounced around like pawns. The French Immersion students moved as a group through the thirteen years with few dropping and, except for the influx of Shilo students at grade five, not many entered the program after the first couple of years. I think this stability of classmates helps with the overall school experience.  
 
You will have to be responsible for gifted activities such as visiting the Children's Museum in Winnipeg, MiniU programs during the summer, Riverbank Discovery Centre, and the University telescope. At 12 years of age, Air Cadets opens other opportunities.

Just because a child is smart and reading at a certain "grade level" does not mean that they are developmentally ready for school. Social and emotional aspects are key for consideration as well.  
There is so much more to literacy than simply reading/recognizing the words in a chapter book, or grade level reading. Reading words does not mean comprehending the depth of what they are reading.  
 
Homeschool your child until they are of age and plan learning opportunities that are challenging and spark curiosity, if you are concerned that your smart child is not being challenged with learning.  
 
Children have such a small window to be just that, a child. They will spend the rest of their entire lives going to school, working, etc. Why rush it?

Hit the nail on the head. My son is also smart for his age and I have asked numerous times about putting him into kindergarten early. I've never looked into it but wouldn't consider it. My response is "We go to school for 13+ years. I want him to enjoy being a kid." They have 4-6 small years.. Before all they know is school and work for the rest of their lives. Just my opinion. Also.. Have you considered a Montessori setting? There is one opening up in Brandon in September..

Personally I think kids should be allowed to be kids. Too much stress/pressure is being put on kids younger and younger to learn. My daughter's preschool teacher also told us she was ready for kindergarten a year early but we didn't push it as there is more to life than sitting in a classroom learning all day.

Brenda said "I entered kindergarten at 4, as my birthday was in December. do not do it, do not push the child. I did well enough in school, it was all the social, sports aspects of maybe not being on the same team as my school friends. (I know it sounds silly but it is true, this is a child, not an adult who can adjust. We also lived in a small town and I came to ACC. So I moved out own my own at 17, to a place where I knew no one.     the worst - your friends can all get in the bar before you!~! "

I was the 4 year old as well in kindergarten back in the day. I did well academically, but it was in later years when everyone was passing those social teenage milestones and I was the odd one out being just too young age-wise for certain social situations. Academics are one thing, but the social aspect of friends that are peers is very much significant in the formative years. I graduated at 17.  
 
When one of my children were met with the same fate of a birthday on the cut-off date, I held that child back and was glad I did.  
 
I had a great upbringing and all was well in school. I just think it's not a bad thing to hold a child back and use that last year to focus on hands-on learning such as museums, culture, additional learning and just enjoying that one more year at home until they are socially ready.  
 
Academics can always be expanded on if a child is gifted. Socially, there is no fix if they are behind their peers in age.  
 
Just my contribution with experience, whether right or wrong.

@ Abbysmum  
I loved your response. I will have to check out these authors that you referenced. Music is a great idea to supplement learning and give a positive creative outlet.