What age would a child start to go to school?

I put all three of my kids in a two day a week parent participation pre-school at the age of three. I think it really depends on the child and the program you are considering. You might want to check out the NAEYC website for some more information.

i know that most kids where i live start when they are 5. i started technically when i was 4, but my birthday ended up being just 2 weeks into the school year so i turned 5 just after school started. most school districts i know of have a cutoff date that states what age children must be before a certain date in order to start school

Home schooled from birth
preschool at 3
kindergarten at 5

It depends on the kid. Some 3 year olds can handle full day, 5 day a week school and some can’t handle any. Most kids thrive somewhere in between.

It really depends on your child and your situation. Unfortunately, I don’t think people who don’t know your kid can really be much help with this question.

Age 4 is probably a good age for pre-school, then age 5 for Kindergarten.

Studies have shown that most 3-year-olds can’t memorize most things, and I think the reason was that they haven’t developed a sense of self at that age, or something. What they did was, they put a teddy bear in some part of a room and then took the toddlers back in about a week to find it again. They also made the kids look in the mirror, and if any of them could identify that it was themselves that was staring back, they were the ones who could remember where the teddy bear was placed (in a drawer).

I don’t have a link for the study because I saw it on a video in my high school psychology class.

@ark_a_dong
Kids usually recognize themselves by age 20 months. Also, memorizing things isn’t generally the reason to send a young child to school (although I doubt that 3 year olds can’t memorize… what healthy 3 year old hasn’t memorized plenty of things?). It’s generally more about socialization, being away from their main care giver, and establishing routines.
I’ve worked with children who really thrived in pre-school at age 3, and others who weren’t quite ready. Again, it really depends on the kid.
I don’t mean to sound like I’m picking on you. :)

@Likeradar

Perhaps I memorized the age wrong, usually when I hear 18 months I automatically think “3 years” for some reason.

Hmmm, really… just absorbing all this info. A million Thanks to all!

All 3 of mine started at age 3 in a part-time pre-school. At 4 they went 1/2 day every day. It was great for them, but some are not ready at that age. Things to think about: Has your child been with any other caregivers but you? Is s/he potty-trained (most schools require this)? Would it interfere with nap-times? Is s/he curious about the world yet? Asking yourself these questions and more should help you decide. Best of luck to you.

Also, welcome to Fluther! Nice avatar :)

Really? Really???
If you can afford it, get a kid to school ASAP.

Montessori is great at this age.

What’s the rush? I never went to any kind of preschool. I started kindergarten when I was five. I turned out fine.
This is a sincere question though. Are there actual benefits to starting children in school as soon as possible?

Depending on the type of program, there are advantages in terms of structured play, and beginning social interactions. With Montessori, children learn things like pouring, sorting, and cleaning up after themselves. A lot of the activities take everyday skills and lay the basis for academic skills. Play takes on a learning element at the same time. A good developmental day care program can provide the same benefits as a preschool program.

My daughter benefited in huge leaps from starting a private school when she was 3. It helped grow her confidence, social skills as well as grammar and counting and the abc’s. Granted these are all things that could have done at home but I do not believe that it is the same. It did not turn her into some kind of super child or anything but it helped her and she talks about how much fun it was for her.

i think u should because i started school at that age and I’m the best in my class.

Thank you fluther people, it gives me ideas in all your advices :)