When should you send your child to school? When should I send my child to school? From six

Parents of children born in the winter-spring period often ask the question: “When is the best time to send their child to school?” If a child was born in March, at the beginning of the next school year his age will “overstep” the recommended mark of 7 years for admission by 6 months. Maybe it would have been worth sending such a child to school the previous September? Can a child who is only 6.5 cope with the workload required for students?

The age at which a child is sent to school will determine his future performance, so this issue needs to be carefully considered

At what age is it better to send a child to school?

Some parents, trying to realize their ambitions, send their children to study as early as possible. Others want to prolong their child’s carefree childhood and postpone the child’s enrollment in school. In fact, there are no universal recommendations on this matter. The decision must be made by parents individually after a thorough analysis of all the characteristics of the child.

What factors should you pay attention to first? Of course, the decision made by the parents about the education of the child cannot go against the current legislation of the country. At what age can a child be sent to study in accordance with the standards adopted in the Russian Federation?

By law

According to Article 67 of the Law “On Education in the Russian Federation”, a child’s enrollment in first grade must occur at a strictly defined age: from 6 years and 6 months to exactly 8 years. It is these time frames that parents will have to focus on when deciding how soon to send their child to school.

However, there are known cases when, at the written request of the guardians, the child was admitted to school before the required age. This is possible, for example, in private educational institutions, where classes of younger children are specially formed. If we are talking about a regular secondary school, then in order to enroll a child under 6.5 years old there, parents will first have to show their child to a psychologist. It is on the basis of a specialist’s conclusion about the level of emotional and social development of the baby that a decision will be made whether the baby is ready to study in the first grade.

Is there a chance to send a child to school at 8.5 years old or later? Normally, if a child of this age does not yet attend an educational institution, the guardianship authorities will certainly be interested in his family. What is happening will be regarded by government agencies as a violation of the right of a young citizen to receive primary education. The child's parents will be held administratively liable. This will not happen only if the preschooler is officially recognized as not ready for education due to health reasons.

For health

If a child has chronic diseases, the question of when to send him to school should be decided with the direct participation of the doctor observing the child.

If a child has chronic diseases, the issue of admission to school should be decided together with the attending physician

• with the musculoskeletal system;
• with digestion;
• with vision.

When a preschooler switches to an unusual daily routine with added stress, it is the listed groups of organs that suffer the most. In order not to aggravate the child’s existing health problems, doctors may recommend that parents treat the child first and postpone his education until a later age.

Doctors also have a number of tips for those whose children do not suffer from chronic diseases and have strong immunity. Before sending an apparently healthy child to school, he should, in any case, be shown to some specialists:

• pediatrician;
• immunologist;
• otolaryngologist;
• ophthalmologist;
• dentist;
• neurologist;
• psychiatrist.

Before entering school, every child must undergo a medical examination.

If at least one of the doctors listed above decides that the baby has some problems, parents should seriously think about postponing the baby’s enrollment in an educational institution until he is 7.5-8 years old. The remaining time can be used for wellness procedures. It would be great if, in the last year before school, parents manage to take their offspring to a good medical sanatorium.

Child's readiness for school

The legislative norms mentioned above are based, first of all, on statistical data on the principles of human physiological development, according to which the age from 6 to 8 years is optimal for starting education. By this time, the baby’s memory is already sufficiently developed to assimilate a large amount of new material, and his body can easily get used to gradually increasing loads.

However, when talking about a child’s readiness for school, one cannot take into account only physiological factors. How comfortable a child will feel in an educational institution depends on many parameters. Last but not least, it depends on the level of intellectual, emotional and social development of the baby.

Intellectual development

By the term “intellectual development,” experts usually understand not so much the knowledge base with which a child comes to first grade, but rather the child’s readiness to learn new educational material. If a child has memorized the multiplication tables, but is not able to construct simple logical chains, sending him to school is clearly the same. What intellectual skills should a future first grader have? The most important among them are the following:

• ability to analyze information and highlight the main thing;
• ability to make logical conclusions and synthesize cause-and-effect relationships;
• free orientation in the concepts of “space” and “time”;
• sufficient development of the speech apparatus and a rich vocabulary.

Emotional background and maturity of the nervous system

In many ways, it is the degree of development of the nervous system that determines how easily a person copes with stress and learns new information. Only a specialist can understand whether a child has problems in this area. That is why visiting a neurologist is a mandatory step before preparing for school.

In order to understand whether a child is ready for school, all future first-graders are recommended to undergo testing

Problems with the nervous system also affect behavior. Because of her immaturity, some children are inhibited; others show hyperactivity. Both can have a negative impact on your studies. Parents will be able to understand how best to act specifically in their situation after consulting a child psychologist. The specialist will analyze whether the child’s behavior will change over time and tell you whether it makes sense to delay the child’s entry into first grade.

Communication skills and degree of independence

If a child attended kindergarten before school, he, as a rule, does not have problems with socialization and development of independence. Otherwise, parents will have to pay attention to such aspects as:

• teaching the baby the simplest self-care skills;
• development in the child of attentiveness to the feelings of others;
• developing a tolerant attitude towards the shortcomings of other children.

When should you think about registering your child for school?

Unfortunately, in modern realities it is not enough to simply decide when to send a child to school. You will have to take care of enrolling your child in an educational institution in advance. Practice shows that the minimum time required to complete all necessary documents is 6-9 months.

Clinical and perinatal psychologist, graduated from the Moscow Institute of Perinatal Psychology and Reproductive Psychology and Volgograd State Medical University with a degree in clinical psychology

At what age should a child be sent to school? This question worries parents whose children are growing up. There are certain signs by which you can understand whether your baby is ready for school or not.

When to send your child to school

Why do parents want to send their child to school as early as possible? Some consider their child to be a real child prodigy who knows everything and can study in first grade without any problems. Others are afraid that their child will graduate from school at eighteen, which means he will not have time to enter a university, because he will have to join the army. For some, a significant argument is physical development - “My son is tall, he is much taller than his peers! If I send him to school next year, how will he look against their background?”

Psychologists say that you should not rush and send your child to school as quickly as possible. At what age should a child start school? Children who will be 6 years old or 6-plus by September need to wait another year to go to kindergarten. For a six-year-old, play is considered the leading activity.

At the age of 7, another crisis occurs in the child’s development. He becomes a more mature person. At this age, the leading activity is study. This doesn't mean that 7 year olds don't play games, it just becomes educational for them. They are interested in learning something new, they can concentrate their attention longer on the learning process.

How to determine if your child is ready for school

Signs of readiness for school:

1. Intelligent. The child must be able to concentrate his attention, build logical connections, and be able to remember material. Fine motor skills also play a role.

2. Emotional. The child must understand that at the moment he is obliged to sit in class, listen to the teacher, and not do what interests him. If he cannot control his emotions, then he needs to work on it.

3. Social. A child who goes to kindergarten, as a rule, knows how to behave in a group, communicate with peers, and find friends. If he is not accustomed to a group, then it will be much more difficult for him to adapt to school. This is why all parents are recommended to send their children to kindergarten, at least for the last year before school.

The current generation of children is undoubtedly different from the previous one. It is likely that your baby has amazing abilities - already at preschool age he can read, count and even write. And it seems that he will be bored in kindergarten (or at home) for another whole year - it’s time to study! But there is one catch: your son or daughter is not yet 7 years old, and this is the age that is considered standard for entering 1st grade. Another situation: the child is almost 7, he knows and can do a lot, but psychologically he is clearly not yet ready to study. And next year he will be almost 8. Isn’t it too late to enroll in school? For parents of boys, completing their studies at 18 seems like a bad dream - what if the child is drafted into the army right from school? On the other hand, I don’t want to take away a whole year of carefree childhood from my baby... What to do?

At what age should a child start school by law?

Before thinking about the psychological aspects of the beginning of educational life, let's figure out at what age children are accepted into the first grade of school according to Russian law.

According to the Federal Law of the Russian Federation “On Education in the Russian Federation”, N 273-FZ dated December 29, 2012, the age of a child entering first grade is determined as follows:

Receiving primary general education in educational organizations begins when children reach the age six years and six months in the absence of contraindications for health reasons, but not later than they reach age eight years old. At the request of the parents (legal representatives) of the children, the founder of the educational organization has the right to allow the admission of children to the educational organization for training in educational programs of primary general education at an earlier or later age.

Thus, according to the law, children must go to first grade at the age of 6.5-8 years, so parents should focus on these age limits. Starting school for children under 6.5 years old is, in principle, possible, but it is better if such a decision is made by parents consciously, after consultation with a child psychologist. Some private schools implement special training programs for such children: their classes are more similar to kindergarten groups. Postponing the solution to the “educational issue” if the child is already 8 years old is fraught with close communication with the guardianship and trusteeship authorities, since parents bear full responsibility for realizing the right of their child to receive an education.

Thus, every family, regardless of what time of year the child was born, essentially has the right to choose between two options: send him to school at 6.5-7.5 years old or at 7-8 years old. And sometimes making a decision can be very difficult.

How do you know if it's time to send your child to school?

School readiness and subsequent academic success are influenced by a number of factors that should be assessed when deciding on the age to enter first grade.

1. Intellectual development – an important point in preparing for school. Parents should pay attention to how developed the child’s speech, attention, memory and thinking are, as well as the level of compliance with certain didactic requirements for first-graders.

It will be easy for your child to study in first grade if he:

• has coherent, competent speech and a significant vocabulary (easily selects synonyms, antonyms; forms words from some words to others, for example, the names of athletes from a sport, profession; uses words with an abstract meaning, possessive nouns, prefixed verbs, correctly constructs common sentences, etc. .d.);
• can make up a short story based on a picture;
• pronounces all sounds well, knows how to distinguish and find their place in a word;
• reads words of 2-4 syllables at a speed of 8-10 words per minute;
• writes in block letters;
• knows geometric figures;
• has adequate ideas about the properties of objects: shapes, sizes and relative position in space;
• counts up to 10 forwards and backwards, understands the meaning of addition and subtraction;
• distinguishes and knows the names of colors;
• knows how to collect;
• can recite poems by heart, repeat tongue twisters, sing songs;
• carefully colors without going beyond the contours.

The desire to intellectually prepare a future first-grader for school to the maximum can play a negative role. Often such children quickly become bored with learning because they already “know everything.” In this case, it is initially better for parents to think about sending their child to a school with the appropriate level of requirements.

You shouldn’t rely entirely on school for learning either. A basic level of knowledge will allow the child to adapt more easily. Therefore, the ability to read by first grade is an optional skill, but still desirable.

2. Emotional maturity characterizes the child’s composure, balance in actions, and the ability to first think and then act. A high level of intellectual ability can be a reason for parents to send their child to school as early as possible. But if he has not yet matured emotionally to study, in the future this can bring serious psychological problems.

3. Motivation to study . According to child psychologist L.A. Wenger, “Being ready for school does not mean being able to read, write and do math. To be ready for school means to be ready to learn it all.” Starting school is a restructuring of the child’s entire lifestyle, a transition from carefree play at any time of the day to responsibility and daily work. In order not just to go to school, but to study, a student needs motivation. A simple question will help you understand whether your child has it: “Why are you going to school?” The ideal motivation for studying is educational, i.e. desire to learn something new. If the child answers that he wants to make new friends there (social motivation) or get good grades and be the best student (achievement motivation), this is not bad, but not very good either. What if the joy of meeting your peers quickly fades, and the price of friendship - daily work within the walls of the school - seems too high? Or will your hopes of becoming the best in the eyes of your teacher and receiving only praise not come true? And if the child’s motivation is only playful (there will be so many new and interesting things at school, you can play with the kids there), the decision to postpone school for a year is quite obvious.

4. Physiological maturity and health status . Before sending a child to first grade, it is necessary to assess how mature his nervous system is. If you go to school too early, sitting through an entire lesson can be simply an impossible task for your child. Pediatricians believe that a child, from a physiological point of view, is mature enough for school if he:

• easily reaches from behind with his hand to the top of the opposite ear;
• has formed kneecaps and finger joints, a well-defined arch of the foot;
• began to lose baby teeth;
• can jump on one leg;
• catches and throws the ball with ease;
• abducts the thumb when shaking hands.

In terms of development, one should also consider the level of development of fine motor skills: the ability to cut with scissors, work with play dough, perform finger play movements, zip up and tie shoes.

General health is also an important factor. Does the child get sick often (often – 8 or more times a year)? Does he have any chronic diseases? Your doctor will advise you whether to delay your studies if possible. Whatever your child’s health, before starting school, take steps to strengthen it: spend the summer in nature, go to the sea, pay more attention to the quality of nutrition, and take a closer look at treating chronic diseases, if any.

5. Communication skills . For a first-grader, it is important not only the desire to communicate, establish contact with peers and adults, and make friends, but also the possession of certain skills in this regard and adequate self-esteem. In addition, the child should feel comfortable outside the usual home environment.

6. Independence in school is obviously a necessity. A schoolchild must be able to manage his own clothes and shoes: get dressed, undress, fasten zippers and buttons, change shoes, tie shoelaces. Going to a public toilet shouldn't be stressful for him either.

7. Gender of the child has a significant impact on the ease and comfort of a child’s immersion in the school environment. When making a decision about a school, many parents are guided by understandable motives: they want to send boys to school early so that they can later go to college, but they feel sorry for girls and leave them one more year of childhood. Although in reality, girls mature for learning (responsibility, discipline and calmly staying in one place for 40 minutes) much earlier than boys. And this despite the fact that activity, which is important in learning, and the desire for new things - and school, in general, is such a new and interesting place - is, in principle, more in the style of boys.

Girls are usually better prepared for school intellectually and emotionally than boys: they are more malleable, sociable, obedient, sociable, and able to adapt to the situation and change themselves.

An important factor in the difference between children in terms of learning is the different rate of maturation of the hemispheres. It is believed that girls develop faster than boys the left hemisphere, which is associated with speech and the mental functions that appear against its background. In primary and secondary school, girls often find it easier to study. In boys, the right hemisphere, responsible for spatial-temporal orientation, is formed earlier, but this is not such an important function in a school setting.

As for academic performance in the first grade, in basic subjects the average grade on a five-point scale for girls is 4.3, and for boys - 3.9. In addition, the difference in grades in different subjects for girls is usually no more than one point, but for boys it can be quite noticeable. Sons’ report cards often unpleasantly surprise parents with a full set of different grades: “C”, “Four” and “A” can easily get along there. A boy can be very smart and capable, but restless. Or it’s just difficult for him to switch from subject to subject. And let’s face it, it’s easier for a teacher to teach calm girls than noisy boys.

In connection with such different psychophysiological characteristics, it is not surprising that by the end of the first grade boys are 6 times more tired than girls.

8. Anxiety a child is a personal characteristic that directly affects school performance. Moreover, it is not the same for boys and girls. Boys whose anxiety is slightly above average (but does not border on constant panic and confusion) are seriously worried about grades, about their status as a school student, almost an adult. They don't want to undermine their parents' trust and get reprimanded by the teacher. All this stimulates them to study well. But with girls the situation is different. The best students have below average anxiety. This is explained as follows: a girl who is prone to worries is most concerned about relationships with other students, and she has less moral strength to study than is necessary.

9. Temperament A first-grader largely determines the success of schooling. As practice shows, the most difficult time at school is for choleric girls and melancholic boys. These children often do not conform to teachers' stereotypical ideas of how to behave as a member of a particular gender.

Boys of a melancholic nature are gentle, soft, and vulnerable. It is difficult for them to “put themselves” in a children’s team and to defend their position if necessary. In an emotionally difficult situation, such a sensitive boy may cry. Unfortunately, peers and teachers often do not understand such children.

Due to their own liveliness, restlessness and restlessness, choleric girls find it extremely difficult to withstand a whole 40 minutes in one place. And actively defending one’s rightness in children’s quarrels, and sometimes even in a fight, at school, as you yourself understand, is not very approved.

Teachers usually treat phlegmatic children well, but sometimes they can become irritated by their slowness and “excessive” calmness. And even for a phlegmatic child, studying is sometimes a little difficult.

The easiest temperament to learn is sanguine, and it is especially successful for boys. Teachers love such children because they practically do not cause problems. Curious and sociable, not too anxious, sanguine children easily fit into school life.

The type of temperament is especially important in elementary school. Subsequently, it ceases to be a significant factor in academic success - other qualities become decisive.

Experts will help you assess your child’s readiness for school. Discuss your baby's health and physiological maturity with your doctor. A child psychologist and kindergarten teacher (or preparatory class teacher) will characterize the degree of intellectual and emotional maturity, communication skills and level of motivation to study. And of course, no one can know your child better than you yourself - the final decision on admission to school rests with the parents.

With children who turned 7 years old in July-August, it seems to be easiest: it’s time to go to school, no matter what doubts there may be. But if experts point out to you some reasons why it is better to postpone studying for now, it may be worth thinking about alternative options (for example, studying at home).

In what cases is it better to delay entering school?

There are a number of “contraindications” for starting school before 7 years of age:

1. Psychological:

• lack of motivation to study, a clear preference for games to learning;
• the appearance of a newborn in the house simultaneously with the child’s entry into 1st grade;
• difficult period in the life of a family (quarrels, divorce, lack of money, etc.).

2. Social:

• a large number of adults involved in the child’s life (this is fraught with unnecessary pressure on the baby);
• parents’ choice to study at a gymnasium, private school or lyceum with high program requirements and the need for daily (possibly long) trips back and forth.

3. Medical:

• mental illness;
• recent brain or spinal injuries;
• chronic diseases;
• weak immunity.

What if a child starts school at 8 years old?

If your child, at 7 or less than 7 years old, is clearly not ready to enter first grade (emotionally, physiologically, due to some personal characteristics) and you are tormented by doubts whether to send him to school at the required 7 years or still postpone study for a year, you need to carefully weigh the pros and cons.

It is not for nothing that the age of 6.5-7 years is considered ideal for starting school life. Experts in child development argue that it is at this age that the child begins to gradually change his range of interests from playful activities to cognitive ones.

Every child is unique, and no one knows him better than his parents. Perhaps it is for your baby that the decision to “extend childhood” will be right and during this year he will truly mature for school. But you shouldn’t ignore the fact that, perhaps, in the future your child will begin to feel discomfort in a team where everyone is younger than him. To make the right decision, discuss your doubts with a child psychologist.

When should you think about your child’s readiness to enter 1st grade?

There is such a wonderful expression: “The purpose of education is to teach our children to do without us” (Ernst Legouwe). From the very birth of your child, you took care of him, gradually teaching him to be independent, to live in society, and to speak competently. The development of a child is a long-term and not one-time affair, and by the age of 5-6 years, children have already accumulated quite a large amount of knowledge and skills necessary for school. When is it worth asking the question: is the child ready for school?

As you understand, preparing for study is a very broad and multifaceted process. By your child’s 6th birthday, you have already done a lot, and in order to understand the degree of his readiness for a new stage of life, it is advisable to contact a psychologist in advance. It is better to do this about 9 months before the expected “day X” - September 1, when your baby should go to school. Thus, it is advisable to schedule communication with a specialist for November-December. Earlier – it hardly makes sense: children at this age develop quickly, and a few months can change them radically. If you come to your senses in the spring, there is a chance that the psychologist will tell you about the need to work in some direction, but there will not be enough time for this. In addition, submitting documents to schools begins on April 1, and this is also an incentive to think earlier about your child’s readiness to study.

The decision about the age at which a child will go to first grade is a very serious and responsible one. If you decide that the time has come, make your baby's first day of school a real holiday! Decorate the room, prepare a cake and celebrate an important occasion with the whole family. An important stage of responsible, independent life, full of victories and achievements, begins in a child’s life.

What time should I send my child to school? Our reader Vera is sure that later is better than sooner, and she is ready to prove it

Photo source: www.2dl.com.ua

Preparing for school begins long before September 1 and not at all with buying a beautiful backpack, not with choosing a school, or even with preparatory courses, but with such a simple question at first glance - What time should I send my child to school, at 6 or 7 years old?

Everything is individual

The answer is on the surface, it is easy and complex at the same time: everything is individual, Each child is unique, so there should be no general approaches.

Photo source: www.mg1.liveinternet.ru

But at the forefront of all concerns about their child will be physical and emotional health.

Physical health of a first grader

By the age of 6, the child’s motor sphere is well formed, he masters subtle movements of a complex order, and becomes more dexterous. With these qualities, his performance and endurance also increase.

Photo source: www.doublex.ru

But nonetheless, he still needs gentle treatment, as he gets tired easily in monotonous school activities.

Therefore, the health of 6-year-old first-graders is at greater risk compared to the health of 7-year-old schoolchildren.

Photo source: www.4.bp.blogspot.com

We're talking about school illnesses

The main “school” diseases are:

• diseases of the musculoskeletal system: posture and flat feet;
• respiratory tract diseases;
• cardiovascular pathologies;
• vision.

Photo source: www.okozaoko.ru

Take, for example, vision. Anatomically, the eye is fully formed only by the age of 7. at 6 years old this process is at the final stage and visual acuity is at the level of 0.8-0.9.

Following the logic, if at this moment the child is exposed to large visual loads (if heredity is also present), the likelihood of vision loss increases.

Psychological and emotional spheres

Not long ago I came across an absolutely wonderful monograph edited by D.B. Elkonina. He is with a group of scientists experimentally showed the difference between 6-year-old and 7-year-old schoolchildren.

Photo source: www.vospitatel.com.ua

• Attitude to school reality

In 1981 in Moscow An experimental class of 6-year-old children was recruited. The program was completed with excellent results, because the cognitive abilities of 6-year-old children are slightly higher than those of 7-year-olds.

Photo source: www.pravdaogrippe.ru

But anxiety level compared to the seven-year-old class was significantly higher.

• Low level of formation of sound-letter analysis of words

6-year-old children do not distinguish between a word and the object behind it. Reasoning about a word is only a form of communication with an adult, masking the child’s real understanding of the subject.

• Poorly formed inner self

Six-year-old children are more likely to play at school - a beautiful uniform and a school bag. It is difficult for them to understand why they study and why the profession of a janitor is so bad.

It becomes clear that the stress a child experiences in first grade is enormous. The older and stronger the child, the more perfect his emotional and psychological sphere, the easier and more painless learning is in first grade.

• Cognitive sphere

A child's cognitive abilities are higher at 6 years old than in seven-year-old children - all researchers note this.

Photo source: www.children-coloring.rf

But the specific perception of symbols by 6-year-old children (gravitates towards enumeration rather than description) plays a cruel joke on them.

External impressions are a strong distraction, so The attention of 6-year-olds is characterized by a small volume and weak concentration.

Photo source: www.profilaktika.tomsk.ru

Why then give it away earlier?

It’s not a fact that if you start earlier, the outcome will be better. Large-scale research conducted by Caroline Sharp and covering 55 countries, did not reveal any relationship between school entry age and academic performance.

Have you ever had any doubts about what time to send your child to school? And did your decision come true?