Are We Sending Kids to School Too Early?
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- čas přidán 18. 01. 2020
- Hello, friends! Welcome to another “Sunday with Sarah.”
Many of the theories of Rudolph Steiner, the founder of Waldorf education, were formulated without the sophisticated scientific methodology we can employ today. However, modern research continues to validate the developmental philosophy which Waldorf educators have advocated for a hundred years!
Today I’m here to share with you an interesting study, conducted by Stanford researchers, which supports the benefits of allowing some children to start first grade a year later than “normal.” As I’ve mentioned before in previous videos, one of my own sons benefited enormously from this approach.
I hope you enjoy hearing my perspective as a Waldorf teacher and mother on this illuminating study. You can read the full article here:
qz.com/546832/stanford-resear...
If you enjoy this video, please give it a thumbs-up and subscribe to my channel. If you have a question you would like answered in a future Q&A, please leave a comment below. I love hearing from you!
Wishing you a day full of play,
Sarah
Despite pressure to the contrary, we put our son in Kindergarten at age 6 (almost 7 years old)....and never looked back.
Childhood is a happy time --- the additional stress of early placement seems unnecessary.
Thank you, Sarah!
Another gem!
Thank you for this video. Its exactly what I needed to hear. I have 3 year old twin boys who started PreK 3 in US, to be exact Texas. One has done great, the other not so great. The problem child refuses to follow instructions at times, sit on the carpet, get in line, etc. On his assessments he does great, he knows his numbers, letters, colors, etc. But he loves to explore and play. He's not the sitting type of kid. I was called today to pick him up due to bad behavior in line. I was very upset that I withdrew him from school. I was more upset, that I withdrew the twin even though he's doing good. But after listening to this video I realized that I was hurting my child so much by pressuring him to do as good as his twin and to make him love school. I felt into the pressure of society to have kids in school so early and to expect all kids to be well behaved and not play when they want to play. I was making my son miserable. I know that I'm making the right choice of letting them stay home and play without strict rules as long as they can. Thank you for the video.
It makes me really upset to see this push to get children into schools and sports and structure earlier and earlier. We need to stop thinking our children will be the next Einstein if we just purchased this or enrolled them in that. My mother was a victim of this thinking, she was sure I was a genius and had pushed me into piano lessons at 3, a school that promised to prepare your children for grade school by focusing on academics before I was even 4. I am no more a genius, and honestly I feel it would have been a better use of my time to run around and play and learn how my body moved through space through movement. I'm an adult now, I'm getting ready to have my own children and I don't expect my child to be a genius, or gifted or any of these labels we slap onto our children to make us feel better about ourselves. I expect my kids to be average but I want to give them the freedom to learn about the world through exploration and observation, not through sitting at a desk memorizing
Agreed the best thing as adult can have is autonomous emotional regulation and knowing of self.
I thought I was doing the right thing by having my daughter do workbooks at 3 and 4 and teaching letters and numbers, and now she is reading at 5. But she is also often anxious, and seems worried about things, and I regret taking the time from her for pure play and the imaginative dreaminess of early childhood. I am trying now to help her recapture some of that play time this year with no pressure from me to learn anything "academic."
if this is any help at all, it might as well have to do with the personality of your child, who they are in their core. I have a girl that turned 6 in June. She will enjoy on e more year in "kleuterschool" as kindergarten is called in Dutch and it was a hard decision for us, cause academically she has proven to be advanced. But her awesome Waldorf teacher told us she has early signs of failure/performance anxiety. We never tried to teach her to read/write/numbers, as both me and my husband were taught at 4-5 by our own parents, and that took away a lot of the fun of school. What I am trying to say is: some kids are naturally more anxious/fearful. Often those are kids with a great imagination (together with fairies, monsters come as well). (My daughter had a big phase of anxiety about death around age four). She has been complex and "philosophical", asking difficult questions from a young age. We thought that she could handle the answers too, and probably that was our mistake. What I am trying to say, using waaay to many words, is that your child might still have been anxious and worried, even if she had not contact with workbooks whatsoever. She is probably bright and was looking for stimulation, and that's what led you to the workbooks. A year of play will definitely help her feel more at ease with herself, I think, so go for it, by all means! But don't feel bad for what you thought was the best to do for her at the time.
nope !! very bad at 3 and 4 learning numbers and letters. I went to waldorf school. BEST thing ever . No child needs to learn that. they need to play . science says a child needs to play.
@@weppis85 Also need to read. Reading can help to develop imagination so my children should start to read at 4 years old, but I can't take the tools to expand their minds from them.
I yearn for my children to attend a Waldorf School. This video magnifies this yearning. I went to school early because of where my birthday fell in the calendar year and my early school experience was rather abrasive for me. As an adult when I leaned about Waldorf education my whole heart ached for myself as a child to have had that experience. Now as a mother I watch my babies in school, although doing well, I wish they could have the warmth and love of a Waldorf School.
There’s always homeschooling. We don’t have to send them to school is the U.S. unless the parents both have to work.
Thanks for this video, Sarah. I like to share your work with my clients to help them understand childhood better, and the importance of play, and all the multiple benefits of Waldorf/Steiner principles even if their kids don't go to a Waldorf school. How helpful these tools are in parenting children!. Much gratitude.
I know someone who is teaching their 3 year old and making them understand plant science... disgusting. 3 years and plant science?? i was in awe !! a child needs to play , not learn about plant science
The problem is that now even staying in the kindergarten does not guarrantee the children will have time and space to play. In Belgium many kindergarten are changing the physical set up (desks for activities for preschoolers) and introducing academic diaciplines as early as 4 -5! And what s worse is that even the alternative schools such as waldorf are pushed into this under the threat of removing subsidies. This is deeply troubling and sad.
Sarah you are glowing in this video ❤️ my best friend and I have been watching your videos together. It’s what I do in my fun down time. I have been thriving doing Waldorf at home with my 5, 3, & 2 year old daughters and I can’t wait to bring our soon to be born son into this beautiful rhythmic learning as well.
Thank you Sarah for reminding us about this. My children didn’t have this chance here in Canada ( children go to school from age 5). I always try to give them the opportunity to keep playing and to learn playing too. It’s not easy to do and it’s not the same, at least I see them as playful children and not bored children.
I would love to know how to deal with this as parents, because I'm not able to change the goals the government has made for our children. So even though I know my child should be playing, the school needs to follow the rules of the government. Thanks Sarah!
Great question.
I suggest putting them in an alternative school until they are 6.
Sarah thanks for sharing such a crucial view… it really really give me a lot of clarity
Thank you for making this video. Super helpful!
Please keep making videos!! I love them so much
Virtual learning brought me here.
I wish this was a choice in English schools. My son was 4 years 3 weeks old when he started school. I had attempted to delay his school start until he was compulsory school age which is 5 here, but I could only find schools to agreed to take him the following year into year one and not reception. And I did not have the knowledge, time and resources to fight the school systems.
He's turning 7 tomorrow and more and more our family are considering home school and starting his education again duebto the disruption of covid and him simply not having been ready to start formal education at such a young age.
Oh this video ite me up!!💖💖🙏 I chose to keep my kids out of school because of. Covid. I've been pretty upset with public school for pushing good little workers. Let them be kids.. I've followed the Waldorf way. Using art and nature and music as the main curriculum. My daughter is 7 now and she's so much more interested in learning new things on her own. Like math and reading. It's so beautiful. Thank you sarah..blessings 💖 🌟 🙏 🦋
The system is flawed totally. I was homeschooled.
Yes. And too many hours and subjects to learn. Pressure on a child like that is wrong. "Good grades" are a stupid idea too. Many kids just can't handle it. I was one, always behind and fearful of bullies as many thought me as stupid and hassled me. This is wrong totally. The entire school system must be dumped for a kids choice and talents and not trying to cram useless junk in heads.
thanks for sharing this. feeling the struggle here as there aren't any 5 year old placements for preschool where I live so I would have to choose between sending my late-birthday kid to school 'on time' or keeping him at home for a year
Until we in America have help for families to afford quality childcare kids will be going to school as soon as they meet the age standard.
I was a micro preemie and small and a little behind at 5 so my mom delayed my introduction to elementary school. To be completely honest, I caught up in those areas fast and it was frustrating being the oldest and felt bored sometimes. By the time I was a senior in high school and almost 19 I was so done and ready to be in college. While I understand this is different for every child, the fact of delaying being a good thing isn’t always correct. Also, there’s a lot of research showing how fast the brain grows in those first 5 formative years. My daughter made preschool deadline by 2 days this year and she has absolutely thrived.
I think the important thing is that the child leads. No child should be held back, but they shouldn't be pushed to the detriment of their natural character either.
Thsnk you Mam...much benefit for me as a teacher
Thank you Sara. Can you share the article, please? ❤️
We are sending our daughter of 2 years old and she cries whole day at kindergarten... 😢
It’s kind of what we are going through right now. We are wondering if we should keep our son with us an extra year or send him to pre school next year ( he will be 5 in sept). But we are totally for letting him go to school later !
My son turns 6 right at cut off date Sept. 1st, I homeschooled him for kinder, he's ready academically but not emotionally. I was about to register him this week it just didn't feel right, thinking of homeschooling him for 1st grade. I hope I make the right decision for him.
I am working as a nanny , and my profession is nursing as I know at least 3 years kids can go for kindergarden but now very pain full situation baby is 20months my family decided to send him kindergarden actually he likes to pay and clam everywhere in this situation what I can do nothing some family doesn't understand about kids behavior and growth problems in future sorry for text I am bit emotional
I redshirted kinder for my son
My child is 2, I'm a single mom and I need to work, isn't school the safest place I could leave my child?
Daycare isn’t the same as school though. They don’t usually push academics at that age. At least not where I live.