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So we figured out that younger kids have a harder time sitting still and paying attention?

corysama 11y ago
We figured out that kids that start later have an easier time sitting still and paying attention compared to other kids of the same age. > “We found that delaying kindergarten for one year reduced inattention and hyperactivity by 73 percent for an average child at age 11,”
- ddlatham 11y ago
  Ah, thanks. The current headline is misleading, perhaps it would have been better written something like: Study finds improved self-regulation in students who delayed kindergarten enrollment.
- derefr 11y ago
  Can you rephrase this to say that the effect was basically by shifting all learning material one year up? I.e., now the kids are starting kindergarten at the point they'd be regularly starting grade 1, yes, but they're also now getting grade 5 material when they'd be getting grade 6 material and so on? If so, that suggests to me that we've inadvertently just scheduled everything too early, and kids are getting bored and confused and acting out because they can't understand (or can barely understand, and their brains are being taxed to their limits and the stress is depleting all their dopamine.)
  - seandougall 11y ago
    There is some of that. As a result, many states have increased the enrollment age, and now have transitional kindergarten, or TK, for kids (like my daughter) who would have enrolled in kindergarten at an earlier age a few years ago than they're now eligible for. Seems to me a properly controlled study would have to compare kids who started at an earlier age, then repeated kindergarten, versus their peers who waited a year to enroll. Despite not exactly being feasible, that would measure the effect of the structured environment at a young age without getting so apples-and-oranges.
- chongli 11y ago
  Talking about the same age in young children is misleading if you're only referring to the year. A child born in January is a lot more mature than a child born in December of the same year, despite being the same age (during the weeks between their birthdays, anyway).

We figured out that kids that start later have an easier time sitting still and paying attention compared to other kids of the same age. > “We found that delaying kindergarten for one year reduced inattention and hyperactivity by 73 percent for an average child at age 11,”

ddlatham 11y ago
Ah, thanks. The current headline is misleading, perhaps it would have been better written something like: Study finds improved self-regulation in students who delayed kindergarten enrollment.
derefr 11y ago
Can you rephrase this to say that the effect was basically by shifting all learning material one year up? I.e., now the kids are starting kindergarten at the point they'd be regularly starting grade 1, yes, but they're also now getting grade 5 material when they'd be getting grade 6 material and so on? If so, that suggests to me that we've inadvertently just scheduled everything too early, and kids are getting bored and confused and acting out because they can't understand (or can barely understand, and their brains are being taxed to their limits and the stress is depleting all their dopamine.)
- seandougall 11y ago
  There is some of that. As a result, many states have increased the enrollment age, and now have transitional kindergarten, or TK, for kids (like my daughter) who would have enrolled in kindergarten at an earlier age a few years ago than they're now eligible for. Seems to me a properly controlled study would have to compare kids who started at an earlier age, then repeated kindergarten, versus their peers who waited a year to enroll. Despite not exactly being feasible, that would measure the effect of the structured environment at a young age without getting so apples-and-oranges.
chongli 11y ago
Talking about the same age in young children is misleading if you're only referring to the year. A child born in January is a lot more mature than a child born in December of the same year, despite being the same age (during the weeks between their birthdays, anyway).