08/26/2026
When children are little, a year is significant. Twelve months is 20% of a five-year-old’s entire life. During that time, so much is developing ….attention, emotional regulation, executive function, fine-motor skills, impulse control, confidence, independence, the ability to handle frustration etc.
School readiness is about so much more than whether a child knows their letters or can count to 20.
And starting later doesn’t mean withholding learning. A young child can spend that year being read to, playing outside, building things, creating art, cooking, counting, asking questions, developing language, learning through play, and even beginning phonics or math when they’re interested and ready. That is education too.
One of the things I’ve come to appreciate is that academics can often be learned remarkably quickly once a child is developmentally ready for them. There’s no prize for learning something at five that could have been learned more easily and joyfully at six.
That doesn’t mean every child should automatically start later. Children are different, and some are absolutely ready earlier. But I think we’ve become so accustomed to asking, “Are they old enough to start?” when a better question is, “Would another year of development benefit my child?”
I also don’t really love the phrase “holding them back.” You aren’t necessarily holding a child back by giving them time. You may simply be choosing not to rush them forward because the calendar says they’re eligible.
Childhood isn’t something we need to get through as quickly as possible.
Give development time. Keep learning rich and joyful. Increase the demands as the child becomes ready for them.
You can always speed up academics later.
You can’t give them their childhood back.
