Across the country, more and more parents are “redshirting” their children when it comes to kindergarten. The term comes from the college sports practice of benching an athlete for a year and prolonging his eligibility, giving him a chance to get bigger and stronger before he plays. Some parents of children born in the summer (i.e., close to a school’s age cutoff date) believe holding back their child for a year will give him or her a social, academic, or athletic advantage. Redshirting kindergarten is especially common with boys, who typically don’t mature as quickly as girls when it come to the behaviors that traditionally promote success in the classroom: sitting quietly, listening, paying attention, and so on.
It’s a concept Malcolm Gladwell explored in his book, Outliers. Gladwell explains that a relative advantage for kids born earlier in the year may turn into a more significant advantage over time. He uses the example of successful ice hockey players–a large number of whom were born in the first half of the year. Canada’s eligibility cutoff for junior hockey is January 1, so, Gladwell writes, “a boy who turns 10 on January 2, then, could be playing alongside someone who doesn’t turn 10 until the end of the year.” He argues that the boy who starts off with the age advantage then gets selected for better teams, receives better coaching, and, subsequently, is set up for greater success over time. Gladwell’s proposed solution to the problem? Create more junior hockey teams so boys born in the second half of the year aren’t disadvantaged by their older peers.
Is redshirting a problem? Maybe. If a boy with a “late” birthday is bright, he may be bored if he’s held back simply because he’s chronologically younger. Once he does enter school, he may have trouble relating to younger students–or vice versa. More redshirted students mean a kindergarten teacher could be balancing the needs of a student who’s not quite five with those of a student who’s almost six and a half. Research on the long-term benefits of being an older student is mixed.
Are there real merits to redshirting? Again, the answer is “maybe.” If a boy born in August waits a year to start school, it’s possible he’ll be more physically and emotionally mature. But it’s not a blanket solution. And while a student’s maturity is important, there’s also something to be said for meeting boys where they are. Rather than redshirt their son, parents’ best bet may be to select a school that understands boys’ development. For example: a four or five year old needs ample rest time during the school day. At school, “play time” and “learning time” shouldn’t be mutually exclusive. Schools that recognize these factors and incorporate them into the school day are well equipped to serve a boy born in January and a boy born in July. As boys age, the school might intentionally continue these efforts with other tactics, such as offering additional sports teams in later grades, hiring faculty adept at teaching to different learning styles, and keeping a low student/teacher ratio.
Whether to “redshirt” is a decision families have to make for themselves. Finances, childcare needs, and the individual child’s abilities and maturity may all play into the decision. But maybe the question isn’t, “Can my kid hack it in kindergarten?” but rather, “How does this school serve all students, regardless of birth month?”
