Would enrolling a 5-year-old in pre-school be okay or slow down his development?
I have a 5-year-old and we're in the USA. He had been to preschool when he was 3.5 years old for 1.5 years.
Now at 5 years 4 months, he is able to read the sentences, write words, do almost 2nd grade math. He loves doing math, additions, subtraction, etc., and he does it fast. Now reading the books.
Because of the job, we moved to a different place and had a travel. Now after the dust settled, we wanted to put him in Kindergarten or 1st grade. But since it's almost the end of the academic year, no school is willing to enroll him. There is one school that is okay to enroll him now, but it's for pre-schooling. As we have no other option, we are planning to enroll him there, instead of keeping him home.
However, we are very concerned that he might not learn anything new and or not enjoy his schooling, as they will be teaching ABCs and 123s, and will be sitting with kids younger than his age. He always likes to go to school.
Is it okay or might it back-fire? Or better to wait and put him in proper class? Would his development slow down?
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It's hard to answer without having a lot of detailed knowledge of the classes that really even you probably don't have, but I doubt it would be a net negative to enroll him in a pre-school, as long as it's with some age-equivalent children. You don't say enough detail about that; is it mixed 3.5-5.5 year olds? Or is it all 3 year olds?
Even if he is intellectually ahead of his classmates, there are lots of other things that he should be learning at that age: social, physical, emotional development all needs to occur (probably even more than book learning). Being in a group of similar children will help this (especially if they will then go to the next grade with him).
If the only option is a class of 3 year olds, that might be more difficult for him; I would tend to try and avoid that situation. If there are some 4.5+ year olds there, I think that would be reasonably okay; a year or more gap between the other children and your child would be difficult, though. In that case I might try and work on things at home, but aggressively find him other kids to play with on a very regular (once a day or close to it) basis.
On a side note, I would caution you against enrolling him a grade ahead next year. Studies have repeatedly shown that children get better life outcomes when they are kept at their age grade level rather than skipped ahead, even if they are intellectually ready; emotional, physical, and social maturity is somewhat linked to actual age, and being the smallest and least mature in your class is very difficult. (I know; I was skipped ahead past Kindergarten, in a similar situation - reading sentences and such at 4.) There are plenty of ways to continue intellectual development without skipping ahead.
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